Ask yourself some simple|easy questions.

1. How long is my|your saddle?
2. Does my horse have a short or long back?
3. 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 get in the way of the horses hindquarter movement. 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 personal preference of how my horse should look when tacked up?

Ultimately the decision comes down to your personal preference. What do you think looks good? Where do you think your saddle pad should end on your horse?

A lot of people like for their saddle pad, saddle, and horse to look a specific way. A shorter (28″ or 30″) saddle pad is good for a short backed horse with a barrel or youth saddle. If using a roping saddle on the same horse they may get a longer pad (33″) to compensate for the larger saddle. 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 is no absolute correct answer. There are only opinions.

Here is a link with a variety of saddle pad to help you in your decision.

Filed under: All About Horses, saddle blankets, Saddle Pad, Saddle Pads, western pad, western saddle pad, western saddle pads