Covers Save Your Saddle
Covers Save Your Saddle A seat saver doesn’t usually cover your entire saddle to protect it from dust and scratches. For that, you need an actual saddle cover.
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hen we went looking for seat savers, we also received some products we felt were more seat covers than savers, and therefore considered them separately. While seat savers are designed to ease the rider’s seat from the wear and tear of riding, there are covers you can purchase that will save your saddle from the wear and tear it is exposed to as well. Saddle jackets are light coverings that fit over a saddle and protect it from the elements. Models with slots for stirrups can be used while riding to shield a saddle from rain, mud and dust or to keep a saddle clean between classes at a show. They are handy to have when traveling, as they protect saddles from scratches. Most covers can be used for storage, keeping a saddle free of dust when not in use. Norman Equine Designs/ Beautiful Tails Saddle Jackets Suggested Retail: $43.50. Materials: Lycra Spandex. Colors: Red, black. Features: Soft, stretchy fabric hugs and envelops the saddle. Pockets for the stirrups. Designed to protect the saddle and keep it clean. Not waterproof. Wash in cold water, drip dry. Tested Western, but it’s also available in English.
Comments: A nicely designed saddle cover. Easy to pull over the saddle, covering it from skirts to swells and down over the fenders. The stirrups slip into pockets at the bottom. Handy to keep saddle clean on the way to the show and to keep dust off the polished leather and silver while the horse stands tacked up between classes. The fabric breathes, making it a suitable cover while the saddle is stored on the saddle rack. Classic Coverup Sympatex English Saddle Cover Suggested Retail: $69. Materials: 100% nylon with Sympatex laminate. Colors: Navy, red, green, black. Features: Full saddle cover with stirrup pockets. Waterproof Sympatex membrane helps prevent mold and mildew. Machine wash warm water, gentle cycle. Tumble dry low heat. Comments: Fits both close-contact and dressage saddles and is handy to keep saddles clean in storage or at shows or for die-hard riders that want to ride in any weather and protect their tack. The fit was good on a variety of saddles, with a strong elastic gathering on the edges that kept the cover securely in place while riding. Regular and safety stirrups slid easily through the slots. It was unobtrusive, not slick, stayed in place, and made no “crackly” plastic sound. Contact Your Local Tack Store Or: Classic Cover-Ups 610/ 932-9400; Norman Equine Designs 800/348-5673.
W
hen we went looking for seat savers, we also received some products we felt were more seat covers than savers, and therefore considered them separately. While seat savers are designed to ease the rider’s seat from the wear and tear of riding, there are covers you can purchase that will save your saddle from the wear and tear it is exposed to as well. Saddle jackets are light coverings that fit over a saddle and protect it from the elements. Models with slots for stirrups can be used while riding to shield a saddle from rain, mud and dust or to keep a saddle clean between classes at a show. They are handy to have when traveling, as they protect saddles from scratches. Most covers can be used for storage, keeping a saddle free of dust when not in use. Norman Equine Designs/ Beautiful Tails Saddle Jackets Suggested Retail: $43.50. Materials: Lycra Spandex. Colors: Red, black. Features: Soft, stretchy fabric hugs and envelops the saddle. Pockets for the stirrups. Designed to protect the saddle and keep it clean. Not waterproof. Wash in cold water, drip dry. Tested Western, but it’s also available in English.
Comments: A nicely designed saddle cover. Easy to pull over the saddle, covering it from skirts to swells and down over the fenders. The stirrups slip into pockets at the bottom. Handy to keep saddle clean on the way to the show and to keep dust off the polished leather and silver while the horse stands tacked up between classes. The fabric breathes, making it a suitable cover while the saddle is stored on the saddle rack. Classic Coverup Sympatex English Saddle Cover Suggested Retail: $69. Materials: 100% nylon with Sympatex laminate. Colors: Navy, red, green, black. Features: Full saddle cover with stirrup pockets. Waterproof Sympatex membrane helps prevent mold and mildew. Machine wash warm water, gentle cycle. Tumble dry low heat. Comments: Fits both close-contact and dressage saddles and is handy to keep saddles clean in storage or at shows or for die-hard riders that want to ride in any weather and protect their tack. The fit was good on a variety of saddles, with a strong elastic gathering on the edges that kept the cover securely in place while riding. Regular and safety stirrups slid easily through the slots. It was unobtrusive, not slick, stayed in place, and made no “crackly” plastic sound. Contact Your Local Tack Store Or: Classic Cover-Ups 610/ 932-9400; Norman Equine Designs 800/348-5673.
