Do you have metal saddle racks in your barn? I do. And one thing that really bothers me about these saddle racks is the indentations that happen when I leave my saddle on one of these racks.

I don’t know if the marks that happen have any long term effects on my saddles, but I don’t think it’s a good thing. So I decided to do something about it. And the fix is a lot easier than it may seem!
Metal Saddle Racks
A couple of years ago, I decided to buy metal saddle racks for my barn. They are cheap, and they work. I have made my own wall saddle rack too. But the metal kind are cheap to buy, and there isn’t any labor involved other than hanging them up on the wall.

And if you change up how your tack room works (like I do) you can move the racks easily.
There are many different manufactures who sell these racks, and you can usually find them for less than $20.00

The Problem
But while the racks are cheap, when you rest your saddle on them for any length of time, there are indentations on the panels of the seat of the saddle. And while the saddle rack is cheap, most likely your saddle isn’t.
You could put a saddle pad under your saddle before setting it on the rack. But sometimes that isn’t a good option, especially if your saddle pad is in the wash and you only have one saddle pad.
However I have a solution that is affordable, and permanent. And it can be done for $1.00.
The Pool Noodle Solution
The coolest option I have discovered for decreasing the risk of damage to my saddle is a pool noodle. Yep, a pool noodle. And pool noodles have so many uses other than what they were intended for, especially for equestrians.
I was very excited a couple of weeks ago when I went to Wal-Mart and they had started bringing in their summer items. And I found several different sizes of pool noodles. The one I chose to buy cost me a whopping $0.94. I bought 4 of them.

I have other pool noodle ideas running through my head right now, so I needed to make sure I had some! If you can’t find the pool noodles locally, they do have pool noodles for sale on Amazon. But they are a little more expensive. I found this set of five noodles for $10.55.

But the material and the shape of these noodles is perfect for my project.
How To Improve A Saddle Rack
First, make sure your saddle rack is clean. If it’s dusty, the pool noodle will not adhere to the metal. So wipe away all the dust. If it’s really dirty, wash it and allow it to dry.

Then cut the pool noodle into smaller more manageable pieces. And when you attach the pieces, you will only be using 1/2 of the noodle itself, so you can CAREFULLY cut the noodle pieces in half. I prefer to use a Subway sandwich knife. They aren’t horribly sharp but the serrated edge works great to cut the foam.

And when you cut the noodle in half, the inner open area fits perfectly onto the saddle rack! It’s like it was meant to do this! I love it!
Now that you have smaller pieces to work with, fit the pieces unto your saddle rack. Using a marker, draw a line on the foam of where it needs to be cut to set onto the rack. Cut the pieces out.
Then using an adhesive, I like E6000 craft adhesive, and run it along the inside of the foam you will be attaching to the saddle rack. You don’t need a lot, and then put the noodle pieces onto the rack. And to make sure it adheres, go ahead and set your saddle onto your new and improved saddle rack.

If you have clamps, you can use them to help hold the foam in place. Or you can use the weight of your saddle will help to hold the foam pieces down while the glue dries the foam in place permanently, onto the saddle rack.

Even if you have more than one saddle rack, one pool noodle should be enough for you to do this to at least 2 saddle racks. So you can improve your metal saddle racks, and not have any bar imprints on your saddle for less than $1.00. Not too bad for an afternoon project, wouldn’t you agree?
