Who uses saddle blankets only?

[Pocket_Pony]

Spinoff from the other saddle pad topic.

I’ve got this saddle on trial and Mac likes it and so far I like it. It is used and cheap enough that I’ll probably get it.

But . . .

I find most pads too bulky. Mac is wide and this saddle is a wide tree (Circle Y trail saddle) and with just a thin blanket it seems to fit him just fine. I tried it with a thicker felt pad today (only 1/2" - maybe 1/4", now I don’t remember) and I didn’t like it as much. With just a blanket I can pull it up into the gullet and it will stay there; thicker pads always seem to smoosh down, even if they have wither cutouts or wither-relief shaping.

Anyone use just a saddle blanket? Any problems? With just the blanket it seems to fit him quite well . . .

[Dani]

My last saddle fits my mare so well that I’ve ridden her in just a blanket before (cheap $8 rug). Never seen a saddle so level on a horse. She seemed comfortable enough, WTC with no issues and she’s very expressive when she’s uncomfortable. If you’re not doing any hard work then a thin blanket should be all you need. I typically ride in a 1/2" contoured felt pad with wither risers because I’m working her hard (team penning, difficult trails, barrels, and we are learning to rope).

[Palm_Beach]

I see no problem with it.

[lorilu]

And after discussing Ludie’s issue with various pro/trainer/judge friends, I have decided to only use a blanket. I will be checking that the saddle fits really well and does not bridge, as his back muscles are not well developed…

[beau159]

I now primarily use 5 Star pads (1/2 inch thickness) on all my horses, but growing up, we used nothing but plain saddle blankets. Nothing fancy. Rode a lot of miles and never had a problem.