Flocked Panels

Flock

Flocked panels, often associated with English-made saddles, are panels that are stuffed with either wool, synthetic flocking, or a combination of the two types of flocking. There are a great number of distinct varieties of flocking that may be utilised. Some varieties have wool that is combed, while others have wool that is raw, has lanolin, has short fibres or long fibres, is coloured brown or white.

Flocked panels have been used since the beginning of time; in fact, the first English saddle was made with flocked panels.

Wool is a natural fibre that is breathable, absorbent, and it helps to keep the horses back cool. One of the best things about flocked saddles is the way they naturally mould to the shape of your horses back. A newly flocked saddle will take anywhere up to and not limited to 12 rides (depending of course on the amount use) to become a perfect fit to your horses back so you know it is a comfortable ride every time for your horse. Wool flocking has natural shock-absorbing properties, which help to cushion the impact of your riding on both your horse and yourself.

The flexibility of the flocking panels is perhaps the feature that stands out the most. Flocking a panel allows for it to be customised to the needs of your horses shaped back. Symmetrically  or asymmetrically can be easily achieved, filling in hollows such as swayed backs and evening up natural differences according to the absence of muscles.

A saddle with flocking will sit higher off the back of your horse, allowing for greater spinal flexibility and room, as well as wither clearance and the ability to lift their backs. This will always depend on how much flocking your saddler has used in your saddle. It is important to also remember that the saddle will sit higher off the horses back without the distribution of riders weight in the seat. It is perfectly normal for the clearance to to press down once this happens.

Another advantage of flocked saddles is if you buy a new horse, there is a good chance that you will be able to use the same saddle on the new horse by making adjustments to the flocking. This is not always the case but if your saddle also carries an adjustable gullet there is a good chance your saddle will fit many horses in your lifetime. One brand that uses this traditional panel is Passier. Passier saddles have a long history of wool flocked saddles and also use the cold press gullet system that allows adjustments to be made to the size of the gullet as many times as needed. Take a look at the Passier Dressage Saddles here

The disadvantages, or cons, as we’ll refer to them, are that wool-flocked panels need regular repair. It is advised that you get your wool-flocked saddle examined every six months to a year or have the flocking replaced. When you modify both your horse and your riding style, the flocking will change as well. It’s also possible for it to obtain dents or scratches from sitting on improper saddle racks (the three bar ones). The flocking in the saddle will, in due course, become compacted to the point where it will be difficult to manipulate. It is advised that when a significant amount of time has passed, such as ten years, all of the old flocking be removed and replaced with brand new, fresh flocking. The flocking on a saddle is an essential component. A saddle that has been correctly flocked will have even stuffing throughout, which will eliminate pressure spots and protect the horse’s musculoskeletal system from injury. Flocking protects the rider’s back from discomfort and provides balance to the seat by ensuring that the rider’s weight is distributed more evenly over the saddle. This is accomplished by maintaining contact with the horse during the ride. Regrettably, a saddle that does not fit well or one that has been flocked improperly can have the same negative effect on a horse as either of these factors alone.

The saddle panels have wool flocking sewn into them, and that wool flocking must be sewn into the saddle panels in just the proper amount for the panels to have the desired balance of firmness and give. The flocking may be examined by moving your hands along and across the panels while exerting a modest amount of pressure in order to get a sense of whether or not the flocking is distributed evenly.

It may be necessary to reflock a saddle every few years or so, depending on how often the saddle is used. Without the need to purchase a new saddle, this will make it possible to accommodate variations in the shape and movement of a horse that occur from season to season or as the animal ages.

Flocking has the potential to become compacted, hard, and lumpy over time, which can throw off the balance of the saddle and create problems for both the horse and the rider. The process of reflocking entails removing the existing flocking from the saddle panels and replacing it with fresh flocking once the old flocking has been removed.

There are three approaches of reflocking a saddle, which are as follows:

Spot flocking is the process of adjusting the amount of flocking in a saddle by either increasing or decreasing the amount of flock that is contained inside the panels.

Panel-off flocking is removing the panels from the saddle and either removing or adding flocking, similar to how spot flocking works, or more equally spreading the flocking that is already there in order to minimise lumps and prevent the wool from bunching up.

Complete reflocking entails removing the saddle panels from the saddle and then removing all of the wool flocking from those panels before replacing it with brand new wool flocking. This process is known as a full reflocking.