Choosing A Western Saddle Pad

When it comes time to choose a western saddle pad, the endless array of choices may seem daunting at first. You want to get the saddle pad that is best for your horse, but do you need orthopedic, built up, swayback or contoured? Should you go with a fleece underside or a neoprene? Some of these pads are very expensive, and you would hate to spend all that money only to find out it's not working for your horse.

Saddle pads really come down to one thing: they are meant to disperse heat and keep your saddle clean. Therefore all you really need it to do is not mess up the fit of your saddle. You can use it to fine-tune the fit a little bit, such as when your horse is swaybacked, extra padding in that spot will help, but ultimately if you need it to fix a problem that your saddle is causing, then you need a new saddle, not a new pad.

However, don't get worried if the skin over your horse's spine is dry. Your saddle should not be putting any pressure on that at all, and the saddle pads are designed to allow air to flow along the gullet, which keeps your horse cool and dry along her spine. Lifting the front of the pad up into the gullet after you put the saddle on aids in this greatly.

So the first saddle pad to try then is just a plain wool felt pad that absorbs sweat and disperses heat. Nothing fancy. If you go for a nice ride and your horse's back is wet with no dry spots, then it's fine, especially if he didn't give you any problems behavior-wise. If you do have dry spots, then you could try an orthopedic pad or one with inserts to fix the problem.

Always keep in mind that the function of a saddle pad is to keep your saddle clean and disperse heat. It can also help keep your saddle from slipping or rolling off, but it is definitely not supposed to fix the fit of a saddle that is not right for your horse's conformation. Use this piece of equestrian equipment as intended and you'll have no troubles.