20 Best Saddle Pad For High Withers (2023 Updated)

I got this for $17 on sale desperately needing a half pad. It’s nicely made (padding) and functions the way it’s suppose to. But the fur can be pulled out easily or rub off on your saddle pad quite a bit which I did not like nor what i would expect should happen to a half pad.

It literally sheds like a husky! You’ll need a lint roller on standby!.

Just as described. Not super fancy, but is well made. Fits my 17.5 inch saddle perfectly. Bullet straps are a good length.

It’s super soft and nice on my horse, she has a higher whither but not crazy, but this leaves lots of space and I can tell it’s more comfortable for her. It sometimes gets dirt on it and I’m not gonna lie I just vacuum it.

I LOVE this saddle pad. I got it for my thoroughbred mare who has high withers, and it’s perfect for her. I was having trouble with the saddle fitting her well because of her withers, but the pad seems to make her much more comfortable.

It looks nice too. Everyone at the barn has been eyeing it, and asking where I got it. I’ve recommended it to everyone, since it’s affordable and does exactly what I need it to. ( I also just love State Line Tack in general.

We’ve bought stuff from them for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always been satisfied). I’ve used it under a 17. 5 inch dressage saddle, and a smaller jumping saddle, and it fits just fine for both.

My only concern is that it’s white, and it’s hard to keep anything white for long around horses. I like it enough to have considered coming back and buying a black one too, so that I have the white for shows, and black for everyday use.

Durability: 4.

I recently bought a 200 dollar half pad for my Appendix and it was very uncomfortable for my horse, it made my saddle slip, and was overall too big for my saddle, So I started looking online for a new one.

At first when I saw this pad I was suspicious because of how good the price was but I went ahead and bought it in white for showing purposes. Well I adore the pad. It’s held up well, the fleece is very fluffy and light and my horse seems to love it, also I get compliments on it all the time.

The only two things I will say that is remotely negative is that the fleece was starting to fall off in puffs in the car and if you buy the white one it gets EXTREMELY dirty ETREMELY fast, so I’m thinking about buying another one in black.

But other than that great product for a great price. I strongly recommend getting this pad. Durability: 5.

Got this to replace worn out saddle pad for hubby’s saddle. Looks like it will hold up much better than the old one. Like the tacky-tack feature and herculean type cover. Plan to use it on a trail ride coming up in September.

Will test it out then.

I have a horse with high withers and I was having problems with the saddle. The wither pads really work well and keep the pressure off the withers. He is more agreeable to ride. I probably need a different saddle but until I can find the right one I will use these wither pads.

The nylon placement straps are fine and can be pulled up so nothing binds across the withers. The pads lift the weight off his shoulders and he has better movement. They are well made and do not slip out of place.

I use them on top of the saddle pad and under the saddle.

These pads allow me to use my FQHB saddle on my high withered hollow shouldered Easy Jet Doc Bar mare. I’ve been so afraid to ride her since the big saddle slip incident as she’s nearly 16hh tall and rather saucy! Wtih the new Reinsman Flex Pad and these over the top, my vintage Charlie Sanders Roping saddle FIT her perfectly and now we ride! Up hill, down hill, no slip as this rests on top of the saddle pad so it’s easy to adjust to get to the right spot.

a great little pad that saved me another 2K for another custom saddle. I can use my old trusty Simco or the new Stealth Manta Trail or the Bushrider Aussie. ALL fit my wide shouldered barrel body haflinger AND now they fit my sleek race bred QH mare.

NICE JOB! LOVE THIS PRODUCT!.

It just did not seem to fit right for my purposes. I ended up using a correction half-pad I already had on hand to raise the saddle up enough in the front. This particular wither pad was so thick that it made the saddle unbalanced in the opposite direction, putting pressure on the back.

It might be good if your horse’s withers are REALLY hollow, but didn’t suit my needs. Durability: 3.

I have an extremely high-withered TB and needed a pad that would give him some relief. I bought this with the hopes that it would give some extra cushion to his shoulders and keep the saddle in the proper place.

I rode with it today, and I like the pad–it’s thick in the front (obviously), and it boosted my saddle just enough so that the saddle was a fist-size off of his withers and didn’t smash down on him going downhill.

