[MistyFawn666]

Ok I am selling my Aussie saddle, but I am keeping the english dressage pad that I used with it. How dumb do you think it would look if I used it with a western saddle? It is a maroon Dressage pad and retanglar in shape. It is large enough for a western saddle. Does any one else mix and match like this?

[2000-Flash-2000]

umm I dont think it would look that bad actually,, could you take some photos and post it for us and we will ALL give you our honest opinion I am so sure!!!

[jumpers4me]

hm. i dont think it would look the greatest. I also dont think it would be very comfy for your horse. western pads are way thicker and are probably that way for a reason IMO. i am definitly not a western rider though. I think it would work until you could get a western pad.

[MistyFawn666]

Originally Posted by jumpers4me

I also dont think it would be very comfy for your horse. western pads are way thicker and are probably that way for a reason IMO. i am definitly not a western rider though. I think it would work until you could get a western pad.

Nope not really. I have a blanket I use with my western saddle now and it is actually the same thickness as the dressage pad. I never use the thick western pads that are about 2 inches thick for the saddle slips right off. If the saddle fits well and mine does you do not need all that bulk in a pad.

[TrickPony]

Well.... If it were me, I would never use an english pad under a western saddle. They're just not think enough... western saddles cover a lot more area and can have more pressure points than an english saddle. JMHO.

[Sandra-A1]

If it covers the areas you want covered and the saddle fits correctly when your using it....then, yes, it will work just fine.
Like MistyFawn...when I show I use saddle blanket/s under my show saddle not a saddle pad. Just because your riding in a western saddle does not mean you need a thick pad between the saddle and the horse's back.
If the saddle fits your horse correctly then the less padding the better.

The best pad or saddle blanket available is a pure wool pad around 3/4 of an inch thick, a saddle blanket should not exceed 3/4 of an inch in thickness, any thicker will only tend to make your saddle role on the horses back.
A thicker blanket or pad will not compensate for a poor fitting saddle.
Always use a wool blanket it is the only material that will retain body heat when wet from the horses sweat. Other materials will get cold and cause a chill.
A saddle blanket is meant to protect the saddle from sweat and to dissipate
heat from the horses back, it is not designed to compensate for a poor
fitting saddle.

I recommend using a pure wool saddle blanket around 32 inches wide by
60 inches long. Fold this blanket at 30 inches to make a double thickness
putting the fold at the front around 2 inches in front of the saddle.


Specialized saddle pads do not help a saddle to fit better, in fact they do
just the opposite.

In the last few years there have been so many quick-fixes advertised in
horse magazines by people trying to make a quick buck by saying use this
pad and your problems with saddle fit will go away.
But just stop and think about what the pad would have to accomplish. Saddles have been designed to distribute weight evenly over the horses back and to give the rider security when riding. The bars of a Western saddle flare out at the edge in order to taper away from the horses back so there is no sharp edges to dig into the horses back, the panels on a English saddle perform the same function.
If the edges don't curve away from the horse then they will dig into his back.
Using pads to alter the way a saddle fits will disrupt the saddle's balance and
weight distribution.

So many people think they can solve the problem with the type of pad they
use but in most cases this just adds to the problem.
Would you put more socks on if you had a lump in your boot of course not, so do not use a thicker blanket to compensate for a poor fitting saddle.
A thicker blanket will only compound the problem, try putting a thick blanket on your horse then try putting your hand up under the saddle just behind the withers you will find that the saddle is now bridging your horses back between the forks and the cantle.
A saddle blanket should not exceed 3/4 of an inch in thickness, any thicker will only tend to make your saddle role on the horses back and cause the saddle to bridge.
A thicker blanket or pad will not compensate for a poor fitting saddle.

Always use a wool blanket it is the only material that will retain body heat when wet from the horses sweat. Other materials will get cold and cause a chill.

[madvoice]

Some dressage saddle blankets are actually quite thick. I have a dressage saddle blanket that is thicker than most western pads. I think it'll be fine for around the paddock. I don't think it'd score many points if you were showing though

[riding_reaper]

I have actually dont that before. lol. It was hot and I didnt want to use my big thick western one. So I used my dressage one. It looked goofy. lol. But it worked. I would try to get a western pad though.

[windblown]

We have a thicker dressage pad that I use under the western saddle, and it works well. It's not as hot for the horse as the western pads we have, and it looks just fine

[arabgirl15]

I think there is no reason it wouldn't work....