DIY Pony Saddle Pad

Yes, I know it has been forever since I blogged last, but more on that later... My latest project was a pony-sized saddle pad for a little girl that rides at my new barn. She's super cute, and just graduated from riding a mini to riding a "real" horse. She also loves Frozen, so I figured an adorable little Olaf saddle pad would be a great present and new project!!

 The Pattern - Soo, even suitability does not sell a pattern for a saddle pad this small. I am an adult. I ride in regular sized saddle pads. I was not patient enough to borrow a pony sized pad to use as an example. So I improvised.

I found the dimensions for other pony sized saddle pads - about 19"x20". I cut open an old grocery bag to use for a pattern and drew a square with the rough dimensions of pony saddle pads. Then I traced parts of other saddle pads I had laying around to alter the shape of the pattern. I used the front of one pad, the spine of another (shortened of course), and the rear portion of another. When I was satisfied with the shape and size, I cut it out of the paper and had a custom saddle pad pattern.

The Materials - I have been wanting to try out some new materials in making saddle pads and this project was a great opportunity. Especially since the fabric store was running a 50% off sale! All totaled, I spent a little under $20 for the materials. I used:

3/4 yard each of top and bottom fabric (I used cotton for the top and flannel for the bottom)
1 yard of 1/2" foam
5 yards nylon webbing (I used for spine, keepers, and trim but alternatively quilt binding could be used for trim and only 1 yard or so of the web would be necessary in that case)
Thread

Spray basting is optional but highly recommended if you want your quilting to look good and to not pucker!

Construction - I cut out the pattern with the layers folded so that I had two pieces of each material- one a mirror image of the other.

For each side, I sewed the top to the bottom along the top seam then made a "quilt sandwich" with a layer of foam between the two layers. I used spray basting to really stick the fabric to the foam so it would stay nice and flat while sewing.

Quilt lines were 4 inches apart to form squares and marked with a chalk wheel in a contrasting color.
I took it slow until I was sure my machine could handle this many layers.

Underside of pad showing foam center

Two sides after quilting

From here, I joined the two sides with a strip of nylon web down the spine. Keepers were added and I used the remaining web folded in half for trim. My only issue with using the web as trim (other than being tricky to work with) was that I ended up with warbled edges. I like a nice, crisp product so this one is a little sub-standard. But, it still ended up pretty cute and I don't think it will impact the use of the pad.

The finished saddle pad

Where else can you get a pony sized Frozen saddle pad? Sometimes, DIY is the only way to go!