The cutback is great, though the ‘u’ of the cutback seems to pull down tight across the shoulder as you ride, which was my only concern with the pad overall. The padding is thick enough to provide cushion all the way around, and I had no slipping issues on a sweaty horse.

With his high withers and dipping back, a square pad like this sits awkwardly and flips at the back because of the lack of contour, but that’s to be expected!A semi-contoured cutback pad would be perfect; hopefully someone will eventually sell one at reasonable cost.

Durability: 4.

I cant say enough good things about this saddle pad. It’s gorgeous, perfect shape, and i’m sure my horse loves how comfortable it is. Was gonna go for another overpriced Lemieuxe, but i liked the color options that Weatherbeta had instead.

I noticed that this saddle pad is just about the same quality as my friend’s Lemieuxe, and it’s just as amazing. Save your money instead of buying a saddle pad with the same quality that’s 2x the cost as this one.

My only complaint is that it’s the only saddle pad I want to use now! Will definitely buy another one when they’re in stock.

The vibrant colors look nice on my bay mare, but what I like most about this pad is that she wasn’t dripping sweat. It’s incredibly hot and humid in coastal SC and she is already a heavy sweater. Even on 90+ days with what feels like 200% humidity, she actually seems less sweaty in this pad than others.

Definitely would purchase again. Can’t wait to use the matching fly bonnet when it isn’t so hot! Chewy’s price was the best I found, and the customer service is top notch. When there was a shipping address mix up between them and PayPal, a new shipment was immediately sent out.

They apologized for a potential delay because it is a specialty item, but the new package arrived within just a couple of days.

I do long trail riding. I did my research and discovered that pressed wool felt f15 or f11 is the best for absorption and compression. Nothing else comes close in synthetic material. Many “wool” pads are blends that do not perform the same.

You can tell the cheap wool because it has to be stitched around the edges. The problem was that F15 pads are so expensive. I looked into buying raw material to make my own but when I found this pad it was less expensive than me buying just the raw material! I bought one to see if it was too good to be true.

I was so impressed that I bought two more. I highly recommend these f15 wool saddle pads!!!.

I absolutely love this pad! I was shocked when I received the pad cause it was way more Orange (Neon) then I expected! I was happy that it was at the same time though!! I seriously couldn’t be more happy with this product! Thickness is perfect it fits my horse amazing!.

Looks great. Feels great. You can jump feel the quality. I can’t be i got this for so little. I have several people who want this brand of saddle pad for their next tack purchase

Bought on sale as a saddle pad liner for my western saddle pad. The pad fits like a glove under my weaver western saddle pad. I instantly noticed a difference on the first use with my mare. Legacy was much softer in her back and much smoother riding up our friend’s mountain.

A few days after use, Legacy is still feeling great!! Cannot wait to buy another one when on sale.

The pad is beautifully made and a good thickness, wicks away moisture very efficiently too. Fits lovely over the high withers and stays in place. So that is all excellent. My only criticism is the same I have generally for GP pads, they should be just a little bit deeper.

I guess for a jumping saddle the depth is great, but for a slightly straighter GP it’s not generous enough. An other 3-4 cm would help. Also the girth guard sits wrong for a GP, so off it has to come.

It should be about 5 cm more forward in order not to pull on the girth. This might only be a problem with a high withered horse like mine and might not be a problem with a jumping saddle. A simple solution would be to make the girth strap about 5 cm longer (2 squares of the pad) on the forward side.

Then it would allow for all kinds of girthing options without adding the bulk. In my case, I’ll just take it off and then the lacking depth off the pads will not be such a problem either. It’s a shame to have to do this as the pad will loose it’s Back on Track identity.

Next time I’ll buy what I usually buy for my GP saddles, an oversized x-full dressage pad to allow for the more forward flaps of a GP. (My saddle is a normal GP, not a VSD. ).

I am glad I got two pads. I was thinking one for each horse, but when I opened the package I thought i had been shorted one pad, they are that thin. I felt I had to use them both, with a blanket, for my wide QH mare.

I do like the contour. It fits her profile well. She had trouble at the withers, as well as at her loin and this pad(S) eliminated those problem areas. We rode for about 2 hours down the road, no fidgeting, or complaining from her at all, (except when she thought that Pyrenees was coming over the fence at us!) no dry spots when we got unsaddled.

