Does anyone know if the Berlin collar pad company still exists? They used to make blue and white tick face deer hair stuffed pads that were real good. Everybody wants to sell these foam pads that aren't worth the match to burn them.

Stitch n Hitch has them.

Allen moved and to my knowledge they are no more.

You won't believe it, but I like the vinyl collar pads, they are easy on the horses' shoulders and given the right collar size do a great job.

I've got vinyl ones and really like them. Got mine split in half which is great if I need to open the collar to get it on or off.

Different types of collar pads do different types of jobs. A deer hair collar pad is great for adjusting a collar's size. What job is the vinyl pad doing for you, Klaus?

I use vinyl pads exclusively now, have given up on the horse hair ones completely. The reasons are:
Vinyl pads are easy to clean, therefore are easy on the horses shoulders, are smoother than the linen surfaced ones, therefore do not cause any chafing, and I do not try to fill out collars which are actually too big. I would admit that pads stuffed with horse hair are thicker and can therefore compensate better when the collar is actually too big for the horse. I think especially in hot weather or when the horses sweat a lot because of the work the vinyl ones are better(given that one uses the right collar size to start with).

I fully agree with you Klaus. I used deer hair pads for many years and then tried the vinyl pads a couple years ago and love them. You are correct on them being smoother and therefore even go over their heads better due to that. They do not fill up with sweat like deer hair ones do. Easy to clean and easy on their shoulders. I always heard to use a vinyl pad when needing to treat a sore shoulder and I wondered then why not use them in the first place so I have used vinyl for a couple years now on all 6 of them when plowing and actually anything I do with them. But I always figure-each to their own. I also use ropes and pulleys but some don't so everyone needs to do what works best for them.

I guess I am missing something. If you aren't using the pad to adjust the size of the collar, what are you using a collar pad for?

I am using the pad to a) protect the horse's shoulders and b) to protect the collar. A thin smooth layer between both of them (shoulders and collar) reduces friction and keeps sweat away from the leather of the collar. I guess you could say that I still adjust because the cushion will fit more snugly onto the shoulder, but that's different from trying to reduce the inner opening of the collar by inserting a thick cushion, in my opinion.

Grey I agree with you mostly but have noticed that by using vinyl pads early in my haying I avoid puckering shoulders up in the heat. When my horses are soft they're helpful.

If one were using a collar with ticking or split leather (sueded) face, I could certainly see the benefit of using a pad. I can't wrap my brain around what might be beneficial about the foam-core vinyl covered pads when used in combination with a good full-grain leather faced collar. Those pads are so thin. When 1500-2000lbs of horse presses against the collar, I'm pretty sure that the pad and vinyl, together, is compressed to maybe 1/2" thick, tops, so the shock-absorbing effect would be minimal. Wes, do you think it might have something to do with the amount of grip or friction the vinyl pad offers, as opposed to the leather collar face? A different quality of traction?

Klaus and Jim are right on target. The vinyl pads work very well, for all the reasons given. I switched to them a few years ago and would never go back.
I buy good, sturdy well fitting shoes...and I still want a good pair of socks.

Grey, I imagine it's the reduced friction. I've never used one myself, but local Amish tell me they are best for reducing sores starting and taking care of those bare spots that start. I thn

I have heard the sock/shoe comparison before, but that comparison doesn't pan out for me. People wear socks for different reasons, same as collar pads. You don't wear socks with sandals... or at least you shouldn't! You wear a thick sock if your shoe is too big, a thin one if it is a little on the small side. There are dress socks that are scarcely thicker than a paper towel. Why do we wear socks? I'm pretty sure that I wear socks because it keeps the inside of my boot cleaner; the socks absorb sweat and are easily cleaned. Also, socks make it easier for my foot to slide into my boot.

If you are using a pad to protect the horse's shoulder, what are you protecting the shoulder from? If you are using a pad to protect the collar, what are you protecting the collar from? Chrome oil tanned leather doesn't absorb sweat. Maybe more people out there are using tick-faced or lower-quality leather collars than I had realized. Smooth, well-cared-for full grain leather is the kindest thing against a horse's hide.

I am honestly not trying to be argumentative. I genuinely want to finally get to the bottom of this pad thing. I have been sitting on these thoughts and questions for years.

Here is my little bit of experience and its not driving experience but this is why i do like the sock theory... It wasnt long ago i was a very competive wrestler in high school and even with nice quality well fitting wresling shoes and good socks i would get blisters from the long training sessions swampy feet sweat etc.. we tried various brands socks etc.. one day i was complaining about it to a old time wrestler and he said put a pair of thin slick dress socks under your regular socks and give that a go because the slick sock keeps friction blisters from forming and by god he was right.. i have never fought another blister even to this day when i buy a good pair or running shoes i still wear dress socks under my cotton socks and yes i know how to buy shoes and they are fit and laced properly etc i wrestled from 5yrs old to 18yrs old and those last 4-5 yrs blister free were heaven so even though something seems to fit well a good slick pad or sock i believe would make a big difference in a small way.

my boots fit and I couldn't put them on if I don't wear socks and powder. the Collars don't fit that way, If my collar is to big I use a pad otherwise I don't. Do it your way, what works for you Is the best for you.

A good sock provides additions cushion for the foot. Pads can, but not always do, function the same way.

As far as the vinyl pads, if you get a blister started on your heel and put a bandaid on it you avoid the blister. Same idea with the reduced friction.

In the case of the band-aid, it is adhered to the skin and stays with the skin much the way a sock would.

Collar pads attach to the collar and move with the collar. If the collar pad has more "grip" than the leather collar face, it would exert more traction against the horse's hide and drag at it, increasing friction.

If the collar pad is more slippery than the leather collar, it would slide against the horse's hide more readily when the collar moves.

I imagine the horse sweats more under a vinyl pad than he does under a bare leather collar. Additional sweat would serve as a lubricant to help allow the vinyl to slide more freely over the horse's hide.

You are probably right Jenni, slick and allows sweat to run off.
I don't think the cushion is as good as deer hair pad possibly,but there is some.
They don't take up as much room if your collar is roomy though.

So if the vinyl pad allows the collar to slide more freely over the horse's hide, resulting in a reduction of sores, then it is collar movement that was causing the sore. So why is the collar moving?

Is the collar too big? Is the trace coming off the hame in the wrong spot for that horse's anatomy? Is the equipment causing the collar to move?

Hmm . Don't know about that.
About the only time I use them is in the summer. Heat and sweat seem to be the problem I encountered. Usually the first week of haying.
When shoulders get hard don't think I need them.

Sometimes horse gets a sore started from something temporary- a knot of mane hair, a chunk of dirt or a stick. Other times theres a spot on the collar that causes it- a crack in the face, a spot that isn't finished as well as the rest. Other times it' the shoulder- a knot of hair, a "hot spot", a bite marks that bruised. IMO the vinyl pad acts like a bandaid on a started blister on your heel. The pad, on the collar or in the bandaid,cushions and protects the hot spot. The sticky part of the bandaid does not help, it's the pad that does. Same with the vinyl pad.