By Sonja Eschenburg
With customers from all over the country, many who order pads online as opposed to buying them in person, it is the job of Best Ever employees to help these horse owners design and order a saddle pad that correctly fits their horse’s back. Obviously, every horse is a little different and requires a little different fit, but with their guidance and 30 years of experience as horsemen, Best Ever employees are able to tell their customers what works best for them.
Every horse is built different, but no matter their structure, it is important to always make sure your saddle and pad fit their backs correctly. Ryan White, one of the owners of Best Ever Saddle Pads, is here today to give a few need-to-know pointers when it comes to finding the right pad.
Today, Ryan is going to saddle up Osirus. Osirus was raised on Paradise Ranch and is out of Lita Scott’s Jet of Honor stud. As a three year old horse, Osirus is developed a little bit in his shoulder area, but otherwise he still has a generally flat back without a lot of withers standing up. He is in training to be a barrel horse so today Ryan will saddle him with the appropriate barrel saddle.
Although this OG pad comes in both ¾ and one inch, this one in particular is a 30×30 ¾” OG pad. This pad is one of the first pads Ryan and Tammy started their business with and is still one of the best selling products today. The pad itself is quite a bit thinner than most of their others, which is actually good for barrel racing because it helps prevent the saddle from rolling and moving around while making a barrel run. The 30 inch length is the standard, but 28 inches is also common, too, and allows the horse to bend and move around the barrels without the pad poking him in the hip.
After throwing on a correctly fitted saddle, tighten the cinch just enough to see that this pad also doesn’t push down on the withers of the horse, allows plenty of space in between the gullet to run your hand, or at least three fingers, through, and is big enough to still have an extra inch of room both in front of and behind the saddle.
This pad is ideal for quite a few other disciplines, like breaking two or three year olds. It’s best for events where you don’t want a lot of pad. You want things cinched down and secure. Sitting snug on the horse’s back helps prevent any unnecessary movement and keeps everything in sync.