I think it is a nice, low cost alternative for what I have been looking for as this mare needs rise at both withers and loin, and simply cut back at withers was not an option for her. Would have been an even greater value if I could truly use only one pad, but I have been looking for a long time and have not been willing to spend $200-$300 for a complete pad fitting all of her needs.

This blanket is perfect in every way! It fits any horse we put in on, even the ones with high withers. It is a nice mix of thickness and flexibility. It is easy to brush out and the colors are wonderful.

It contours to every part of the horse and I have not pulled it off a horse and found a dry spot yet! Durability: 5.

This saddle pad was given to me by someone else at my barn because it didn’t fit under her dressage saddle. I use it under my jumping saddle and it fits great! My warmblood mare is a hard fit for saddles, so I had to go with the best fit I could find (after searching for over a year).

But with this pad I can really see a difference in her comfort. I will definitely be buying more! I know others have had trouble with the pad slipping and sliding while riding, but I have never had any issues with it.

Just pull the pad up in the withers and that should help with the sliding a little. I have the pink and brown color and the pink is much lighter than the picture shows, but it is still pretty. The quality of this pad is absolutely excellent.

It is SO thick and comfortable. Just don’t buy if you’re planning on using it under a dressage saddle, it will be too small.

I purchased this pad to go under my thin bareback pad. I wanted something with soft padding that would be comfy for both my horse and me without feeling like a barrier between us. This is perfect.

I love my Roma saddle pad and so does my mare. Nice and thick, fits under my saddle perfectly, and does not slip. Reversible is frosting on the cake. I highly recommend them.

I needed a pad which was a little thinner than the very good quality felt pad that I was using, something that would contour better behind the shoulder blades. My mare was no longer standing quietly for saddling, pinning her ears and trying to nip.

I hadn’t had issues with a thinner (loaner) pad. The PC Air Ride pad claimed to conform to horse and saddle. It feels rather rigid to be able to conform, but my horse is no longer exhibiting saddling issues.

I think that the fleece bottom will compress too quickly, but I ride very little and time will tell. In the meantime, I am pleased.

Bought for a high wither horse with a long, narrow back. He is a 16. 3 Paint (stock type). None. of our western saddles fit properly, causing shoulder soreness & dry sweat marks. I wished English saddle risers were available in a western saddle version.

His spine needed added support & something to allow the saddle to sit in a better position. The open wither support across spine & shoulder area in this pad was a life saver for us. My saddle no longer slipped back & I had even sweat marks.

No more back soreness along spine and kidney. It is thin. I did put a wool blanket over it. I had trainer’s & friends look at the blanket & criticise it just by looking at it. I got to a point of getting ticked off It is a new concept they have never seen before & wouldn’t listen to my results.

I’m a very knowledgeable equestrian & let horses let me know what works & doesn’t work. So be prepared for snears, especially from stock horse people. This pad worked for my horse. Won’t work for all horses.

My horse, Lucky, is very hard to fit for a western saddle. He has high withers for a QH but he also has very broad shoulders and chest. He really needs a wide saddle for his freedom of movement of his shoulders.

Whenever I use a wide saddle there is not enough clearance on his withers. If I use a regular tree saddle, the wither area is good but the saddle is too tight on his shoulders. I was talking with the woman that previously own Lucky.

She highly suggested that I purchase a saddle with a wide tree and using SmartPak SmartCell Western Saddle Pad. It was like a miracle! The saddle sat flat on his back without pinching his withers and surprisingly giving him plenty of room to work his shoulders.

Lucky is a Reiner and he needs that freedom of movement for the maneuvers. The memory foam build-up is in the exact place Lucky needs support for overall saddle comfort. The felt that the pad is constructed of is very dense and durable.

It has leather along to the bottom of each side of the pad for longevity. The leather supports the pad from wearing at the points that come in contact with the cinch straps and fenders. While riding, there was no restrictions or interference from the saddle.

The true test was after I rode and took off the saddle. The sweat marks wear even and no dry spots on Lucky’s back! I do use a Back on Track Western Pad Liner under the SmartPak SmartCell Western Saddle Pad.

This way only the liner needs to be laundered. If you don’t use a pad liner, you could air dry and stiff brush off the underside of the SmartPak SmartCell Western Saddle Pad. I like a pad liner, it makes it easier and more sanitary.

