You spent a ton of money on your horse, their comfort and your tack. You got the best saddle you could find so you could both be on the right track. Made sure the saddle had soft flocking for their comfort. The gullet is sized for the horse and adjusted regularly. You love those fantastic rides where you both learn something. It's time to cool off and call it a good day. Well, your saddle doesn't rest after you take it off the horse.
The saddle weight is enough to compress the flocking as it sits on the rack. Not nearly as much as when you are riding. But the stand you choose to set your saddle on will affect your saddle and how it fits on the horse. We don't think much about the saddle rack because it's assumed they just hold the saddle till we get back to it.
Every bar and every strap and pad or girth pressing on the flocking will start to leave indentations in your saddle flocking.
This is the most common saddle rack around.
Have you ever noticed that it's completely lopsided. Extended resting on this rack can even shift a tree on a saddle. Top Hat Tack has seen used saddles come through that had a tree that was tipped off center at the bars because it was on a rack like this. It likely had a few things stacked on top, a girth, pad, blanket, even another saddle. Luckily we were able to reset the tree, but the unsuspecting buyer did not know that it had happened to the saddle she bought. This rack is ok short term, for tacking up, at a show, while cleaning it. But long term it will alter the whole saddle.
Stuff on and under the saddle will affect the saddle. If you put your girth under the saddle, or have billets tucked up under, or worse a stirrup under there. All of this will leave its mark. If you have a saddle pad under the saddle make sure it's not shimmed or a riser pad. Those will all change the shape of your saddle and flocking. However if your saddle fits correctly, you won't need shims and risers.
These saddle racks are also very common to find at barns. When you use these the bars are even so they will not shift the tree, however the bars will leave dents in the saddle flocking. The larger tubes distribute the weight a bit more, but still leave lumps that your horse will fee. Your saddle spends more time on the rack than on the horse. If you have these types of saddle racks the best thing to do is put a thicker saddle pad under the saddle. Something thick enough to even the pressure over the majority of the panel.
Other racks either have a lot of contact or very little contact with your saddle. The Ideal saddle rack either doesn't touch your flocking, or it supports your flocking evenly along the majority of the saddle. Having a flat surface area to broaden the impact along the panels is better than having small bars pressing into the flocking like the saddle rack above. The pipe or wood rack below go down the channel of the saddle. It's best if it is narrow enough to stay within the channel. The full supportive model should be a reasonable horse shape or flat so as not to create indentations. It obviously won't be your horse but if it is bridging on the rack too much it will be the same as having the bars digging into the saddle. Some horse shaped saddle holders have raised ridges. You usually see them in horse trailers for stability. Just make sure those are not digging into the flocking. Short trips in the trailer will be ok, but storing and long use will leave dents in the flocking. You can always put a thick pad under the saddle to protect it from the rack.
Again, a huge reminder that you should have nothing under your saddle that will cause dents and lumps for your horse. Girths, Rack, Bars etc will all dent the flocking. If you have no alternative you can use a thick pad or half pad on the rack. We have old half pads that people didn't need once they had a proper fitting saddle so we use those under saddles on racks with bars.
If you check your saddle and find that there are inconsistencies in the flocking Top Hat Tack is able to reflock your DP saddle for you. Contact us for more information and to make arrangements.
*Top Hat does not endorse or make money off any saddle rack company and is not selling anything on this page or promoting any brands.