I don't show, So my concern is getting the heat and sweat out.

I have been using the Dixie Midnight pad as the 1st layer and throwing a good blanket over that.  The dixie midnight pads are 1/4" thick and kinda like a scotch brite dish scruber.  When I get done riding all the sweat is running down the side of the horse. My wool blankets is almost always dry. It has cut way down on having to wash or clean blankets/pads.  Just hose off the dixie pad and give it a good shake.

They only come in midnight blue color. but you can trim them with scissors to fit under your favorite blanket.

It's kinda like a very thin spun mesh. Like the buffing material that janitors polish linoleum floors with

check them out at http://www.dixiemidnight.com/

They only sell online. I have never seen any other way buy them, Nor have I seen any "Look A Likes"

They are a very small, one man kind of company. Minimal advertising or marketing. But it's a good product.

I like it because I rarely every wash a blanket any more.  My wife used to hate me sneeking my blankets into her washing machine. My blankets hardly get any sweat on them at all. If they do it's just around the edge where my blanket was larger than the pad.  When the horses shed, some hair will work it's way there the pad and into the blanket. But with out the sweat, it's rpetty easy to vaccum or brush off.

Same here. In my opinion, The SMX looks real good in the show ring but is hot on the trail. We use the Reinsman for trail riding.  I got a Clasic Equine pad for Christmas...looks like 1" neoprene with leather trim.  Have only used it a couple times, but seems OK. Cant go wrong with the Reinsman Tacky Too.

My favorite pad is my 5 Star 3/4 " Wool Pad.  My next favorite is my Classic Equine 1" Wool Pad.  Both pads will cost you over $100.00 but are worth the price. 

I like the 3/4" thickness, it seems to fit the best under all three of my saddles.  My 1" pad I like to use on my smaller mare, it helps the saddle fit better on her. 

The 100% wool helps to wick away moisture and helps keep their backs cooler.  I use to use a pad that had a neoprene center with wool on the outside but felt the neoprene held the heat in.  The same with a neoprene girth which now I've switched to mohair. 

With the neoprene center I had a problem with it eventually wearing down on the inside.  I was having a problem with the saddle sitting straight on the back.  At first I thought I had a saddle broke with maybe a bad tree but finally figured out it was my pad after using another pad with that same saddle.

After using wool pads the last four years, I don't think I'll use anything else.

Howdy, y'all!

I'm new here, but I gotta tell you for sure that Dixie Midnight vent pad thing is every bit as good as that other fella said.

I've had four of them (we train horses) for the last ten or so years.  My breezers and I can go from horse-to-horse-to-horse and never get even ONE saddle pad wet or even dirty.

I bought all four at the same time, and have used them every day for ten years, and there is no sign of any sort of wear on them.

We just unsaddle the one we've finished with, hose off the No-Sweat, shake it out, slap it and the same saddle pad up on the next one and GO!

Where we were using as many as 120 saddle pads a week, with the Dixie pads, we're down to using one saddle pad per rider, per YEAR!!

We also take our "trainees" out on the trail for as long as 6-8 hours at a time (once they're ready) and we always use the Dixie pads.  Not once have any of the horses come back with saddle pads that aren't even damp.  They're as clean and dry as if they were never used.

It isn't very often that you'll see me posting on any board, (I get sorta busy) but I certainly will take the time to let any and everyone know about a horse product that works better than its advertised.

Honestly -- go get one. It's the only tack product I've ever seen and used in over 30 years with horses that actually saved me money.

Our saddles don't slip, so I couldn't be the one to tell you if the Dixie's slip or not.

I can say that a properly fitted saddle on a reasonably well-conformed horse won't slip anyway.

My own thought on the tacky pads is that the pressure from the rider and saddle cause too much "grip" from the tacky-stuff on the horse's hide. 

I think that must be sometimes very painful for the horse to have his skin stretched first one way and then the other by something sticky on his back while he's being ridden.

In the case of round-backed or mutton-withered horses, I have never seen a saddle/padding combination which worked for anything other than rides lasting under an hour.  It's a real problem for some riders, and I wish I knew the answer to it.

At the risk making somebody angry at me, I would suggest that education in conformation would be very helpful when pciking out a horse to buy.