Choosing The Best Saddle Pad For Your Horse

The western saddle was created out of need for utility. It covers a large area of the horse’s back, requires a heavy pommel and horn to dally rope off, and adds weight to the rider.

What this means for the horse is that it carries a load on its spine and withers, regardless of the activity. Sure, it’s possible to get a saddle that uses modern materials to reduce the weight, but the pressure remains the same. When it comes down to it, there’s a lot of pressure being put on the most important area of your horse — its spine. It’s time to start using the best saddle pad and make your horse comfortable.

High Withers and the Saddle Pad

There was a time when the best solution for high withers was thought to be a cut-out pad. The problem with the cut-out pad is that it exposes the top of the withers to the candle of the saddle. A good yank on the horn by a calf or a bad landing in the saddle meant that the cantle smacks into that most sensitive of locations on the horse. Instead of removing bulk, the solution is to add more protection with a high-wither saddle pad.

The best saddle pad for high-wither horses takes the shape of the cut-out pad and improves upon it by adding a gusset that covers the withers and fills in the hollows that form to either side with high-density foam. This provides protection from the pommel and relieves pressure on the withers while providing comfort.

Absorbing as Much Shock as Possible

A good western saddle adds as much as 40 pounds to the weight of a rider. That means, there’s a lot of pressure put on the horse’s spine — no matter if its doing a sliding stop, holding livestock in place, or loping around an arena. The best product to reduce the shock to the horse is a wool fleece saddle pad. Wool fleece by itself or combined with closed-cell foam or gel foam provides a thick layer of padding between the horse, saddle and rider. The result is a horse that’s less sore and bounces back more quickly.

At The Best Ever Pads, our BHS Series offers excellent all-around pads that provide maximum shock-absorption while letting heat flow. They come in different thicknesses and have a 3/8-inch closed-cell foam bar insert that provides excellent cushion between the saddle bars and the back of the horse.

Dissipating Heat

It’s normal to see sweat running off a horse from underneath the saddle while training or riding in an event. There’s a lot of heat generated by the action of a horse. Plus, hot sun or arena lights help raise the temperature. It’s important to try to dissipate heat from the horse to help it perform optimally and lower the time needed to get its core body temperature back to normal.

Our CEO Collection pads are ideal for drawing heat away from the horse and reducing the risk of an overheated horse. The base wool pad wicks sweat away while letting heat exit. Add the optional fleece layer for comfort and extra heat-exhausting properties.

It’s not always easy selecting the best saddle pad for a horse, but it can be done. Commit to getting the best possible pad, one that provides solutions to fitting and heat issues, to keep the horse comfortable and performing at its best.

For all of these products and more, browse our top-of-the-line saddle pads today. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our experienced team will be happy to help you find and/or customize the perfect pad for you and your horse.