[tpup]

For those that use and love them....where is the best place to buy one, and do you use it under or over a regular pad? I assume under so it is making contact w/the horse's back?

Would also love to hear more positives on them. I feel my saddle needs a bit more between saddle and back and I don't want to use the Mattes or anything too thick.

[Laurierace]

For starters, ultra thinline stinks. They end up ripping at the withers way too soon. The regular thinline is much better. Put it against the horse if you are prone to saddle slipping, above the pad if not.

[Woodsperson]

I have a thinline ultra Trifecta pad from the thinlineinc.com website. I used one of their coupons to get a discount. I trifecta is a half pad with a cotton bottom side. I use a baby pad underneath the thinline. It keeps the thinline clean without adding bulk.

[roo 2]

For starters, ultra thinline stinks. They end up ripping at the withers way too soon. The regular thinline is much better. Put it against the horse if you are prone to saddle slipping, above the pad if not.

I am on my fourth year using the Ultra Thinline and it shows now wear at all. I love the way that it keeps my saddle still and absorbs shock.

[jn4jenny]

For those that use and love them....where is the best place to buy one, and do you use it under or over a regular pad? I assume under so it is making contact w/the horse's back?

Would also love to hear more positives on them. I feel my saddle needs a bit more between saddle and back and I don't want to use the Mattes or anything too thick.

Best place to buy one: right from Thinline, if you can believe that. Not only do they have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, but they publish coupon codes frequently (esp. if you're on their mailing list). I also like aretesaddlery.com, who usually honors Thinline's coupons and will sometimes have closeout/overstock Thinline products on sale.

I use my Thinline half pad over my sheepskin half pad. The sheepskin reduces friction and increases airflow on my horse's back, and the Thinline still provides shock absorption even if it's not right on the horse's back. However, it is possible and okay to use the pad on your horse's back. The Thinline material breathes relatively well (says jn4jenny who owns a Thinline girth, which makes my horse much less sweaty than a neoprene girth).

If you are trying to pad up a saddle, I do NOT recommend a Thinline pad. The key word there is THIN. They are thin enough to only barely, miniscule-ly, change your saddle fit. The company advertises them as not changing the saddle's fit at all. Obviously their sheepskin products do change saddle fit more, but not the basic pads.

I suggest you do a search. There are tons of threads on the Thinline pad, many of them long and comprehensive.

[LovelyBay]

I got my ultra form tack of the day for chepa! and I use it on top of my dressage pad. My horse really seems to like it :-)

[buck22]

I've used my ultra thinline hard for 2 years and it shows no wear or damage at all. I believe thinline strongly recommends that its never put directly against the horse, always a pad between, and I think usage against the horse voids the warranty.

thinline is the best place to buy, coupons etc, as was said. or ebay. thinline had a clearance once and I went hog wild, then sold the pads I never used on ebay.

[bort84]

I just got one from Valley Vet (the contour pad) for about $89 I believe. Or you can sign up with Thinline for email updates, and in a week or two you may get a coupon for 20% off. Without that coupon, Valley Vet and Victory Canter are some of the cheapest places to buy them.

I use mine on top of a cotton pad, as that's how the Thinline people recommend you use it, but it is also supposed to be totally fine to use directly on the horse's back. I didn't notice an immediate huge difference like some people do, but my horse seems to be more comfortable in it the more we use it, and I swear my saddle seems softer, haha. It also keeps the saddle from shifting, even though I use it on top of another pad.

I will likely use it under the pad when I show so that it doesn't show = ) Overall, I'd say it's a good buy. Plus, you can always return it if you don't notice a difference. Thinline offers a 30 day money back guarantee. I would also agree that one of the regular pads isn't a good fix for saddle fit, but if you're just looking for a pad that provides the most bang for the thickness, I'd say this is it. It does absorb impact and it is shockingly thin when you get it.

[jen-s]

I have the regular and an ultra. Mr. Gus LOVES them and the one time that I skipped using one since I bought the first one, he let me know that there was a change he didn't like! His back is softer and he's using his whole body much more effectively. I'm VERY happy that I decided to splurge.

Oh, and I use them (not together!) on top of a saddle pad.

