I just bought a show blanket and now I need a pad to go underneath, but I can’t decide whether I should get a 1/2, 3/4, or 1 inch thickness. What do most people have? I know it goes by saddle fit but I can’t try them if I don’t have them, so I need a place to start.
A thick pad basically serves the purpose of evening out low spots in the saddle fit. If the saddle is a perfect fit, you don’t need a pad at all. I generally favor a thinner pad unless the saddle doesn’t fit the horse very well. With a well-fitting saddle I use a 1/2" pad, mainly because a thinner pad costs less, weighs less, and requires less effort to clean and a thicker pad really adds nothing to the equation.
My show blankets are pretty thick, so I just use a 1/2" pad under them and it works great.
I think I have a 3/4" and a 1/4" felt pads. The one horse does best with the thicker, while the wider mare does better with the thinner pad…used mostly to keep her good pad clean.
How does your saddle fit with just the show pad?
For showing, I use my 3/4" Classic Equine Contour Pedic pad (it’s neoprene) under my show blanket. I like this combo because the neoprene isn’t bulky and forms nicely to my horse’s back :).
My saddles fit well, so less is more. I use a 5 Star pad that is 1/2" thick.
Th![](s is how my saddle fits
I have a thin show blanket to go on top of whatever pad I get to go underneath
[IMG]http://i60.tinypic.com/2rhshoy.jpg)
[QUOTE=beau159;8154683]
My saddles fit well, so less is more. I use a 5 Star pad that is 1/2" thick.[/QUOTE]
Is that all you use?
[QUOTE=Bombproof;8151759]
If the saddle is a perfect fit, you don’t need a pad at all. [/QUOTE]
I just wanted to say that for a WESTERN saddle, you do still need a pad. A western saddle is designed to be used with one. You don’t have any padding under the tree like you do in an English saddle, so you need a pad to provide some sort of cushion for the horse, as well as to protect the horse from the leather skirts.
I’m not a fan of the thicker pads, myself. My saddle fits well enough that I’m not trying to fill any gaps. I find the thicker pads create more bulk at the withers and that really seems to bother my horse. Personally, I’m going with a Thinline pad with just a navajo on top.
IMO the only use for a 1" or more pad is heavy duty roping or a grossly too wide saddle. If your saddle fits well and you’re using a blanket a 1/2" pad should be just fine. 3/4" at the most.