Saddle pads might help reduce painful pressure on a horse’s back caused by ill-fitting saddles, but the ideal pad will vary from horse to horse and from saddle to saddle, according to a new study by Austrian researchers.

Optimum pressure relief will also depend on the discipline and even the gait, said primary study author Anja Kotschwar, DVM, research scientist at the Movement Science Group at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.

Testing foam, gel, reindeer fur, and leather pads under dressage saddles having trees wider than what would be appropriate for the study horses, Kotschwar’s team found that no one saddle pad resolves all problems in all situations. The horses were ridden by a professional rider at the walk and the trot on a treadmill. The researchers measured pressure using a commercially available mat under the pad