How to choose the right style, size and thickness for your 5 Star Pad:
Style: Choose a pad style that complements your style of riding and your saddle. If you need assistance, call us at 870-389-6328
Size: Measure your saddle and choose a pad that will have no more than 1-2” of pad showing around your saddle.
Thickness: 1/2” Thick Pad – Great for showing, reining, cutting or pleasure horses when you still need protection yet want to put a colorful blanket over the under pad for show purposes. 3/4” Thick Pad – An excellent all-around saddle pad for those that need a daily exercise training pad and may also need to throw a blanket over it for the show ring. 7/8” Thick Pad – The best all-around use saddle pad recommended for trail riding, team penning, cutting, reining, and barrel racing. 1” Extra Thick Pad – Designed with ranch work in mind, for roping, performance, colt starting or heading to the mountains with lots of gear. 1-1/8” Supreme Roper Pad – Specially engineered for team roping, calf roping, steer stopping, and performance.
There is no need for double padding with a 5 Star Pad: No more pad or blanket is necessary with the 5 Star Contoured Saddle Pad. Double padding creates movement and slippage. This slippage is usually compensated for by over cinching. The contoured fit of our pads means a limited need for cinching with minimal saddle movement. Square cut pads do not follow a horse’s back contour. This can result in unnecessary pressure and improper saddle fit which may cause pain and injury to your horse or mule.
How to care for and store your 5 Star Pads and Cinches:
Equipment: 5 Star Cleaning Sponge, Rubber Fingered Curry, or a Flat Rubber Curry. Prevent dirt and hair build-up on the underside of the pad by brushing occasionally. This keeps old hair from trapping dirt and sweat and embedding it deep into the pad. To remove embedded hair and dirt, rotate a dry 5 Star cleaning sponge in a circular motion on dry pad. Wipe the hair off of your 5 Star Cleaning Sponge surface with your hand occasionally. For pads with heavy crusted sweat and dirt, break up these areas with a rubber fingered curry or scrape gently with a dull edged object being careful not to cut the felt. Use a vacuum to remove excess grime and loose material. A brush or a swift slap with your hand may also be used to sweep away dirt and hair.
Washing your 5 Star Pad: Washing is only necessary after 100+ hours of use or when the pad is beginning to feel hard in the pressure point zones (shoulder points & loin areas). Avoid using soap, as you will risk leaving soap residue that might irritate the animal. If you do need to use soap, Woolite ® or your favorite horse shampoo is recommended. When washing, make every effort to wash pad from the center to the outer edges in all directions. Simply hang or hold pad by the gullet hole and begin rinsing from the center to outer edges of the pad. Rotate the pad as you rinse so that the dirty water flows outward to all the edges rather than just soaking into the pad. NEVER LAY PAD FLAT TO RINSE, as it only drives dirt and sweat salts into the pad. This is true with any type of pad. Use only enough water to dissolve sweat salts and dirt residue so that they will be carried away in rinse water. Then hang the pad by the gullet hole or lay naturally over a rail. DO NOT LAY PAD ON its BACK TO DRY as it will stretch the leather and pull out the inner lacing. After pad is dry, flex pad in the areas that have not softened. This will fluff and loosen the felt which restores optimum compression protection.
Storing your 5 Star Pad:5 Star Equine Products recommends hanging your pad on a rack or folding and laying it flat on a shelf. NEVER place your saddle on top of your pad on a rack for storage! Your 100% Pure Virgin Wool pad needs a chance to dry and breathe in between rides. This simple method of storage will prolong the life of your pad and ensure many years of protection for your horse’s back!
100% All Natural Cinch and Breast Collar Care and Cleaning: Remove dirt and grit before or after each use. Rinse in water if needed, then air-dry. Only use mild horse safe shampoo to wash. NEVER BLEACH, it will destroy the fiber’s protective layer. Try to store clear of pets!
