How to Put a Saddle Pad on Your Horse

Saddle pads and saddle blankets serve several purposes. They protect your expensive leather saddle from sweat and horse hair, they protect your horse from chafing under the saddle and they can compensate for fitting issues with a saddle that does not fit perfectly. The types and styles of pads and blankets vary depending upon the kind of riding you do.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Groom the horse thoroughly. There should be no dirt, dried sweat, dried mud, burrs or bedding debris between the pad or blanket and the horse because those things will become irritants chafing under the saddle.

2. Select your combination of blankets and/or pads. Many riders like to use a fabric blanket first against the horse, topped by some sort of foam pad that makes the saddle fit the horse better. If your saddle fits your horse really well, you may only need to use a single pad or blanket.

3. Evaluate the thickness of your blanket, pad or blanket and pad combination. If the arrangement is too thick it will make the saddle unstable, and this is uncomfortable for the horse. On the other hand, a very thin set-up is also uncomfortable unless the saddle is a perfect fit.

4. Place the first blanket or pad on the horse's back. Position it forward toward the shoulders, and over the withers. Center it on the horse's back.

5. Position the second pad, if you are using one, over the first. The exact position of this pad will depend on its specific purpose. For example, a pad that lifts the back of the saddle needs to have the rear lift portion under the saddle's cantle, whereas a front-lifting pad should be placed properly under the saddle's pommel. Other pads cover the same area as the underlying blanket.

Tips & Warnings

• Your blanket and pad arrangement may vary according to the work your horse is doing and how physically fit she is. As a horse becomes more muscular with work there will be less room for extra pads under the saddle, for example.
• Do not attempt to compensate for a poorly-fitting saddle by adding pads. Pads are for minor adjustments only. A poorly-fitting saddle is very uncomfortable for the horse, who cannot work properly in it and should not be expected to.