Judy: You always bring up such good points!!! I've seen so many saddling issues stem from putting dirty pads on a horse, not removing the excess shed causing friction irritation, & having a dirty saddling area/girth area esp during the winter months in the muddy or sandy areas. Since Icelandics have a thicker undercoat than most breeds, debris can become trapped between the layers creating a sand paper effect even if the top layer looks clean to the eye. I bought a Metro Vac a few years back & this has really helped a lot as well as being an enormous time saver. The horses love it too!! I still curry with a Grooma & use a shedding blade & brushes, but always finish with the vacuum. Instead of sweeping the grooming area, I just vacuum.
Kaaren
