I second that the Fleeceworks are aweful, and might be looking into getting a Mattes, from the raving reviews I’ve had from some people.
I had a Mattes for about four years and used it under the saddle pad, directly on my horse’s back. I didn’t wash it (it was black) but would let it dry after every ride, and brush it out once in a while. When I finally found a saddle that fit my horse really well I washed the pad in Melp once, brushed it out, and sold it for 70% of what I paid for it. The black fleece was discolored but had lost almost none of its loft.
My fitter sells very nice pads for a great price (not as good as the Lemieux prices, though). The loft of the fleece is similar to Mattes, but the texture is silkier/softer so I am guessing it will flatten out a bit more. Not sure if I will buy one from her, or another Mattes. I felt like the Mattes pad altered saddle fit too much to want to use it with a really well-fitting saddle. The only reason I’m thinking about another pad now is purely for my horse’s comfort - I think it would be nice for him to have sheepskin against his back again, especially now that his back is up and he’s using it much more effectively than he used to.
If I buy another Mattes I’ll probably custom-order one with no rolls from epshop.us. They seem to have the best prices and you can use the configurator to pick whatever colors you like.
