Do you mean those black things?
There is one on ebay - but it’s a dressage pad. Perhaps the seller might have, or know where to find, an A/P or CC.
Saddle “shape”
The actual shape of the tree in your saddle may not suit the shape of your horses back and no amount of pads will change that. Under other circumstances, like not being on the horse for many hours and riding across the kind of terrain that you do at a sometimes rapid pace, the saddle would not pose the same problems. Because of the shape of the tree in the Butets they have a tendancy to either fit or… not. And as far as the rigors of Foxhunting go all things may contribute to the uncomfortable situation.
I was having these problems as well when I was foxhunting and I was discussing it with one of the whips that had hunted for about 25 years. He mentioned to me that it might be caused by the heat between the saddle and the horse. It made sense to me, especially after riding through hunts that could last 4+ hours. He suggested that I switch to sheepskin for this reason and my horse shed out in the Spring and the white hairs never came back. Now, of course, this was after changing saddles and trying to figure out other solutions to the problem. I don’t hunt anymore, but I still swear by sheepskin because of this experience… Just my two cents…
Good luck and have fun!
Interesting you say that. I had been using a neoprene nonslip pad under my saddle for a couple of seasons - and had gotten a perfect outline of the entire pad, in white hairs, on my horse’s back. Including the little holes on the pad. It looked like a tracing of the pad - in white - on his back. But he wasn’t sore. Even had the vet check him.
This year, even with a different saddle - I was starting to get the white hairs again. I stopped using the nonslip pad - and the white hairs didn’t get any worse.
Go figure.
My horse was never sore either, that’s why it had everyone so baffled… No bad behavior, no spasms, nothing! That old huntsman knew his stuff, that’s for sure.
Oh wow, this is an interesting development! Especially since I only noticed it once he got clipped for the second time this season, winter has been mild, and we have had some long, hard runs out there. We’re usually out for about 4 hours, too. Top that off with the fact that now he’s growing back normal colored hair, it’s finally cold here, and we’ve had two blank days. Also, the first time I noticed it was at the end of the hunt and the area was not sore or swollen. Maybe it really is heat. They need a smiley for hoping!
My Chiro/Vet was the first to alert me to the harms of using neoprene saddle pads. I unloaded the few I had after that conversation. Funny though, we never talked about neoprene girths & cinches and I have used those without any problems though in the case of cinches it was only always arena work.
My daughter was using SMB boots on her rodeo mare and we were always careful to put them on as she warmed up and remove them after her runs.
[QUOTE=ThoroughbredFancy;2900846]
Well now have to wait another extra week or so because my thinline pad is far too large. It says that the regular is made for 16 inch saddle and up but it does not fit my 17.5 saddle. Although it is close contact. Oh well. I was thrilled with the quality of that pad though. Made well. Good customer service and return policy too.[/QUOTE]
Keep us posted on the replaced pad once it arrives. I admit, all this talk about saddle pads caused me to read each & every link folks shared. I am a dyed in the wool (no pun intended) felt saddle pad person but those thinline pads promise so much, almost go as far as saying “we can turn your size 32” waist into a 24" waist after 30 days". 
Sooo, using a coupon they provided for 20% off I ordered a half pad to try figuring the “30 days or your money back” is a fair enough offer. I’ll be curious to see if a performance/ride and/or comfort change occurs. 
Well now. I never had my vet tell me that. Of course- it’s not like I asked him, either.
I can’t swear that it was the neoprene pad, because I also used a different saddle. Guess it could be both. I really don’t know. I will say this same horse will get white hairs from just about anything; including bug bites. So maybe sensitive skin is a factor?
Again - I don’t know. It was beaten into my head, repeatedly, that white hairs are always caused by poor saddle fit for ever and ever amen and hallelujah. So when asked the question, I tend to parrot what I was told.
But sometimes, I really wonder if there can be other factors. Folks say - back in the old days, no horse got white hairs and it was always saddle fit if they did.
And that might have been true. Especially since they didn’t use saddle pads.
But maybe it’s also true that white hairs can be caused by things other than saddle fit. I tend to believe the vast majority of cases are indeed caused by the saddle, though.
It was just weird about that neoprene. I distinctly remember last year about this time still having problems with my horse’s back - and this year - nothing.
Who knows. I could go 'round and 'round…
He said it creates tooo much heat and traps it next to the horse causing discomfort. He vets a lot of endurance folks and saw problems coming out of their camps.
I’m in your camp, white hairs to me mean too much pressure. My lil mare was getting a “roaning” of white hair under the saddle a year plus ago. I bumped her up to the extra wide gullet and the white hairs disappeared and have not returned.
I saw all the info on the Thinline and thought that it was the saddle pad to end all pads but after using one I changed my mind. I didn’t notice a difference in comfort to myself or the horse when I used the Thinline or when I went without. I was riding a big out of shape drafty mare so we were mainly walking with some trotting so maybe we weren’t working hard enough for a difference to show. I did notice a couple of things about using a Thinline half pad between a quilted pad and saddle:
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There seemed to be a lot of heat and sweat in the area. Now this could be just that the mare sweated excessively.
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It was hard to prevent the pad bridging across the spine. I’ve always be taught to pull the pad a little up into the gullet after putting the saddle on. Because the Thinline is so stiff you can’t really do that. Now this may be because I was not using it correctly.
