on Amazon
There really are a lot of English saddle pads to choose from! Unless you need a therapeutic pad, aside from a few minor exceptions, you generally consider aesthetics (how pretty the pad is) as your primary concern!…at least I do 🙂
What is the purpose of a saddle pad?
- Even though a perfectly fitting saddle should be able to be used without any extra padding at all, if you want to protect the investment you made in your saddle, you will want to shield it from dirt and sweat.
- The panels of an English saddle were designed to protect the horse’s back, so originally English saddle pads were designed to protect the saddle from the grime and sweat of the horse.
- Sometimes pads, without exactly being “therapeutic” can help with minor saddle fitting issues and, in fact, do help to cushion the horse’s back.
The half pad cushions the saddle nicely on Chip
Another term for a saddle pad, which I just learned while doing a little research, is a “numnah.” This is a British term. A numnah is usually shaped to fit the saddle.
Most of the time I like to use a regular square pad with a half pad. The Roma Merino Half Pad is a quality pad at a great price. It costs less than half as much as the “top of the line” Mattes Half Pad, is well made and looks almost just as nice!
In my opinion, placing a half pad over a square pad helps keep your half pad clean and adds an extra layer of cushioning for your horse. All of our horses seem to feel very comfortable in them.
We have fun shopping for square pads. Sometimes we get them in our “horse’s color” or our barn colors, or just in a pretty pattern or color that we see online, in a catalog or at the tack shop!
At our barn we like the TuffRider Basic All Purpose Saddle Pads. The reviews are a little mixed but I think they’re GREAT!
They come in lots of colors and hold up for lots of washings.
They aren’t a thick pad (which is good, I hate pads that are too thick and stiff) yet are extremely durable.
This also makes them a great choice to use with a half pad or therapeutic pad without feeling like you have too much “stuff” between you and your horse.
At the price of $15-$20 the TuffRider English Saddle Pads are a great buy. I also like their generous size because you can use them with all types of saddles from close contact to dressage.
As far as fun and pretty, Perris, one of my favorite brands of horse items, makes great pony saddle pads as well as pads for horses!
lovely lilac pad
They have a variety of colors decorated with pretty ribbon accents. If I just wanted to be fun with a pad I would go with a Perris All Purpose Ribbon Pad.
We have a pony named Misty that got a Perri’s English saddle pad with a matching halter, lead and polo wraps! She looks beautiful in lilac 🙂
