Ask yourself some simple|easy questions.
- What size is your saddle?
- Does your horse have a long or short back?
- What is my preference on the look of my tack 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 your saddle is a roping or cutting saddle, stay away from the short saddle pads (32″ and below). Nine chances out of ten that pad will probably just barely be long enough for the saddle to fit on. If you have a barrel or youth saddle then you will 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. 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. 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. 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.
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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