You can start off by asking yourself some simple questions.
- What size is my saddle?
- Is your horse’s back short or long?
- How do I like my tack to look on my horse?
Size of Saddle:
Take into consideration the size of your saddle in length. Is it a barrel, roping, cutting, etc saddle? If you have a larger saddle such as a roping or cutting saddle then you will probably not want a saddle pad that is 28″ or 30″ in length. Nine chances out of ten that pad will probably just barely be long enough for the saddle to fit on. For a barrel saddle don’t use a saddle pad longer than 32″ or 33″.
Does my horse have a long or short back?
A lot of people don’t take this into consideration when choosing a saddle pad. The long saddle pads (34″) may be too long for short backed horses. It will probably end somewhere in the middle of the horse’s rear. However things could be reversed as well. If you have a long backed horse and decide to go with a 30″ saddle pad - there may be a lot of the horses back that is still exposed after the saddle pad and saddle are on the horse. It may look weird to you or other people. That is where this next section comes into play.
What do I want my horse and tack to look like?
Ultimately the decision comes down to your personal preference. What do you think looks good? Where do you think your saddle pad should end on your horse?
People have different styles and ways that they like their saddle pad, saddle, and horse to look. Some people may use a shorter (28″ or 30″) saddle pad on a short backed horse with a barrel saddle. On the same horse if a roping saddle is used they may get a little longer of a pad (33″) to compensate for the larger saddle. On a long backed horse if a roping saddle is used they may use a long (34″) pad. However if the same long backed horse is used and a barrel saddle they may use a long (32″ or 33″) pad to cover the horses back.
In reality it just comes down to your opinion, type and size of saddle, and the horse. There isn’t a correct answer to this question but your pad does need to be big enough for the saddle you use. There are only opinions.
Here is a link with a variety of western saddle pad to help you in your decision.