Blanket Maintenance
• Small vacuums are handy to remove dust and horsehair.
• Machine washing doesn't work for all pads and blankets, so check the label.
• Wash off the sweat because salt crystals can be especially damaging to fibers.
• Avoid heat and sunlight when drying pads and blankets, especially those with leather trim.
Your horse's comfort when you ride is important, so the money you spent on that saddle pad and blanket was worth the cost. If you take care of the pad or blanket, you'll make your investment last. You'll also keep that pad and blanket in shape so they can do their job - provide protection and comfort for your horse, help spread pressure and prevent friction and rubbing that might create a sore.
Most pads and blankets are easy maintenance. Many can be machine-washed and -dried, washed at a do-it-yourself carwash with water under pressure or just rinsed with a garden hose. The pad will likely have come with care instructions. If not, a quick call to the manufacturer or their website may give you the information you need.
English Pads
English pads are easiest to clean. Many are cotton quilted or fleece and are either machine washable or washable by hand. If you do wash the pad in a machine, use cool water and don't use a heat cycle in your dryer to avoid the corners of the pad shrinking and curling up.
English fleece pads can often be machine-washed on gentle cycle and tumble dried on low heat. Most English quilted pads are also machine-washable and safe to dry in your dryer. However, some English quilted pads are made of materials designed to wick away moisture, and the manufacturer recommends line drying.
Janet Nittman of Dover Saddlery said that generally the English pads offered by Dover can be washed in a front-load washing machine in cold water or by hand using mild soap. Do not bleach or dry-clean them. Either hang them to dry or use the air-fluff cycle in your dryer.
Many English pads today have a gel insert, which you can remove and then wash the outer covering.
Storing Your Pad or Blanket
After use, a pad or blanket dries quickest if you lay it out flat. It's best for short-term storage of fleece, wool and felt to drape the pad or blanket over the saddle (on your saddle rack) after it's dry or hang it on a pad rack in the tack room.
Never leave a saddle pad or blanket hanging on a fence rail in the sun. After it's dry, put it away because ultraviolet rays can damage natural fibers and synthetic materials. Too much sun can shrink wear leathers on a pad or the leather side of a sheepskin pad, or they could become stiff or crack.
For long-term storage, pads or blankets should be in a cool, dry environment to avoid mildew or mold. If the pad is completely dry and is not made of leather, you can put it in a tight plastic bag to protect it. If there is any dampness, however, plastic will seal in the moisture and create ideal conditions for mold. In a humid climate, a dehumidifer in your tack room may help. If it's to be stored for a while, put mothballs with a wool pad or blanket.
Don't store anything on top of your pad because that may press down the fibers or make pressure marks on a foam pad. You should fold a pad or blanket in half, the way it naturally bends over the horse; never fold it backward. Just like a piece of paper that gets folded back and forth many times, this weakens the fibers and the center part of the pad will become thin and worn at the crease. Always store pads and blankets up off the floor so mice won't get at them.
Foam and synthetic slick pads should never be left outside in the sun because the UV rays can damage the material. They'll hold up best if folded their natural way and put in a place by themselves in your tack room. If you store them on a saddle stand under your saddle, the stand will often leave pressure indentations.
Western Synthetic Fleece Pads
It's tempting to simply shake a Western pad to remove the dirt, dried sweat and horsehair, but it's best to follow up by vacuuming or brushing. You should brush off dried salt from sweat and dirt every time you ride because a buildup will wear on the fibers.
You can also machine-wash these pads on gentle cycle and tumble dry them on low heat. Another option is to pressure wash these pads (at a carwash or with a portable power washer for engines). In that case, you won't need soap because the water under pressure lifts out dirt and hair.
Water won't hurt most pads (even if they have wear leathers) as long as they are allowed to dry properly afterward. If the fleece pad has a fabric top and felt interior, do not machine-wash or pressure-wash it. Simply brush it off, hose it with water to rinse away dirt on the exterior and hang it on the fence to dry.
Wool Blankets
While wool blankets can be kept fairly clean after daily use just by snapping them against a fence, door, pipe or other solid surface, follow up by brushing with a medium to stiff horse brush to remove any hair or dander left on the surface. Don't use anything as harsh as a metal currycomb because that may tear the fibers.
Toklat recommends brushing and hosing its Western woven wool blankets and Navajo blankets, rather than washing them. For Toklat wool pads (the Western woven pads or Navajo pads), the fleece portion can be brushed and hosed, and the pad hung to dry (never machine-washed).
Mayatex recommends hand-washing its blankets periodically. A blanket you use regularly can be washed in a tub of cold water every 60 to 90 days. (Do not machine wash.) For thorough cleaning, let it soak in cold water for at least an hour. Mayatex does not recommend using soap because a blanket can retain soap after washing. Soap residue may seep throughout the porous wool each time it becomes soaked with sweat, which can irritate your horse's back.
After soaking a blanket, gently wring it while still in the water. Then lift it out and wring again to remove as much water as possible. In that way, when you hang it you won't create a pull on the fibers. Some manufacturers recommend hanging a wet blanket over a rail, while others recommend drying it flat, like you would a wool sweater.
Brush the damp blanket (whether it's hanging or spread out) with a soft to medium horse brush, then turn it over and brush the other side. Let it air dry completely in the shade so that sunlight doesn't damage the fibers.
