Saddle pad sizing gripe!

[Blueeyedroan]

Ok - can we complain about the front to back length of saddle pads yet ??
I ride in a 17.5” saddle…. THE most POPULAR size out there. And the occasional 18” which is also far from uncommon.
I’m loving the new age close contact pad options . Ogilvy is my fave, Lemieux is pretty sharp looking too.
Love my forward flap being accommodated , love my V shaped topline clearing the withers and spine on the curvy OTTBS.

But why…… bloody WHY aren’t they longer in the spine length ? WHY is that piping in the back juuuuuuuust under the edge of the back of my saddle ? Right where that seam can just rub-a-dub on the back and make the thin skinned chestnut dragon breathe some extra fire.

Does anyone else notice this? Or is my OCD just aflame today?

I know Ogilvy makes a size larger but that’s not what tack shops carry. And Lemieux’s large is really not large .

WHY!?

[lenapesadie]

I ride in an 18” and my LeMieux large CC pads are plenty big.

[Syrynx]

Wilkers makes an over size with a 23.5" spine which fits my 18”5 saddle and 17.3hh draft reasonably well.

[endlessclimb]

Stop putting both of your girth straps through that loop on the bottom of the pad. I only put the rear one through, allowing me to move the pad further back.

I agree that I hate seeing piping under the panels. LOTS of people ride this way though (or with their half pad just a-hanging off the back), and I don’t get it. Clearly I’m missing something, because these are the best riders in the world. I want my saddle, half pad, all of it - ON my saddle pad.

[endlessclimb]

You can see in the last photo above that only the rear billet is through the saddle pad strap. That’s how I girth every time, every pad. They all have those loops put on too far back.

[Jealoushe]

Lemiuex aren’t big enough? How big is your saddle?

[trubandloki]

@Jealoushe

Lemiuex aren’t big enough? How big is your saddle?

From the original post, it says 17.5" saddle.

@Blueeyedroan

I ride in a 17.5” saddle

[Jealoushe]

I know…but it doesn’t add up. I ride in 17.5 and the Lemiuex fit great.

[lenapesadie]

My thought too as they are plenty big for my 18” saddle. But I don’t use a half pad so maybe that’s a factor

[GraceLikeRain]

Totally makes sense to me. You’ve just got a shorter panel.

I’ve got two 16.5” saddles. One has a 17” panel, the other has a 18”. For a 17.5” saddle I wouldn’t be surprised if some are 19-20” with the panels. Some brands really build them out behind the saddle.

[Blueeyedroan]

Yes! I was riding in a county , so a roomy 17.5” with big poofy flocked panels.

I had a Large Lemieux and it fit my little 17” Pessoa perfectly . IMO a “large” should fit an 18” with room.

[Blueeyedroan]

Those photos above drive me NUTS!!! That’s exactly what I want to avoid … even if all the professionals are doing it .

[twostinkydogs]

Ugh, I just went through the saddle pad drama after buying an 18.5" saddle. The long Ogilvy was the only one that worked. The PRI long length was too short. Smartpak’s long was too short. I don’t think Dover makes a long pad anymore.

I was considering the Werner Christ dressage pad (link below) because it is 27" long. I’ve read good things about them but I had just spent $315 on a Mattes half pad and couldn’t justify $500 in saddle pads.

[https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Werner_Christ_Horse_Champ_Sheepskin_Square_Dressage_Pad/descpage-HSQP.html]

[Syrynx]

Oh! I’d not ever heard of that (nor noticed it honestly). Thanks for pointing that out.

[endlessclimb]

No problem! Your draft is just lovely.

[Scribbler]

Yes my dressage saddle has gussetted panels at the back and Ogilvy just barely works.

[StormyDay]

I have an 18 inch extra forward flap saddle. The Ogilvy barely fits, and it’s one of my largest pads. I do wish saddle pad manufacturers would realize we are no longer riding in 16.5 flat seat hunt saddles with zero padding.

[McGurk]

I have even more of an issue with the white shaped fleece pads. Finding one that fits an 18" saddle is ridiculously hard and then ridiculously expensive.

Agree that I hate the look and feel of the panels resting on the piping on a square pad, or the half pad jutting out over the pad.

[lintesia]

Wilkers will make you a custom pad for the cost of off-the-rack. I sent the info for my Devoucoux (all the numbers from under the flap) and then asked them to add an inch for the spine length and the width under the back panels – my personal preference. What I received was perfect!

I had to call Wilkers to find out how to do the custom order. What you do is select CWD for the saddle type but then in the “Special Instructions” box when you check out, put all the information for your specific saddle.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I have ordered saddle pads from Hufgloken, they give you a size option, and those work great. Yes, you have to wait for them, but it’s worth it. I have another one, off the rack, I’m spacing the name right now… that is also plenty long and I ordered it from Smart Pak originally.