Western Pad – What Size Do You Need

Ask yourself some simple|easy questions.

1. What size is 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:

Take into consideration 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. The pad will probably be too short for the saddle to fit on. For a barrel saddle don’t use a saddle pad longer than 32″ or 33″.

Does my horse have a long or short back?

A lot of people don’t take this into consideration 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. 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? Do you think that your saddle pad should cover the whole back of the horse and come right before his hindquarters start?

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 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.

In reality it just comes down to your opinion, type and size of saddle, and the horse. There is no absolute correct answer. There are only opinions.

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

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