I’m not ready to give up on these pads yet and if I were going to buy a Thinline I would go with this kind of pad to get the benefits of sheepskin and not have to worry about the pad bridging. http://www.thinlineinc.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=29
The Thinline half pad arrived today but it will be Friday before I get a chance to try it out. Very fast service and it was all done online.
jnel- appreciate you sharing what you noticed and I’ll keep an eye peeled for similiar things. My mare, while short, is also has a broad back.
I’m glad that some of you have taken an interest in our ThinLine pads for your fox hunters. We are seeing more and more starting to purchase our pads to protect their horses backs.
As a response to some of Jnel’s comments, it really depends on what pad you purchased and for what reason. The 1/4" ThinLine pad, which we recommend for those spending a lot of time under saddle, like hunters, you will not notice an immediate difference, unless your horse has issues with back pain and stiffness. This pad simply offers the most impact protection for your horse, which is why we recommend it for starting the greenies, using it on school horses, horses with back issues, and horses performing strenuous activities such as show jumping, cross country, or fox hunting. This pad keeps the horse comfortably. What you should notice in regular work within about 2-3 weeks, that your horse is happy, and starts to become more willing to use his back. This also part of the reason we offer a 30 day money back guarantee, as it may take some time for you to notice a difference, especially in the ThinLine.
Our material softens and molds to the horse’s back once it is ridden in and warmed to body temperature. Just placing it on the horse’s back, it can not conform to it’s shape, because it is not a flimsy or compression type material. Once the saddle is in place, and the horse begins to work, the pad warms to body temperature and molds to your horse’s shape, but not in the same way a memory type foam does. It does not bunch, pinch or pull on the horse’s back.
As for the heat/sweat issue, without more description, there’s not much I can comment. The material is open cell and breathable and doesn’t trap heat (one reason we have so many endurance riders in ThinLine). I have a thin skinned mare that sweats a lot and easily, but she actually sweats less in a ThinLine.
I hope that helps some, if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me, or email us, all the emails come to me anyway
I have received the new pad. The only thing I see is that they seem to run big. Or maybe it is just the fact that I have a close contact saddle. There is still a little extra but not bad. Tons better than the regular size. (I exchanged for a medium) I have the sheepskin comfort pad. I used it yesterday but I only rode for a short amount of time so I can’t really say much. It def. seems to work better for shock absorption though…just the material and the feel of it under the saddle. So far I like it. I’ll keep you all posted throughout the weeks on any changes.
Thanks for the additional info Ponyjumper4. I’m looking forward to using the half pad I purchased for the first time this Friday and also while hunting on Saturday.
Update***I was able to squeeze in a quick 2 mile hack down a hard packed road late today using the Thinline Half Pad which fit under my Bates AP perfectly. I’ve never used any type of man-made product to know if other brands are different but the concussion was reduced w/ the Thinline between the saddle & Diamond Wool pad. It stayed exactly in place. Looking forward to using it again later in the week!
Bumping up to say the Thinline halfpad did not work for my mare’s conformation so I swaped it out w/ the Thinline Contour pad. Excellent fit and comfort. I’ve used it hunting twice- first hunt length 2.5 hours, second hunt length was just under 4 hours. I had no dry marks and the next day my mares back was not sore. I do notice a difference in my comfort, especially on hard surfaces.
The icing on the cake was this week speaking to a saddle fitter of over 35 years who’s opinion I value a lot. We were putting pads in some medical boots for his foundered horse and I said “Wow, this material reminds me of this new saddle pad I bought.” I said “well C, I’m not much on gimmacks at all and did all the reading I could on this Thinline pad and took the plunge to try it. Man, I really like what I feel and believe it is keeping my horse that much more comfortable too.” He said “hell, I’ve known about the pad since the gal invented it and it’s the best thing on the market.” So, an endorsement coming from a “keep it simple but correct” saddle fitter was a great comfort, no pun intended.
[QUOTE=ab06;2894324]
I’m hoping you all can help me with some saddle pad advice. I’ve purchased 4 different types of pads the last few months and I’m not crazy about any of them in the hunt field. Right now I’m using a typical all-purpose pad from Wilker’s topped with one of their wither relief pads, but I’d like something a little more advanced in shock absorbtion.
My hunt’s fixtures are verrrry hilly, with lots of up and down at the canter/gallop. I just got my horse re-clipped and noticed that he has two matching white spots on the sides of his back behind his shoulders. The area is not swollen, but obviously I’m a little concerned. I’m not sure if it is from my hunting him once, occassionally twice a week or from the person who exercises him for me daily (I work full time and he lives an hour away, someday this will change!). Either way, he is super fit and, in return, his shoulders are quite big and I’m worried about the way my Butet is fitting him with all the extra bulk of his shoulders and the 2 pads.
I’m considering changing to the ThinLine pad on top of my Wilkers, the Fleeceworks Fieldhunter pad, or a combo of the two, the Thinline Hunter Sheepskin Comfort Pad, which at $299 is painful to even think about. I’m open to all suggestions, though. Any ideas for what would work best for him? He’s a 16.1HH 7/8 TB appendix QH.[/QUOTE]
The more pads you pile on the worse it’s going to get. He needs more room in there, not less. Thinner, more shock absorption. Do you have a flocked saddle? Sounds like you need a saddle fitter to reflock your saddle to refit his newer, bigger body. His withers are too wide for his saddle and no pad is going to change that for you.
