Saddle Pads – What Size Do You Need

You can start off by asking yourself some simple questions.

1. What size is 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. 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. 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. You may think it looks weird. 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?

People have different styles and ways that they like their saddle pad, saddle, and horse to look. For a short backed horse with a barrel or youth saddle the shorter pads work well. 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.

It boils down to your personal opinion, type and size of saddle, and your horse. There is no absolute correct answer. There are only opinions.

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