Needless to say, the SmartPak SmartCell Western Saddle Pad is Lucky approved!!!.

The color on this (I ordered purple) is vibrant and cheerful. I like the fit with my forward flap saddle, I finally have pad ahead of the flap! It stayed in place well throughout my rides and it was easy to brush off dirt and loose hair.

My only complaint is that the billet straps are REALLY short. They do have elastic, but still wouldn’t make it to my billets. I secured them to the dee ring savers I have on my saddle for my breastplate.

Nice contour shape, pad is much higher on withers, which is perfect. Pretty color. 4-stars instead of 5 because pad is not as thick as I like.

Got this on sale for my husband’s high withered horse. Doesn’t pull down while he rides and is long enough for his jumping 17. 5″ saddle Shipping took forever although that may not be in Chewy’s control.

Beautiful dressage pad, excellent quality, but it really is huge. Would only really fit a horse 16hh plus 🙁

Salomon MTN 95 found to be a very stable ski on piste and floats well in power. Combined with the Dynafit 10 Tech Binding it was found to be as reliable as alpine binding in uneven terrain. Confident turns and jumps with no unexpected binding release.

Love these numnahs – recommended by my saddler – they fit really well, don’t move and wear and wash well. Have dressage and GP. Not fancy but great quality that lasts. Thank you.

This is a really nice pad, perfect thickness, excellent design with the flow-through mesh running the length of the spine. I love that it allows plenty of wither clearance for even the highest withers without having to pull the entire pad up into the gullet.

I had it monogrammed to give to a friend for a gift and the monogram is nicely done. It appears, however, that this pad is really designed for a monoflap saddle because the girth strap has several seams which divide it into 1″ or so slots.

This works great for a monoflap saddle and is actually preferable since you can choose which slots to use, depending on where your billets fall, and the pad will not move at all. However, if you are using it for a regular girth, a seam ripper makes quick work of the dividers.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the quality that I ordered two for myself. Wish they offered more colors!.

Ideally might have just a little more fill, but otherwise, the pad is exactly what I needed. It is just big enough for my regular Bates AP saddle, yet small enough that when my daughter rides her little legs reach past the pad so the horse can feel her cues, and it seems well made.

I also like the black and turquoise color combination.

First off, I have to say that I LOVE the divided billet straps. I’m not sure why other companies don’t do this as it keeps the pad in place and you can do away with the annoying straps. I like the V wither design as well – doesn’t rub or slip.

Now for the criticisms: I find the outer cotton to be rough. I’m sure this is part of what makes it durable, and I have found that it has softened up a bit after several washings, but just something to be aware of if you’re used to other pads that are softer.

My biggest issue with the pad is that the black pad is not colour fast. I found that the dye was wearing off under the saddle where my billets and flap rest after just two washings. I wash cold, delicates and hang to dry, so I know it has to do with the dye used for the black pad.

I have a Back on Track black pad that only started to shed dye after about 3 years. If they can select a better dye in the future then I’d have no complaints.

I use the LeMieux X Grip Double sided dressage pads with my Lusitanos to keep my saddles stable on their backs. They have broad, low withers and a round body shape, creating the perfect environment for my custom-fitted saddles to slip in one direction or the other.

With these pads, we can do lovely pirouettes without having the saddle move to the outside. The pads wash well (never put in dryer) and look nice enough for shows as well as training.

Litterally a different horse to ride ! He is 20 yrs old and going through the natural changes of musculoskeletal and bilaterally his back and symmetry is starting to change in places. This saddle pad and corrective shims has helped rebalance me on his back alongside his regular saddler checking him every 4 months now.

Hes comfortable again in himself with me aboard and i am pleased to say its a brilliant product.

This is my second one and its actually a gift. These are easy to care for (just a tiny bit of baby detergent, cold delicate cycle) and do a fantastic job of making my horse more comfortable. They fit OTTBs really well.

I only have to wash it every 4th or 5th ride and no stress about stains like the white ones. I ride in a Prestige Boston, but they seem to fit all of my jumping saddles quite well. My saddle is a 16 that measures 16.

5 and I get the large- fits my husband’s 18″ Courbette and my friend’s 19″ Burney so that’s a nice cross section of shapes. It doesn’t seem to change the saddle fit the way a synthetic like a coolback does.