When loading your western or endurance saddle bags on your saddle, having equal size, equal weight and equal weight distribution of your saddlebags is vital.

Using horn bags for heavier gear (such as water, camera, binoculars, etc.) puts more of the load over the front quarters, where the horse can carry it better, rather than in your horse saddle bags behind the saddle.

The more weight you carry in your horse saddlebags, the more important it becomes to balance them. If you must load one side of your saddle bags heavier than the other, be sure to hang something heavier on the opposite side of the saddle. Riding saddles want to slip to the heavier side and nothing is more uncomfortable, and potentially hazardous, than riding down the trail with the saddle off to one side.

Some horses can comfortably carry more than others and each horse should be looked at individually.

A very general rule of thumb is 20% of the animal's body weight with a "dead" load, and never more than 30% with an experienced rider in the saddle.