I need new saddle pads, and since I trail ride I am not constrained in my color choices. My main riding horse is a very light palomino paint. He is predominantly white, but colors that look good on a white horse don’t look great with his cream palomino color. I have tried navy and hunter green, and purple so far. The navy looks the best but the other colors are just so-so. Any ideas?
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Turquoise or aqua mixed with tan is what I used on my palomino Paint. Certain reds looked good, too. I’m sure he’s a beautiful color!
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Grey
What color are his saddle and bridle?
Navy is a nice color.
You need to consider basic color match but also how clear and bright versus how muted he is. Also the percentage of white to color.
White is a clear sharp cool color that looks good with brights and darks.
Pale palomino is a more muted color that can be easily overpowered or lost. It’s also a pale but warm color.
I would look for slightly muted versions of green or blue. Or brown. Try olive or khaki or taupe or petrol blue. I wouldn’t go to actual gold that would make him look faded. Some people might like a dark red or a muted burgundy or maroon color.
Navy and hunter green are good classic horse colors
White doesn’t work on Paints. Either the saddle pad or the horse will look yellow. I had a sorrel sabino and didn’t own a white pad. I had a nice powder blue that looked good and I used it for shows.
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I meant that the white part of the horse is a clear cool color. But the pale palomino is a muted warm color. So while the actual visual difference between white and pale palomino spots is not huge, the "kind’ of color is very different.
Since white spots go with almost anything, you need to match the palomino spots. You are right, a white pad is not going to be the best aesthetic choice.
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Good ideas here, thanks! His tack is brown. @Scribbler you have hit the nail on the head with my color dilemma. He is a very pale cream palomino, so a very warm and light color versus the white. He is also a bit of a pig pen, so I can’t put anything white on him - it just magnifies the fact that he is not as white as he should be. And he has a lot of white - more white than palomino by a good bit. He is a handsome guy, though, and I want him to look nice.
My other horse is a very dark orange-ish palomino. Everything looks good on him, so I can’t quite get him head around what works for this one.
have you tried chocolate?
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Hopefully @eightpondfarm will chime in. She’s great at recommending color combos to match horse colors!
A photo of the horse would probably help us visualize colors on him better. Plus, we just horse pictures, period! 
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Cute boy!
I’d second the idea of petrol blue. It’s dark enough to contrast, but it isn’t a bright, in-your-face marine blue. I think it’d look really nice!
This is the PS of Sweden petrol blue pad:
Horze and Toklat both make pads in similar colors: Horze’s pad is called Aegean Blue, and Toklat’s is Dark Teal.
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This color would look great! Now I’ve got to find it in an all purpose saddle pad. This gives me a great place to start.
If you are motivated you could always go to a hardware store and get printed paint strips.
They usually have color wheels so you can get an idea of cool colors and warm colors.
It isn’t so much a matter of right and wrong, but what appeals to you.
Black will work. It will set off his white . Yes , Palomino is warm , but think of black and gold.
I know someone who buys saddle pads and leg wraps in every color whether they look good on the horse or not, cause she just loves the color.
I think for your horse, champagne or rose quartz would being out the palomino.
Or warm green colors .
Or maybe even a tartan or striped pattern .
Your horse is a cutie!
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Truer words…
The only time a Paint is white is right after a bath while still standing in the wash rack. You can let them stand there and dry all afternoon, but as soon as you let them move anywhere they will roll. I think they do it on purpose. If you get close enough you can probably hear them giggling.
He is very handsome. You don’t see palamino Paints very often. My friend’s mother bred Paints. About 20 years ago a small group of breeders lobbbied APHA to accept champagne as an official color. They kept getting shot down, but APHA did ultimately accept champagne.
This is a Weaterbeeta. Anything more intense will overwhelm the palomino.
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Periwinkle and mint. Oh…they would be nice even together! (but how would you find that??)
Some color that doesn’t overwhelm and lets you see the horse himself and not just his colors. Some color with an infusion of white… muted ya know… There is not much red in his palomino-ness is there? I’m not sure but a washed purple that isn’t quite lavender… Lucky you he has a tan tone…you won’t have to reeeeeeally get into his whitening tail will you!
as for tack, i’d do brown not black.
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Paint strips! I went out and tried that with my Paint who is a very standard chestnut. I wanted to have her precise color on hand when shopping for gear. The first batch I bright back were all way too red and light for her. The second batch I went darker and more yellow and got a very close match. I realized she is less red than a bright bay.
The paint strips also had the tints where it showed increasing amounts of white, and it was interesting that the lightest tint on her closest match color was a light palomino. It showed me how chestnut really does dilute to palomino. Also how much colors change when they dilute with white.
I think PS of Sweden and the other fancy color matchy matchy pad companies do almost all their colors in.both jump and dressage. Jump is fine for most AP saddles.
My mare is a white /app leopard with red dun spots. I love her in red or maroon.
I never would have thought of paint strips. What a great idea!
He does have brown tack. Thanks to everyone for the good ideas. I will update when I get some shopping done.
Also, here’s a pic of his cute face for tax. The other horse is Mr. Everything Looks Good on Me.
Quite a difference in palomino colors.
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What about sage green? Or smartpak has a blue similar to the petrol
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/smartpak-classic-medium-diamond-ap-saddle-pad-9496
