Thursday Morning Feed from Fleeceworks

Good morning, Horse Nation! Hope you woke up to find all your horses still in their pastures this morning–fireworks can be heck on equine brains. Last year our barn manager spent the better half of her 4th of July evening chasing down an OTTB who decided, upon reasoning that she was being “shot at” from every direction, to jump the fence and run for her life.

By the time you read this, my horse and I will be on the road from Tennessee to boot camp in Middleburg, Va., followed by a horse trials in Maryland. I like to think that since we’re heading north, we’re heading toward cooler weather, but deep down I know that’s not actually true. It’s hot pretty much everywhere. (Except in Canada, notes reader Andrea Meister of British Columbia, who kindly invited my horse and I up for a visit. Very tempting….)

Anyway, hot weather being pretty much a reality for the time being, I’m always looking for ways to keep my horse and I cool.

Some of my barn buddies use baby pads, but I’ve never been a fan. I appreciate the close-contact thinness, but I don’t like the way they refuse to contour to a horse’s back–I’m always worried that it’s going to result in uncomfortable, bunched-up lumps under the saddle. Plus, they’re way too short to go under a dressage saddle, and where’s the girth strap?

I recently, however, discovered an exception to the baby pad rule: Fleeceworks baby pads.

Made from a lightweight cotton with a thin layer of batting, they’re breathable and promote the transfer of heat and moisture from your horse’s back into your Fleeceworks sheepskin of Therawool half pad.

And… wait for it… they have an anatomical top line, a girth strap for a secure fit, and they’re available in both jumping and dressage styles! Brilliant.

Susie Hutchison in a Fleecework baby pad.

I love how smart Horse Nation’s sponsors are.

Go Fleeceworks, and Go Riding.

Horse Nation Tip: Check out Fleeceworks event rider Tamra Smith’s blog!!