#saddlery

The equestrian market is oversaturated with saddle pad small businesses trying to make a name for themselves. Whilst it’s lovely to support small businesses, a decent amount of the saddle pads produced by these businesses seem to be from the same manufacturers overseas ultimately causing many repeat designs of the same cheaply made pad. 

This is why when something unique like the brand Paladin Equestrian appears on the market, these saddle pads turn heads. 

But who is Paladin Equestrian and are their saddle pads really that great? 

Who is Paladin Equestrian? 

Based out of Singapore and the UK, Paladin Equestrian is run by the beautiful Ginny Braynsmith. Paladin, named after Ginny’s childhood horse began as a ‘Kickstarter’ at the height of the pandemic in 2020. After taking off, Paladin now offers AP and Dressage pads and matching accessories in unique, yet elegant prints such as the peacock and flamingo. 

Eco Friendly: 

Paladin Equestrian eco sources the materials used for their products. The outer material of the saddle pad is crafted with a recycled polyester material- meaning each saddle pad = 15 1 litre recycled plastic bottles. The filling of the saddle pad is bamboo fibre, a naturally vast growing source that has little to no harm to the environment. Finally the lining is a soft cotton, a safe material to be resting on your horses back. This approach to crafting equestrian gear offers a solution to the issues of pollution and global warming on earth, and allows us to do our part whilst still looking great. 

Review: 

Upon arrival of my Paladin Equestrian saddle pads and matching accessories there was no question in my mind that these products are made to a good quality. 

The saddle pad itself feels sturdy but not stiff and the stitching and material does not feel flimsy like some cheaper pads do. Sometimes printed saddle pads can clearly look grainy on the image but you wouldn’t be able to tell that these designs were printed on at all, they’re incredibly clear. 

The pads cost just over $100 AUD. This is a little more than your average Weatherbeeta, Horze or HKM pad, but still significantly under the cost of more luxury brands like PS of Sweden, Animo, Equestrian Stockholm and Cavallaria Toscana. For a small business, it would be harder to price pads at a competitive price point like the larger companies are able to do. Additionally, the materials sourced for the Paladin pads I can imagine would be more expensive than your average polyester / satin pad that you can buy at the shops. For these reasons i’d say the cost of the pad is fairly reasonable given the quality, materials and brand. 

The quality of the Paladin gear is far more noticeable once being used. After using both my Peacock and Flamingo pads on numerous occasions I’ve noticed that there is very little evidence of use, and little to no wear and tear. These pads are easy to wash, the dye doesn't leak / stain during the washing process and they dry easily due to the bamboo fibre. 

I could easily see myself using more Paladin Equestrian pads in the future. I’d love to see them make more pads with different base colours like a light corn/steel blue and a bright pink. 

I could easily recommend these pads to any equestrian who wants to support a smaller business and ideally would like something that will stand out and turn heads. 

You can pick these pads up from: 

Paladin Equestrian directly: 

https://www.paladin-equestrian.com/en-au

Or in Australia at Oakbank Chaff and Fodder: