My husband & I have Skito pads we’re using under our BMSS & I just can’t seem to get the Skito pads clean. I have to admit I haven’t tried the slicker brush on them yet, but I have washed them repeatedly in wool lite but can’t seem to get the grunge off of them. I hear about folks using the Midnight Dixie pads under their pads to keep them clean but they’re awfully expensive and the less tack the better IMO. Any opinions on Midnight Dixie pads, knock off pads or ways to get a Skito clean would be greatly appreciated?
I have a DM pad. I ride in a Sensation Hybrid Treeless saddle with a Skito Pad. It does keep the pad clean and dry…I’ve not used it on a really long trail ride yet so I can’t answer to how it performs for more than a couple of hours. My horses don’t appear to be bothered by it during the few trails rides we’ve done with it.
Edited to add: You can buy the same thing from Nicker’s saddlery (Sensations) also: http://www.nickerssaddlery.ca/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=nomad&osCsid=0fb45bdf480e79203400f18615c8343e&inc_subcat=1&manufacturers_id=&categories_id=
chicks sells a really thin ventilated rubbery mesh pad liner–like the thinnest nonslip rug pad imaginable. It’ll keep a pad clean and dry, too, and costs like 9.99. You can cut it to shape with scissors. Doesnt provide any extra cushioning or take up any extra space.
Thanks Jeano! Do you use one of these too? If so does it trap heat under you pad?
I have two DMs I use pretty heavily and have for at least 6-7 years. They keep your saddle pad completely DRY. The sweat pours off their flanks in a stream. The rest of the horse remains much cooler. My heavy built QH, who would be soaked otherwise, with the addition of the DM under his Prof. Choice Air Ride pad and my 40lb western saddle…might be wet on his shoulders and under his name, but dry otherwise…except for that spigot of sweat on both flanks. And we ride long trail rides of walking/trotting/some cantering- in the saddle all day some days- never rubbed him in the least. Fair warning though- my DH’s gelding was LONNG backed, and it rubbed him a leetle bit at the rear edge of his western saddle- but that horse was so dang long it was hard not to rub him there. with a little squirt of silicon spray like Show Sheen etc - no rub there.
Buy one. Ebay it if you hate it. But I don’t think you will.
I don’t understand why the Dixie Midnight pads are SO expensive. It seems like you can get the exact same pad for a tiny fraction of the price…
http://www.nationalbridle.com/product-p/1-2189.htm
Are they somehow different/superior? It’s such a simple design I can’t imagine the DM pads are THAT different? 
FWIW, I have this pad:
http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/3020/22P999
Only in kelly green, and I love it. It’s basically the english version of the DM pad, I believe.
you know I don’t know- personally I’d have to lay my paws on that one from National Bridle to know if the feel is the same. some of them are brillo-pad esque. Not that the DM is baby soft but once it warms up under the saddle, it does soften somewhat.
I don’t know if it’s like saying a Kincade leather snaffle bridle is no different than one from Bobby’s Bridles. After all, they are both bridles. One just happens to be really cheap and sucktastic 
[QUOTE=katarine;4859761]
you know I don’t know- personally I’d have to lay my paws on that one from National Bridle to know if the feel is the same. some of them are brillo-pad esque. Not that the DM is baby soft but once it warms up under the saddle, it does soften somewhat.
I don’t know if it’s like saying a Kincade leather snaffle bridle is no different than one from Bobby’s Bridles. After all, they are both bridles. One just happens to be really cheap and sucktastic :)[/QUOTE]
Yeah agreed, I’d just be curious to actually HOLD both the DM and the knockoff brands both in my hands and see. Maybe the DM is higher quality, or maybe the price is just in the brand name, who knows. :lol:
I love the DM pads! They work to keep my horse’s back cool, my skito clean-
the answer is yes, yes, yes, unless your horse doesn’t like them. You need to cut a slit so they don’t hang tight over the withers. I have two.
ONe of my friends tried to cut cost and bought one of the white wanna be DM’s-it was a waste of money, slips, and does not wick the sweat. If you go to the yahoo group for treeless saddles you will find tons of discussion about these. They don’t come up often used but if you keep looking you will find one eventually. I got both of mine used, one very brand new. If it works for you your horse will love it!
One thing, I usually don’t use it while my horse is shedding out-but that is it!
I never liked the idea of putting that plasticky rubbery stuff against the horse’s hide. I want wool right on the horse’s back. I wash my white wool Toklat wool pad (http://www.hphoofcare.com/PADRONA5.jpg) all the time and it comes out looking beautiful every time. No grunge.
