liesele@dgl.cec.be
If anyone knows this person or if he is listening in on this list then
here's my reply and saddle pad information. Please forward this note if
you know the correct address for this person.
---------reply -------------------
I was just browsing around the endurance WEB site and saw your request
for info regarding pads for your Australian saddles. My wife is the
managing partner for the Australian Connection in the US and she sells
the SYD HILL Australian saddles. I have been riding these saddles for
many years and have been using the synthetic pad from ULSTER
INTERNATIONAL. The pads are contoured to the shape of the Australian
saddle and have vinyl outer covering with a latex (rubber) and wool mesh
underneath (the part against the horse). We find these pads to be
superior to the standard wool or fleece pads as they actually keep the
horse's back cooler. The sweat moves through the under mesh area and
runs
off along the under side of the vinyl causing a very rapid transfer of
swaet away from the horse's back.
The pads are actually made in Germany and they have been used in
Europe for years before coming to the USA. I think the company that
manufactures the pads is called Gera. The spelling may be incorrect.
The Australian Connection is located at:
9274 Muir Way
Granite Bay, CA,USA 95746
916-791-1542
1-800-847-8521 (USA only)
By the way - all Australian saddles in the USA are known as POLEYS.
The individual style can be a variation of either a stock seat or a
light trail/endurance seat. On The under flap of you saddle you should
find the name of the manufacturer, the style of the saddle, and the
words "made in Australia" embossed into the leather. If it does not say
made in Australia it was probably made in another country such as India.
Good luck on your hunt for a saddle pad. Also TOKLAT in the USA makes a
saddle pad of wool or synthetic fleece for the Australian saddle.
From the OS/2 desk of
Ray Santana University of California at Davis
Medical Center