Saddle Reflocking

An uneven or lumpy saddle panel can prevent your horse from giving of its best. After two or three years of regular use the flock, or stuffing, inside the panel can become hard and uncomfortable. Lumps can form without you noticing. However, your horse will! Vets and chiropractors will tell you that uneven saddle panels are one of the main causes of back trouble in horses. Reflocking a saddle involves total replacement of the contents of the panels with new white flock. (This is a great improvement on brown flock found in 99% of saddles.) The results may show immediately in your animal's movement and general behaviour.

Why not get your saddle checked soon?

It could solve those unexplained problems!

Flock

The flocking used in saddles may be white, brown or grey in colour. White flock is preferable because it is more likely to be natural wool than the other colours. It is more expensive but because it is a natural product, sweat will allow it to bed into the shape of the horse's back. Real wool flock is a first-use product of the woollen industry. It is made up of fleece from different breeds of sheep and blended together. A scouring process cleans and removes the grease. The wool is then carded through rollers containing small needles which tease out and comb it to produce a material that is soft yet resilient. The wool is then ready for use a flocking in the saddlery trade or alternatively it may go through more processes such as spinning for yarn. Real 100% white flock contains long fibres. It has a superiour springiness and resilience, which enables it to recover quickly from compresssion over many months. While in the panel it will soak up oils and moisture from the horse. This enables it to bed in, over a few months' use, to form a well-fitting panel which is firm, yet conforms to the horse's back. Brown or grey flock is formed from carpet factory waste and contains a high percentage of acrylic fibres. This means that while it is in the panel it will not soak up moisture and may turn hard and lumpy. After two or three years in a new or re-flocked saddle this flock will emerge as it went in: in small, dry, individual pieces.