Foam Vs. Wool Saddle Panels

Every saddle has a part called the panel, which refers to the area that rests on the horse's back. In English saddles, the panels are stuffed with a material that creates a padding to protect the horse's back. The two most common stuffings are wool and foam. Often, if someone is referring to wool-stuffed panels in a saddle, the term "flocked" will be used, while with foam, the term "formed" is used.

  1. Materials

    • The wool material is usually a combination of wool and synthetic fibers, but may be composed of pure wool. Pure wool has a reputation, though, for bunching up into balls inside the panels. When filling panels with wool, saddle makers use panels that have been lined with canvas, which helps the panel hold its shape. With foam panels, the foam is injected into the saddle's panels and fills out a form created by wool felt. Different types of foam can be used, with pure natural latex being one of the most expensive.

    Adjustability

    • While saddle manufacturers that use foam panels often point to the foam's ability to mold to a horse's back, there is little adjustability to the foam panel itself, and if there are gaps between the saddle panel and the horse's back, nothing can be done to fill in that gap inside the foam panel itself. With wool-flocked saddles, on the other hand, a trained saddle fitter can move the wool to compensate for areas where the saddle may not fit the horse exactly, and this can be done as often as needed to keep a horse comfortable.

    Fitting

    • For a foam-paneled saddle, special saddle pads may be needed under the saddle in order to correct the saddle's fit. These pads may cause problems, though, by taking up too much space between the saddle and the horse, or by creating pressure points on the horse's back or shoulders. You can work with a saddle fitter to choose the correct pads to put under your saddle. In wool saddles, the wool can be moved around so that extra pads are unnecessary.

    Shape

    • Wool-flocked saddle panels tend to have rounder edges, according to saddle fitter Galadriel Billington, which are less likely to hit or rub areas of the horse's back, while foam-filled panels may be more squared. Also, some foam-filled panels may not have a wide enough surface area to distribute the rider's weight across the horse's back.

    Life Span

    • After about eight to 10 years of use, saddle fitter Marji McFadden recommends that you have all of the wool in wool-flocked panels replaced to avoid the wool becoming hard. This process may need to be done more often if the wool used has already developed lumps or gotten hard, or if you are buying a used saddle. For foam panels, eventually the foam will break down and no longer provide as good a resting surface on the horse's back. In this scenario, you will need to buy a new saddle or have the foam removed and replaced with wool. The panels cannot be re-injected with new foam.