Wash saddle pads the easy way AND save your washing machine.
Washing saddle pads without wrecking the washing machine or filling it with hair that then ends up on your clothes is the bane of the horse riders life! Not everyone has access to a separate machine to use for horse stuff. If this is you, read on!
I wash my saddle pads after every 2nd ride in the summer when my horse sweats more, once a week in the winter.
The first thing to do is remove as much hair as possible. There are a couple of ways to do this. The Vivant Equi Defluffer is the quickest and easiest way to remove excess hair BUT it is not suitable for fabric types so make sure you test it out for suitability first before using it on the entire pad.
If you prefer to use something where there is no danger of snagging the fabric and don’t mind using a little bit more elbow grease, the Vivant Equi Silicone Grooming Block is your friend!
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Your secret weapon is a Vivant Equi Horse Gear Washbag. The washbag acts as a filtration system retaining all horse hair inside the bag during the wash cycle while allowing a free flow of water through the bag to clean your items. The washbag also helps prevent buckle damage to your machine. Put your saddle pad into the bag, I also put a 6 pack of Vivant Equi Washballs in the bag as well to help remove any hair that I have missed or hasn’t come off. You can also put the washing powder straight into the bag if you like.
Zip it up and into the washing machine it goes! Make sure you tuck the zip into the little zipper storage pouch to make sure it doesn’t come undone in the wash.
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Once the washing machine has done its thing, take the pad out and give it a shake to get rid of any loose hair and hang it on the clothes line. Turn the washbag inside out, shake the loose hair out and hang it up to dry.
Job tidy! You now have a nice clean saddle pad AND no horse hair in your washing machine.
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