Western saddle pad fit can be as important as saddle fit for horses with “hard to fit” conformations. Selecting the right pad to assist your western saddle in comfortably fitting your horse means considering your horse’s individual build and needs.
For example a horse with a “sway” back or prominent wither with a dip behind the wither will do better in a pad that has a high contour to the front and extra padding that lies under the bars of the tree to keep the saddle from bridging and protect the wither. This will also help the saddle sit more levelly and give you more even distribution of the rider’s weight.