How to Build Up Saddle Pads

Horse saddle pads come in thousands of different styles, colors, shapes and thicknesses. A saddle pad is supposed to support the horse's back and keep the saddle from rubbing. An ill-fitting saddle can cause injury to your horse. With several thousand saddles on the market, it can be hard to find the right saddle pad to fit your particular saddle and horse. A good way to get a good fitting pad is to build up your own. Learn how to build up saddle pads and always get the perfect fit for your horse.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Thick saddle pad
• Several thin saddle pads
• Saddle blanket (very thin pad)

1. Look to see how your saddle fits on your horse's back. Place your hand under the very front center of the saddle. If the withers (high bony area at the front of the horse's back and right before the neck and mane start) touch the saddle, your horse needs a built-up saddle pad.

2. Start with a thick saddle pad placed directly on the horse's back with the saddle placed on top of it. If the pad on top of the withers is touching the saddle, the pad needs to be built up more.

3. Remove the saddle and thick pad. Place a thin pad on the horse's back, followed by the thick pad and saddle. This should move the saddle off of the horse's withers. If not, remove everything and use two thick pads under the saddle.

Tips & Warnings

• The best type of saddle pad to use is wool. When purchasing a new pad, check the label. The higher the percentage of wool in the pad, the better it will be for your horse's back. Use the least amount of saddle pads as possible that will allow the saddle to be safely off of the horse's withers.
• Never continue to use a saddle if there are isolated dry spots on your horse's back after removing the saddle and blanket. If the horse's back is sweaty except for this one area, it is a pressure point. This can cause serious injury to your horse.

Resources

• Saddle pad information