If you are like me and have (one) ordinary washing machine, you probably don’t like to put hairy dirty horse equipment in it. Yes, in my next life I will have lots of money and a stable with its own washer and dryer. And yes, in my current life I have been known to put one a ski mask and sneak into laundromats with a few loads of blankets/rugs, sheets, wraps, and saddle pads.* But I do sometimes want to wash my own pads, and there is a fairly easy saddle pad cleaning trick that gets most of the hair and grime off first. What’s more, it uses no water.
Yes, pressure spraying with water can be more effective.
Especially if you have a power-sprayer. Even a nozzle on a hose with good water pressure can help. Sometimes this is the only real option, if your equipment is still wet and/or very muddy. At the track, we would use water and a stiff brush to clean out the saddle towels** every day. But that’s not as effective with thicker pads, and it’s not at all fun when it’s really cold. It’s also wasteful. Water is already a precious resource in many areas, and it’s only going to become more so.
The stiff brush method, illustrated.
A good stiff brush with long bristles can get most of the hair and dirt off. I use old horse body brushes–or new ones that are too stiff. Somehow I always end up with a few brushes that are too hard to use on horses.
An example with a very dirty pad:
To show the effects with a very dirty pad, I used a very similar brush I have at the barn and attacked the pad below. In the first picture, you can see the difference in the bottom corner, where I started.
Yes, both pads still need washing, but they are much improved!
*Notes on using laundromats.
- Use giant washers and dryers. You don’t want to squash pads or squish blankets too tightly, they won’t get clean.
- This is the main reason I use laundromats about once a year: I like to put everything in huge industrial sized machines. They just clean better.
- When possible, fasten clasps shut (and keep them together with rubber bands or ties).
- Use socks to cover any metal bits that will bang on washer and dryer walls.
- Do an extra rinse cycle afterwards so the next person’s clothes don’t get horsed. I usually run two washes and a few rinses on everything anyway.
**On the virtues of saddle towels.
You will need to worry a lot less about easy saddle pad cleaning if you keep them from getting dirty in the first place. The idea is to put an easily washable layer between the horse and the pad. The thin cotton ones are lightweight, cheap, and do the job. I usually order from BigDee’s; you can even get monogrammed ones. You can also pick them up at any tack or feed shop that’s near a track.
You can also get terry cloth saddle towels. You can see one in the old picture below (taken in Spain in 2009, when I was riding for Yan Durepaire).
I’ve never seen terry cloth saddle towels in the states. I have made my own, however, with old towels or bath sheets. If you want a full size saddle towel (~32″ x 35″), then bath sheets are the best, because they make exactly two saddle towels.
If you are going to buy new, something like these are good; not too thick, and cheap. I like white, too, because you can bleach it.
If you want more colors, these Amazon Basics might work. Also, I prefer thinner towels, and these look thin.
But I usually just match an old towel to whatever pad I am using.
No matter what type, saddle towels are much easier to wash than thicker pads! And easy saddle pad cleaning methods won’t save you from soap and water forever.