WOW Supercool Saddlecloth Jump/GP: review

The technical wicking properties of this saddlecloth delivered but it was prone to slipping back on this particular horse/saddle combination

I was excited to try the WOW Supercool saddlecloth as nobody likes sweat and this saddlecloth is designed to keep a layer of air between your saddle and your horse. The saddlecloth is made from a 3D spacer fabric which allows the sweat to be wicked away from the horse and evaporate keeping him dry. I personally much prefer to exercise in technical stay dry fabrics so I convinced myself the same must apply for my horse.

I was testing the Jump/GP style saddlecloth (there is also a dressage variety). I do not have a WOW saddle, my saddle is described as a Jump/GP by Ideal and the manufacturer of this saddlecloth states that it is for all brands not just WOW.

When first tried the cloth on I thought that I would prefer it if there was a bit more material to the front of the saddlecloth but overall the fit was ok without being great (pictured above). The saddlecloth doesn’t have traditional girth straps to secure the front. Instead two pieces of what I would describe as leather string pass through the D rings. I was concerned about losing this strings when changing over saddlecloths for competitions. So far I’ve only managed to misplace one once and have to keep reminding myself to tie them in a knot to the saddlecloth when not in use (pictured below).

After my first ride in the saddlecloth I discovered you really do need to do these pieces of string/straps up tight to prevent the saddlecloth slipping back. As you will see from the pictures below the saddlecloth moved back considerably (pictured below).

After this I was prepared and did the straps up a lot tighter and there was less movement however the saddlecloth did still slip back. I sadly don’t think this saddlecloth is the right shape for my saddle/horse as even after making sure everything was secure and tight at the start of the ride it always seemed to migrate backward by the end of the ride (pictured below).

However the saddlecloth fully delivers on its promise of being ‘supercool’; not once did my horse come back sweaty under his saddle even when he was very sweaty under his girth.

The saddlecloth is light, breathable and has antibacterial properties. It is very easy to wash, just run it under a hose and shake out excess water.

For those that don’t like sweat this saddlecloth is a winner if it suits your saddle. I would be tempted to try the square cut version for a dressage saddle as I think this would suit my GP saddle better than the GP/jump variety.

In very hot weather it is unavoidable that there is some sweat under the saddle, however as seen from the picture above the horse was noticeably less sweaty under his saddle than his girth and less sweaty than he would have been I’m sure with a standard saddlepad.

Overall I really liked the material and performance of the saddlecloth for me the cut just did not suit my horse/saddle.

Verdict

This saddlecloth delivers on its promise of being 'supercool' but might not suit every shape of horse and saddle