Posts Tagged ‘western saddle pad’
What size of saddle pad do I need?
You can start off by asking yourself some simple questions.
- What size is your saddle?
- Does my horse have a short or long back?
- What is my preference on the look of my tack on my horse?
Size of Saddle:
What is the size of your saddle in length. Is it a barrel, roping, cutting, etc saddle? If your saddle is a roping or cutting saddle, stay away from the short saddle pads (32″ and below). Your saddle may just barely fit on the saddle pad. On the flip side if you have a barrel saddle then you probably want to stay away from the long (34″) saddle pads.
Does my horse have a long or short back?
A lot of people don’t think of this when choosing a saddle pad. If you have a short backed horse and decide to go with a saddle pad that is 34″ long – it may be too long for your horse. It will probably end somewhere in the middle of the horse’s rear. However things could be reversed as well. If you have a long backed horse and decide to go with a 30″ saddle pad – there may be a lot of the horses back that is still exposed after the saddle pad and saddle are on the horse. It may look weird to you or other people. That is where this next section comes into play.
What is my opinion of how my horse looks when saddled?
Ultimately the decision comes down to your personal preference. What do you think looks good? Do you think that your saddle pad should cover the whole back of the horse and come right before his hindquarters start?
People have different styles and ways that they like their saddle pad, saddle, and horse to look. A shorter (28″ or 30″) saddle pad is good for a short backed horse with a barrel or youth saddle. They may use a larger saddle pad (33″) if a roping saddle is used on the same horse. On a long backed horse if a roping saddle is used they may use a long (34″) pad. However if the same long backed horse is used and a barrel saddle they may use a long (32″ or 33″) pad to cover the horses back.
What it really comes down to is what is your personal opinion, your type and size of saddle, and your horse all as a combination. There really isn’t a “correct” answer to this question. There are only opinions.
Here is a link with a variety of saddle pad to help you in your decision.