Picking the Best Saddle Pad for You and Your Horse

In order to give your horse the maximum protection, riding the correct saddle pad is a must. Besides adding to the aesthetic, riding the best saddle pad will help your saddle fit more correctly, which protects your horse’s back, positively affecting their performance and temperament under saddle. In this guide, you will learn how to pick from our selection of saddle pads the one best suited for you, your horse, and the riding you will be doing.

Before we discuss saddle pads, it must be stated that a saddle pad is not the cure-all for an ill-fitting saddle. A saddle pad can help a saddle fit better, but even the best saddle pad will not help a saddle that doesn’t fit somewhat correctly to start with. If you end up needing to purchase a new or used saddle, we can also help you feel confident in choosing the right saddle. That being said, you want to be able to ride your horse with the least amount of pad possible, because the more you pad a saddle, the more likely that saddle is to roll and cause issues in your horse’s withers and back. 

After determining that your saddle fits, the next thing to look at is the shape of your horse’s back. You need to determine if your horse has a decent set of withers or is more round-backed, which can also be called mutton withered. If they are more round-backed, you’ll want a pad with less contour in order to fit your horse without bunching. If your horse has a decent set of withers, a contoured pad would be a great option for you, and if you have an older horse or one that’s perhaps lost a little muscle behind the shoulders, we have some corrective pads for you as well.

Types of Saddle Pads

There are many different types of saddle pads, but when you get down to the basics, there are felt pads, cutter pads, and orthopedic pads. We will also include saddle blankets in this discussion, as a common practice is to put a Navajo or Casa Zia-style woven blanket, or a pad liner under a felt pad to extend the life of the felt pad by soaking sweat and dander. Woven blankets are generally less expensive than felt and orthopedic pads, making them more disposable. Many of our saddle pads are also available with a blanket-top option, which is more of a show-style pad. Whether felt or orthopedic, it’s also not uncommon to put the pad directly on the horse’s back without a liner or woven blanket underneath, and this all depends on the rider’s preference. If you’re going to be riding multiple horses with the same pad, a neoprene bottom on the pad styles below, may be a great choice as they are easy to clean and reduce the transfer of organisms from one horse to the next.

Felt Pads

Felt pads offer a nice combination of moisture-wicking, breathability, and comfort to make them a common choice among horsemen and women. Riders who spend a lot of time in the saddle on the same horse, day workers, trail and endurance riders, etc., tend to prefer a felt pad because of the features mentioned above, as well as the pad’s ability to dry and be ready for the next day’s work. Felt pads are either a needled felt, which is usually a bit stiffer, or a pressed felt, which is more pliable. A 100% wool felt pad will have a little bit more weight to it than some of the synthetic blends, but it’s not enough weight to affect the performance of the horse. Some of our most popular felt pads are made by Classic Equine, Best Ever Pads, 5-Star Equine, Professional’s Choice, and Diamond Wool Pads.

Cutter Pads

Cutter pads are pretty utilitarian. They have a very durable canvas top, a felt center, and a fleece bottom. These pads are great for trainers who ride multiple horses per day and want a quick and easy exchange between each horse, but they also work well for those long rides through brushy country, whether you’re outfitting or trail riding. The canvas is easy to maintain and very durable. The inner felt fits a number of different horses when ridden with a quality saddle, and the fleece bottom helps wick the sweat from being worked.

Orthopedic Pads

There are many different types of orthopedic pads that include some type of orthopedic material, whether it be gel, foam, or another material designed to absorb impact, and offer impressive shock absorption but usually less breathability, so while they can be excellent for roping and other performance horse events, they may not always be the best choice for long rides.

Gel pads have a gel insert that runs along where the bars of your saddle would sit on the horse’s back. The gel insert is usually sewn between a felt upper and bottom. The gel helps absorb impact by displacing pressure upon impact, with the gel moving away from the impact zone. Our most popular gel pad is the Relentless Extreme Gel Pad with a fleece bottom for added moisture wicking.

Several pads on the market are manufactured with a type of orthopedic foam. This foam not only relieves pressure from the saddle in performance events but also molds more to the horse’s back, which can help a saddle fit better to the horse’s back. Some of these pads have the foam centered between layers of felt, while the Classic Equine ShockGuard pad has a felt upper, and the entire bottom is orthopedic foam, allowing the pad to contour even more to your horse’s back, making them a great choice for your performance horse.

Another material used in saddle pads was developed for use in football pads and protective gear for other contact sports. Vented Zoombang is a special material that was scientifically engineered to dissipate energy, reducing injury and stress on your horse. There are several different options with the Classic Equine Zone pads. There are felt top and bottoms, a suede top/felt bottom, felt top/fleece bottom, and a more showy blanket top.

If you have a horse that has some hollowing out behind the withers, we have a couple of options to help you get your horse the best-fitting corrective saddle pad. A Correct-Fit or BioFit pad has a built-up region right behind where the withers tie into the shoulder and back. This helps fill a space where the bars of the saddle wouldn’t make contact with the horse. If your horse begins to put weight back on, you will want to go back to using a normal pad without corrective fillers. A corrective pad on a horse that doesn’t require them can cause added pressure and eventually, discomfort and soreness to the horse.

If you have a horse that is built downhill or your saddle tends to run forward, you can try another type of corrective pad that has a wedge, instead of a build-up behind the shoulders, to help lift the front end of your saddle and prevent it from sliding forward.

What size pad is best for you?

The general rule of thumb is to have a pad large enough to have a couple of inches of pad showing in the front and the back of your saddle. For this reason, a roping or ranching pad is going to be larger than a barrel racing pad. You don’t want a pad with too much sticking out the back because it will end up rubbing the loins of your horse. The most common lengths range from 30-32”. Some blanket tops, which are preferred in showing, are a touch longer, allowing for the placement of a back number on the blanket. We also carry a large selection of pony-sized saddle pads for your mini’s and ponies.

Cleaning your saddle pad.

A simple horse brush works well to clean your pad. Some pads come with a cleaning sponge specifically designed for cleaning that style of pad. Compressed air also works well to remove dander and dirt from your saddle pad. It’s best to avoid using soaps and other cleaners on felt and fleece bottom pads, as it is tough to make sure they are fully rinsed and can cause skin irritations.

Now you’ve been through the guide, you can shop our saddle pads and pick the perfect pad for you and your horse.