All Pets Web – Not Just Dogs n Cats

You can start off by asking yourself some simple questions.

1. How long is my|your saddle?
2. Does your horse have a long or short back?
3. How do I like my tack to look on my horse?

Size of Saddle:

Measure and find out the size of your saddle in length. Is it a barrel, roping, cutting, etc saddle? If you have a larger saddle such as a roping or cutting saddle then you will probably not want a saddle pad that is 28″ or 30″ in length. Nine chances out of ten that pad will probably just barely be long enough for the saddle to fit on. 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 take this into consideration when choosing a saddle pad. The long saddle pads (34″) may be too long for short backed horses. It will probably get in the way of the horses hindquarter movement. However things could be reversed as well. Using a short saddle pad on a long backed horse will allow part of his/her back to be exposed. It may look weird to you or other people. That is where this next section comes into play.

What do I want my horse and tack to look like?

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?

Everyone has a different styles and ways that they like their saddle pad, saddle, and horse to look. A shorter (28″ or 30″) saddle pad normaly works 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.

It boils down to your personal opinion, type and size of saddle, and your horse. 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.