Looking for a new saddle...

[sarabeth20]

I'm looking for a new Western saddle for my 10-year-old Paso Fino gelding. Unfortunately, I can't afford a custom-built one. I had been looking at the Tucker trail saddles, but I'm not sure about the trees on these, since I'm wary of anything that says "flex" or "fit-form." I'm not very knowledgeable about saddle fitting--after reading through some of the posts on this site, I realize I know even less than I thought. Basically, I was wondering if those of you who have studied this much more thoroughly than I have could recommend any name brand saddles (Tucker, Circle Y, etc.) currently on the market that are still making quality trees. Thanks for any direction you can give me!

[Denise]

Sarabeth,

Buying a saddle is like buying women's clothing - you have to try it on because the "sizes" mean nothing between makers. And it is worse because you have to try it on the horse for the bottom and you for the top. It has to fit both of you.

The big companies, as a rule, don't make trees. They buy them from other big companies that do make trees and there aren't many of those. So you could be trying on 3 brands of saddles that all have their tree made by the same people.

The best thing to do is read through posts and make a list of the things you want to check for fit. Here's some ideas. I'd start with you, because you can sit in a saddle without your horse and rule in or out the types you want to try on him. The seat is crucial. You can see that just by looking from the side at a lot of seats. It isn't that there isn't a rise to the front. The thing to look at is where that rise stops. Is there enough of a flat spot ahead of the cantle that will let you sit upright more in the center, not throwing you and your weight to the back of the saddle. If there is a slope all the way to the base of the cantle, pass on that one. (There are threads on here about seats, etc. especially early on. Even looking at side view pictures on here you can learn a lot.) Stirrup position is important too. If they are set too far forward, then again you are thrown back on the cantle as your legs reach for the stirrups. Then sit in a few and see what they do to you. You'll figure it out.

The horse - you are looking at getting the bar shape to match your horse, remembering the two basic rules: 1.) Don't dig in anywhere and 2.) Get as much surface area as possible on your horse within the bounds of rule #1. Flip the saddle over and look at the bottom. How large are the bars? How much surface area is available to start with? Compare between saddles and you willl get an idea of the variety available. How round are the bars side to side? How hollow, flat or rounded is your horse? Do they match? A round bar on a round horse means contact only in the middle - not good. Feel the whole length. Are there lumps and bumps or pointy things sticking out anywhere? (You'd be amazed at how common that is.) Set it on the horse. A saddle that has lots of surface area in contact with the horse (the shapes match well) will sit quite solidly as you try to rock it around. One that doesn't fit well will slide all over the place. Then get specific. Does it clear the spine all the way down? This is crucial. Look at the back as well as the front. The width and angle of the bars should match your horse all the way down. Front, middle and back all need to be checked, not just the front. See what you can see and then run your hand underneath and feel what you can feel. This isn't easy, but you should be able to feel even contact from side to side on the bar. Neither top or bottom of the bar should be carrying more weight, or no weight. Rock - the amount of curve from front to back - is important. Is it contacting all down the bar? If the center is missing, it is bridging and your horse has more curve than the saddle. Try another saddle. If you can "rock" it on your horse (tip it forward and back while it hits in the middle) it has too much rock and will tend to fall forward on your horse. (A saddle will also fall forward if the bars are spread too far apart for the horse. Either way, it won't work well on that horse.) Check the front and back bar tips and make sure they aren't digging in. That is really important. Then you have to ride it - without a breast collar. How does the horse move? Is he comfortable? Does the saddle shift around?

This doesn't help you in purchasing via brand, but that is honestly the way it is in getting a saddle to work for you. You HAVE to try to them out or you just don't know. Hopefully others who are more familiar with brand names will help you out here.

[saddles]

Denise this is some of the best advice I've seen here yet! Thanks for posting!

[Huntet02]

I'm looking for a new Western saddle for my 10-year-old Paso Fino gelding. Unfortunately, I can't afford a custom-built one. I had been looking at the Tucker trail saddles, but I'm not sure about the trees on these, since I'm wary of anything that says "flex" or "fit-form." I'm not very knowledgeable about saddle fitting--after reading through some of the posts on this site, I realize I know even less than I thought. Basically, I was wondering if those of you who have studied this much more thoroughly than I have could recommend any name brand saddles (Tucker, Circle Y, etc.) currently on the market that are still making quality trees. Thanks for any direction you can give me!

