Fitting Guide

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Pad Fit for the Average Horse Build & Good Fitting Saddle

Discipline Focused Suggestions: 

  • Trail Riding – 1” Kush or ¾” Kush/OG Fleece
  • Barrel Racing – ¾” Kush/OG, ½” Kush Fleece
  • Team Roping – 1” Kush Fleece or 1.25” Kush
  • Ranching/Cowboying – 1” or 1.25” Kush. You may consider a Best in Show Navajo pad if you often struggle with the skirt of your saddle being too big on your pads.
  • Steer Wrestling – 1.25” Kush or 1” Kush Fleece
  • Calf Roping – 1” Kush/OG, 1″ Kush/OG Fleece,  ¾” Kush Fleece
  • Colt Starting – ¾” or 1” Kush/OG

Fit Based off Average Breed Build

(Assuming you are not riding a Navajo with your pad and your saddle fits well)

  • Quarter Horse (wide build): 1” OG/Kush Fleece, ¾” OG/Kush Fleece
  • Thoroughbred (narrow build): 1.25” Kush, ¾” BHS Fleece, or 1” BHS Kush Wool
  • Mustang (round): ½” Kush Fleece with deep contour, or ¾” Kush/OG with deep contour
  • Tennessee Walker/Gaited: ½” Kush Fleece with deep contour or ¾” Kush/OG with deep contour. 
  • Draft Horse:  ¾” Kush/OG Fleece or 1″ Kush/OG.
  • Pony: ¾” Kush/OG (round back ponies) or 1″ Kush/OG (ponies with average backs).

Fit Based off Horse Confirmation

Thickness of suggested pad will vary based on discipline and saddle fit

  • Shark Fin / Camel Fin: Withers that thrust noticeably from the topline with an accompanying dip.
    Suggestion: BHS Fleece with deep contour or Cadillac Fleece with deep contour.
  • Hollow Spots: Broad shoulders with a narrow spot behind the shoulders and a wide back.
    Suggestion: Cadillac Fleece with deep contour, Prodigy Fleece with deep contour, or BHS Fleece with deep contour, or Fleece with deep contour.
  • Downhill Build: If the withers are lower than the croup.
    Suggestion: BHS Fleece with deep contour or Cadillac Fleece with deep contour for a narrow horse. Cadillac (shoulder insert only) with deep contour for a narrow horse.
  • Broad Shoulders: The horse’s shoulders must be allowed a complete range of motion.
    Suggestion: Should have a wider tree saddle – ½” Fleece or ¾” Fleece depending on discipline.
  • High Wither (narrow): When the ridge between the shoulder blades that connects the neck and the back is taller than average.
    Suggestion: BHS with or without fleece, or Cadillac (shoulder insert only) with or without fleece.
  • No Wither (round/mutton) 
    Suggestion:     ¾” OG/Kush, or ½” Fleece or ¾” Fleece depending on discipline.

Pad Fit for Different Issues

*Thickness of suggested pad will vary based on discipline and saddle fit*

  • Kissing Spine: Occurs when vertebrae in the spine are too close together or touching.
    Suggestion: Chronic or Riser pad – thickness depends on discipline.
  • Protruding Spine: Likely to be due to lack of topline and muscle.
    Suggestion: Riser Fleece, BHS Fleece, Chronic Fleece.
  • Atrophy: Muscle atrophy also occurs when an unbalanced saddle puts too much pressure on a particular muscle. Under the point of pressure, the muscle will ‘undevelop’ or atrophy.
    Suggestion: Muscle atrophy should be treated on a case by case basis. Please consult with our pad fitting specialist (contact office).
  • Sway Back (Dropped back): Lordosis, commonly known as ‘swayback’ has many different causing factors such as genetics, age, conformation, pregnancy, excessive strain on the back and/or a lack of exercise.
    Suggestion: BHS Fleece, Prodigy Fleece, Chronic Fleece or for extreme cases please consult with our pad fitting specialist (contact office).

