I travel from horse show to horse show and see poor-fitting saddle pads all the time. Not enough by itself, some misguided riders often combine a too-short saddle pad with a thick halfpad, creating even more pressure points.

Imagine wearing flip flops where the back of your foot hangs out by an inch. Now go walk for 10 minutes. Comfy? I don’t think so.

So how to avoid that:

1. Buy a saddle pad that fits your saddle.
Ideally, bring your saddle along when you go buy a saddle pad. When you put the saddle on top, you should have about 1.5-2 inches all around your saddle.

2. Remember: cotton shrinks!
If you use a cotton pad, make sure to buy it a little too big (2 inches rather than 1.5”) to account for shrinkage. High-tech saddle pads that do not contain cotton or poly-cotton do not shrink.

3. Careful: forward flaps!
Check for a forward-shaped saddle pad if you have that type of saddle.

4. High-withered shape? Get a high-withered pad
Sometimes, riders with high-withered horses get a square pad and pull it up at the front to try to make it fit. A better option is to get a saddle pad with a high-withered shape.
Make sure you can put your hand under the saddle and feel free space at the withers.

Click here for video: Saddle Pad Expert: Perfect Fit