You can make Chrome your default browser if you (1) jail break the iPad and (2) install either the "Browser Changer" or "BrowserChooser" tweaks from Cydia (both free tweaks). Cydia is the jail breaker's "AppStore" that gets loaded when you jail break. Visiting it to get free or paid tweaks is just like Apple's AppStore - you press an icon.
Then, when you select a link that would normally open in Safari - Chrome will open instead. Of course, you have to have Chrome installed from the AppStore, which is the only place from which you can get the app. But, it's free, also, so there's that...
If you need instructions on how to jail break your iPad, and you are running 5.1.1 6.0, 6.1.1 or 6.1.2, then see this tutorial:
http://www.ipadforums.net/ipad-hacking/24377-jailbreaking-methods-ipad.html. This will tell you which jail breaking tool you'll need to use.
Hope this helped.
Marilyn