Saddle Fitting Issues

Thickness of suggested pad will vary based on discipline and saddle fit

  • Dry Spots (large): A smooth dry spot that is slightly larger than the palm of your hand is not harmful.
    Suggestion: Fleece with deep contour
  • Dry Spots (small, ruffled hair/white spot): Is caused by concentrating the pressure too much in one spot. White hair is caused by blood circulation to the hair follicles being cut off from pressure which leads to the death of the hair follicle.
    Suggestion: This can be a sign that the saddle does not have the proper fit but can also mean that you need a thinner pad with deep contour
  • Rolling: Too much padding negates the good fit between the shape of the horse and the tree by diminishing the curves. It causes the saddle to roll around more, so the cinch needs to be tighter to hold it in place.
    Suggestion: A thinner pad with deep contour.
  • Slipping (backward): Saddles that are too narrow or have too much padding built up in the front are prone to sliding back, resulting in an improper placement on the back.
    Suggestion: A thinner pad with deep contour.
  • Slipping (forward): Saddles that are much too wide without proper corrective padding may slide forward and onto the withers. 
    Suggestion: Depending on the build of the horse, a BHS, Prodigy, Riser or Cadillac.
  • Saddle Sits Low: If the pommel sits down lower than two fingers height from the withers, the saddle will more than likely be tipped forward out of balance. The saddle may also be too wide for the horse.
    Suggestion: BHS, Cadillac, or Riser with deep contour.
  • Saddle Pinching: A saddle that’s too narrow, or with a too-narrow gullet, will pinch and put pressure along the sides of his spine.
    Suggestion:  Riser or BHS with deep contour.
  • Saddle Bridging: When the bars of the saddle are sitting above the horse’s back rather than fitting closely and the majority of the saddle pressure is over the withers and lower back.
    Suggestion: A Prodigy or Chronic.
  • Loin Rubbing: Ruffled hair over the horse’s loins (lower back).
    Suggestion: May need a longer pad and should consider either a fleece and/or deep contour.
  • Rub Marks on Horse’s Side: Check your Blevins buckles first to ensure that the leather hasn’t worn away causing the metal to rub your horse’s hair off. If the Blevins buckles are fine, you may need a longer pad or straight leg option (contact the office for custom build options).
  • Rubbing: Run your hand under your saddle to check for any nails or hard spots. Saddles do need to have the fleece lining replaced on occasion.

Pad Fit for Different Issues

  • 6 ½” Gullet with Quarter Horse Bars:  Best for a horse with narrower withers.  Example would be an Arabian bred or thoroughbred with more of a wither to them than your quarter horse breeds.
  • 6 ¾” Gullet with Full Quarter Horse Bars:  Fits a wide variety of your standard horses today.  
  • 7” Gullet with Full Quarter Horse Bars:  Fits your mutton withered or round backed horses that have barely any rise in their withers.

Quick Saddling Tips

  • “Cupping” Your Pad”: The best way to do this is to put your pad on a little bit forward on your horse’s back and put your saddle on. From this point, shimmy your saddle a little bit to help it settle into place. Then use your hand to lift the front of your pad up by the gullet-hole giving it a tent-like shape over your horse’s withers. This does not need to be drastic but just enough to increase air flow down your horse’s spine and to allow the saddle to fit more flush with your horse’s back.
  • Determining What Size Pad to Get: To determine the best size for your horse, measure the length of your saddle and add 2 to 3 inches to that length. Once under the saddle, your pad should show about 1-1.5″ of pad in the front and back of the saddle.

Guarantee

  • If you are not sure on the fit then please take advantage of our free saddle pad consultation. This process is where we help you decide on the best fit for you and your horse. Send side pictures of your horse saddled AND unsaddled to 805-234-5836 (text) or [email protected].
    We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase at Best Ever Custom Saddle Pads. Customers, with receipt, have 90 days to return items for a full refund minus shipping costs. We do not issue refunds on customized logos or brand names, therefore, make sure you have the correct information submitted before ordering. Customers with no receipt may exchange unused items for other merchandise of equal or lesser value.