What is a Saddle Pad?
A western saddle pad or a saddle blanket is a layer of cushioning which is placed between the horse's back and the saddle itself. There are 2 major reasons for using a saddle pad. One is for providing extra comfort to your horse and yourself and the secondary is to keep the saddle from getting dirty. You get low-range, high range and high-end plus lifetime warranty saddle pads. Saddle pads are available for all horses at all trail levels.
The concept behind this is that if your saddle is in direct contact with the horse’s back, then it will get dirty and absorb the sweat of the horse. And it is a fact that cleaning the saddle from dirt and sweat can be a challenging task. Hence, to keep the saddle clean, we recommend using a western saddle pad.
The right fittings of the saddle pad are important
Also, as discussed above, a saddle pad surely provides comfort to some extent. However, it is to be noted that a western saddle pad is not at all a substitute for a saddle that does not fit the horse properly. So, never install a saddle pad if the saddle is not fitting properly.
If one or both of you are suffering the same, then it is surely a sign that the saddle needs to be replaced with a properly fitting one. Saddle pads can be used to rectify minor problems associated with the saddle but not compensate for a saddle that does not fit properly.
You can match the contours of the horse and then choose the right size for the saddle pad.
Whether to Choose Western Saddle Pad or blanket?
Saddle Pad comes in various shapes, sizes, colours, and fabrics. There are even sizes for various breeds of horses and ponies. Read on below to choose the best saddle pad for your dog.
Western Saddle Pad comes in 2 forms. One is a blanket form and the other one is a pad form.
Saddle Blanket
The blanket form comes in the shape of a single long piece of fabric that is thickly woven. The blanket form comes in various colours, and you can choose the colour which complements the fur colour of your horse. It is also easy to clean as you can toss the saddle blanket inside a washing machine. It will clean it thoroughly to the core. Once it is washed you need to hang it under the sun and it will dry out. For instance, a wool saddle pad keeps the horse dry and comfortable to a large extent, and it is also good during the winter months. So, blankets are easy to maintain but you need to adjust them every time you are riding.
Western Saddle Pad
Coming to the other type is the saddle pad. Western Saddle Pad is similar to the blanket but these come in the form of woven pads. These pads look like a blanket, the only difference is that it is already folded in half and woven. These extra paddings absorb shocks better. The pro of using these saddle pads is that they are fitted with leather straps. You can use these straps to fix the pad firmly on the horseback. Once the pads are strapped up, you can be assured that these won't move from their position no matter how much jerking the pad goes through while riding.
Conclusion
From the above, we can safely conclude that opting for a saddle pad is much better than opting for blankets. Western Saddle Pad offers more stability and it is also easy to clean and maintain.
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