Choosing the Right Saddle for the horse(s)
Get the performance you need, the fit your animal requires and the comfort you want. Expert saddle makers explain how to choose the correct style for you.
67 topics in this forum
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- 8 replies
- 5.2k views
Hey all Leatherworkers! I have been silently lurking in the shadows until now, but the time has come that I need your advice... The last saddler I went to told me: "Well, you don't have a typical western horse, so you've got to make compromises." And what he meant by that was that selling me a saddle that laid on the withers and pinched the shoulders was as good a deal as I'd get. If I padded it up enough it was going to be fine. He did not really manage to convince me... Sadly, we only have around three western saddlers in Austria. Two of them didn't have anything for a non-quarterhorse type and one of them is too expensive for me. She's a 17yrs old something or other …
Last reply by lottarope, -
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Gaited Horse 1 2
by Aurelie- 14 replies
- 7.4k views
Hello guys and girls Here i have a "translation trouble" I ve seen several times this term "GAITED Horse" about horses or even saddle trees i can't find the right translation in french or even a good explanation in english for this "gaited" term Anyone can explain to me what exactly it is? I ve seen that the bars for a gaited horse saddle tree seems shorter and slightly tipped toward the outside Reminds me of those "Hope" kind of bars mixed with Arabian bars Is that right? I would thanks anyone for giving me more explanation about this
Last reply by Newfman, -
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Here is a clip I did for my lectures so people could see how the horses back functions. David Genadek
Last reply by Aurelie, -
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I have been enjoying reading a discussion in the boots and shoes section on making lasts, especially posts #8, 11 and 15 here: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=31883 While there are pretty major differences between a last and a tree (a tree is part of the final product, a last is a tool used to make the final product, a shoe encases a foot, a tree sits on top of a horse's back, etc.) there are some very good points in this thread explaining why making a shoe over an exact replica of a foot is a bad idea. The same concepts apply to trees for the same reasons. Lots to think about...
Last reply by Rod and Denise Nikkel, -
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My 5 year old gelding quarter draft cross has bumps under his skin on the off side. I got him late last fall and at that time he had a papable mass about 1/3 the size of a new pencil erasure just below the skin. It is located where a typical western saddle tree's end point bottom edge would contact his flank/loin. It has not changed at all since last October . A new slightly smaller bump has shown up in the meantime located again on the off side this time in the wither pocket directly below the front most point of a tree. He was duded last summer and I suspect poor saddle fit or padding at that time may be a contributing factor. My current saddle fits him not perfectly …
Last reply by jdalberta1, -
- 20 replies
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Hi all! I am just getting into leather working, but this looked like a good place to post a saddle fit question. I am having a ranch cutter made that i'll use to start and ride many different horses, so it's impossible for me to use Dennis Lane or another system to build the saddle for a horse or two. I'll generally ride horses that are fit, not too fat. Right now I've got a wade on a 90 degree bar with a 6 1/4 gullet that fits many horses nicely. However I'm thinking of going with a 6 1/2 gullet on a 91 degree bar for this new rig, so that it can fit a few horses that I might squeeze in the wade. For those more experienced than I, What gullet widths and degree on the b…
Last reply by equiss, -
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Alright, there is tons of info on how to best fit a saddle to a horse (and all the complications therein...), but what about fitting a pony? I have to laugh at all the ads for 14-14.2 hand ponies that people are selling due to their kids outgrowing them and needing/wanting a bigger horse, I'm an adult and ride a 13.1 POA and think she's a lovely size (I'm not very big though). But with that ease of mounting and the feeling that you are going mach 3 when she canters, then you look at the ground going by and realize a horse would barely have to break into a trot to keep up, I've had a hard time finding a saddle that fits her. I have a decent one now, an old 14" Billy Coo…
Last reply by Huntet02, -
- 1 follower
- 6 replies
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Ran into this site by accident and saw: I read some more of the site, but don't understand enough to make a good evaluation. What do you folks think of the advice given there? Johanna
Last reply by Hennessy, -
- 8 replies
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So, I know I have the right saddle for the horse...he's a TB with big high withers and very narrow. I bought an old George Lawrence form-fitter, and it's great- I can be in it for 5 or 6 hours without a sore backside, the horse doesn't get sore, and we can go up and down some pretty darn steep hills (sans breastcollar or crupper) and the saddle doesn't move, even if the cinch isn't really tight. The problem is, it has a 3/4 round ring rigging, and the stirrup leather goes right through the ring. The latigo knot is right under my knees, and it makes a pretty good lump. Since it fits so nicely in all other regards, I'm wondering if there's some good way to extend english-s…
Last reply by Hennessy, -
- 42 replies
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When measuring for a saddle tree, do you measure for when the horse is fat after winter or in shape after summer? My mare gains a lot of weight in the winter. But she looses it during the riding season. So when do I measure for a saddle tree that will fit her best? Thanks Grampa Joel
Last reply by Denise,