[Gatorsgirl]

I bought mine from Valley Vet but I jsut got ac oupon from Thinline which made it just as cheap - though I did get free shipping from Valley Vet at the time ($89 for the Thinline Countour).

My boy loves it and so do I. I use a baby pad and the Thinline.

Actually for saddle fit I used it at first until my new saddle came. The saddle I had was a tree width too narrow and he rounded up much more happily and kept his head out of the clouds once I started using the Thinline with a saddle with pressure points. It helped dissepate the pressure, me thinks. It also helped keep the saddle from rolling/slipping on his wideness.

I like it a lot so far! However I think using it against the horses back does void the Thinline warranty. Like I said a baby pad is great and now that his saddle fits he's sooo happy.

[naters]

There is a thinline rep on the board sometimes... maybe she can chime in with wearting the thinline pads "directly on the back" versus "on a pad on the back" discussion?

[Boomer]

I just got the Trifecta half pad with shims a month ago. I really like it!

I got the Trifecta when I bought my new saddle and I really like that I can shim the areas that the saddle fitter had added flocking to in my old saddle without having to add flocking to the new saddle. It was a good option since I don't have regular access to a fitter - he comes to my trainer's barn periodically.

Don't know that it absorbs more shock or that horsey loves it over the Mattes, but he's going really well right now

Forgot to add that I use it between the saddle and pad, not directly on horse's back. Seem to think it voids the warranty?

[Alibhai's Alibar]

I got a Thinline Ultra from Tack of the Day for $39 in 2007 - keep an eye out and buy fast because they sell out like hotcakes. I'm very happy with it and I've turned several of my barn buddies on to Thinline.

[MyReality]

I ordered mine from the web. Good service. I have one for each of my horses. Really work. IMO, superior in many ways than sheepskin. I have an ultra, and a regular, both in great condition despite constant use.

[Pony Fixer]

Ebay. I got one recently for much cheaper than anywhere and it is brand new!

[Bank of Dad]

First I bought the ultrathinline contour pad which is the thin thinline stuff on a quilted contour pad. I bought from the thinline company. The seam binding rubbed his Nibs delicate skin, so the company accepted a return and i exchanged it for just the ultrathinline rubber pad which I use over an all fleece pad.

I've used it a few weeks. I really think I don't have the sharp lower back pain after riding that I always had before. Certainly is worth continuing to try it out.

[luckeys71]

I got an Ultra Thinline after seeing such good reviews about them on the Hunter/Jumper Forum. Search over there. I have a Bates Elevation H saddle that has the CAIR system in it and it seemed to have more "bounce" than my previous ancient Crosby Sovereign and the Thinline was recommended to help that and not change the fit of the saddle. It has worked well. I use it between my saddle and pad. Never would have thought to use it under the pad. One bonus is it has helped keep sweat off my saddle! My square schooling pad really seems to wick sweat, which is great for my horse's back. Not so much for my saddle. The Thinline pad keeps the sweat from soaking into my saddle. I bought mine brand new on eBay from a a person with a tack store (in FL, I think). I got it cheaper than I found anywhere else AND free shipping.

[Tiffani B]

Just a quick note... after viewing this thread I went to the Thinline website, and Explorer immediately barred my access to it, saying it was a site reported to have spyware or viruses associated with it. Of course, two seconds later I was bombarded with spyware and had to do a system restore.

So if anyone can contact Thinline by phone and let them know, it would be great! I don't have their number and obviously will not go to the site to get it...

[Penthilisea]

I bought both my ultra and my regular thinline pads when Tack of the Day had them up. I'm crossing my fingers for a Trifecta pad to show up for the holidays! I use them over a regular quilted saddle pad, and my horses both are noticably more comfortable when I use the pad. Likewise, MY back is much better when I use the ultra- wish I could use them one on top of the other for a cumulative effect! ALas, I'll just wait for the trifecta.

[SCFHan]

I got mine from VTO Saddlery. They have very reasonable prices on just about any thing and great service to boot.
I have the ultra too. Figure it can't hurt when trying to sit my guys big trot! Forgot it one day when going for a lesson and I could tell a difference, especially sitting the trot-not as smooth.