I put it in the washer with 4 of those hard plastic drier balls and set it to a large load in warm water. I open the lid so it won’t spin out, and let it just sit there and soak for hours. Then I shut the lid, complete the cycle, then run it again on another complete cycle without soap.
I have washed it like that probably 20 times and it still looks new. And it gets really grungy, matted down with dirt and sweat.
VERY NICE looking horse Auventera Two!!
Thanks for the tips on washing my pads. I too am a bit hesitate to put a pad under my Skito. The more simple the better & I’m afraid our gray mare may have sensitive skin. Gosh my pads get so icky & I don’t always have time to wash them that often. I wonder how much it’d cost to get another Skito cover & just change out my inserts instead of buying a whole new Skito pad set up, that get’s pricey in a hurry. I’m definitely going to try the hard drier ball idea in my washer, very cool idea! Who knew riding would involve so many decisions, lol?! Thank you everyone else too for all your input, I really appreciate it!!
[QUOTE=mysaygrace;4859891]
VERY NICE looking horse Auventera Two!!
Thanks for the tips on washing my pads. I too am a bit hesitate to put a pad under my Skito. The more simple the better & I’m afraid our gray mare may have sensitive skin. Gosh my pads get so icky & I don’t always have time to wash them that often. I wonder how much it’d cost to get another Skito cover & just change out my inserts instead of buying a whole new Skito pad set up, that get’s pricey in a hurry. I’m definitely going to try the hard drier ball idea in my washer, very cool idea! Who knew riding would involve so many decisions, lol?! Thank you everyone else too for all your input, I really appreciate it!![/QUOTE]
FWIW, my mare has sensitive skin and goes just fine in the rubbery type pads. To give you an idea of her sensitivity, she’s allergic to at least 5 fly sprays (that I can think of), and has a permanent bald spot on her back about the size of a dime from a bug bite that turned into a welt 2 summers ago. And she does just fine in the mesh rubbery pads. YMMV.
holy crap sublimequine, that has to be a nightmare having a horse with that many allergies AND a bald spot! Thank you for letting me know your horse does well in the DM & has sensitivity issues that puts my mine at ease a bit about trying one on our gray mare. Do you know if Chick’s make a larger square pad like your green english one?
[QUOTE=mysaygrace;4859920]
holy crap sublimequine, that has to be a nightmare having a horse with that many allergies AND a bald spot! Thank you for letting me know your horse does well in the DM & has sensitivity issues that puts my mine at ease a bit about trying one on our gray mare. Do you know if Chick’s make a larger square pad like your green english one?[/QUOTE]
I just checked, and no Chick’s doesn’t have the western version of my pad. But here’s a place that does:
http://www.horse.com/item/breathable-mesh-saddle-pad/WIH10/
Also like I linked to above, National Bridle has one. They’re a great store, good customer service and fast shipping.
At least with these, you can give the material a try before investing in the really expensive one. Or if you try the cheaper ones and they work perfect, you don’t even have to invest in the DM. Try ebay too, do a search for “mesh pad” or “breathable pad”.
LOL thank you
Yeah the drier balls work great!! They seem to add that little extra oomph to beat out the dirt. :lol:
The Dixie Midnights are a floormat made by 3M. Much cheaper if you place an order through your local hardware store.
[QUOTE=citydog;4860034]
The Dixie Midnights are a floormat made by 3M. Much cheaper if you place an order through your local hardware store.
Long Riders’ Guild info on the pads
3M product page[/QUOTE]
Interesting!
omg, citydog, all I can say is “I’m floored by this”?! He, he bad pun, that’s very interesting!
I have 2 of the breathable mesh pads like the one on Horse.com. I have a dressage size one that I use under my sheepskin Christ Horsedream bareback pad. Works great and definitely keeps the pad clean. I can use this on my horse who gets rubs and galls from neoprene. I also have an AP one that we’ve used under a basic English pad and a Mayatex Western pad. I like them.
I’ve never had a problem with the rubbery pads with Sadie, the queen of skin issues. You do see more sweat running out from under them, but I dont think they trap heat anything like, say, synthetic fleece. I prefer wool next to the horse, too, but currently a tackytoo rip off english pad is working best for the gelding who doesnt care WHAT pad you put on him, but can have slippage issues.
When Sadie was at her fattest I rode her sometimes with a thin woolen cloth over the chicks liner because if I left the liner out it would slip, and I felt like a real slut when I contemplated riding her with nothing but the liner. She’s in better shape now and is now being ridden with a very thin diamond wool felt liner cut to the shape of her saddle, or an old navajo saddle blanket I cut to shape. A desecration of the blanket, but I’ve sold my western saddle and dont need another area rug!