Denise is so so right!! Read through my post subject line "New Wade Saddle Got Me Bucked Off All Weekend" I learned the hard way about proper saddle fit & specifications this summer dont' do the same LOL. There are some great folks on here that helped me and I learned a lot you can too but you have to put in the time to become knowledgable.

Hi denise

Edited August 27, 2010 by Huntet02

[sarabeth20]

Thank you for your help! I've been through several saddles in the past and made all kinds of stupid mistakes (like trying to go cheap and ending up spending even more!). I ended up ordering a saddle from Sycamore Creek Saddles a few months ago, and I absolutely love it. Tony was very patient with me, and the saddle fits both me and my horse wonderfully. It cost about half the price of a new Tucker or Circle Y and it's very high quality. I've recommended him to several people at my barn, especially those with gaited horses. Thanks again!

[Kobau]

Not last year, it would have been two yrs ago I guess, I was searching out a new (or used) saddle. I had been riding in an older Circle Y for about 16 yrs with absolutely no issues, but that year I had one new horse and two others that strated to show they were to happy with the saddle. nothing major, but shorter strides and less willing to really work for me. I think i tried on about 20 different saddles.. I went with what the market calls a FQHB, do to the shape and size of my horses ( one of them has the nickname Tank).. long story short, I ended up with a Circle G brand saddle.. biggest reason for that is the maker was willing to try out multiple different trees on my horse, and take the time to build me what would fit my horses best, considering the fact that I needed to use this saddle on a bare minimum of 3 different horses) It is a cutting saddle, because that is the seat I prefer. It has a 7" gullet on it also. I have used it on some of my younger stock also (so horses age 2- 25 get ridden with it) and for 95% of them it works good, only 1 or two prefer a barrel saddle I have. Of course I'd love to also get my hands on a nice wade type saddle.. but leery of going through the process again...

For me the hardest part of searching out a saddle is where i live.. hard to get ahold of saddles to try out without forking out some major money first!!

[thenrie]

Denise is so so right!! Read through my post subject line "New Wade Saddle Got Me Bucked Off All Weekend" I learned the hard way about proper saddle fit & specifications this summer dont' do the same LOL. There are some great folks on here that helped me and I learned a lot you can too but you have to put in the time to become knowledgable.

Hi denise

I know this is an old thread, but it brings up an issue that comes up again and again. In my humble opinion, well, maybe not so humble, but anyway...a lot of problems that are labeled "saddle fit problem" are not the fault of the saddle at all. I constantly see folks with these pillow-like saddle pads and mile-wide cinches on their horses. Their thinking is that since they like large soft pillows and nice cushy seats, that a thick spongy saddle pad is what their horse will love. That's not the case at all. Get a good 3/4" mohair saddle pad with the indian-style blanket on the saddle side, and that's all the blanket you will need, no matter what kind of riding you do. In fact, if your saddle is in good condition, particularly the sheepskin, all you really need is a good 60" wool blanket, like a military surplus type, and fold it double. I see the wool indian-style blankets used quite a bit over less showy 1/2" mohair pads as well, and I think that's fine. The huge, fluffy, stuffed pads and all those specialized pads will make just about any saddle fit poorly. They are like fishing lures. Most catch more fishermen than they do fish. In other words, fishermen like to buy pretty, shiny stuff, and so do horsemen. A $300 saddle pad? For goodness sakes! Save your money and buy a nice saddle instead!

Now for cinches. Same doctrine applies. I see folks with these huge, wide, neoprene cinches, and cinches with sheepskin covers, etc. The best cinches for any kind of western riding is a simple cotton or mohair string cinch. I read a rule of thumb not too long ago that I like: 17-strand cinch for full double rigging (that's the farthest forward position of a cinch on a western saddle), 19-strand for a 7/8 rigging, 21-23 for a 3/4. Nobody uses a center-fire anymore, so that's about it. Those huge wide cinches supposedly spread the load and make it more comfortable on a horse. Not so, generally. They cover a huge area and they do not breath. They tend to hold sweat and make the horse hot. Not only that, but they require the cinch to be tighter to keep the saddle in place. The only reason I can think of for using a neoprene cinch is that you could cut a hole in it to accommodate a cinch sore, or a lump or other injury in the cinch area. Another thing is that those wide cinches tend to make sores on the back of the horse's elbow, where the cinch rubs constantly as the horse walks.

One consequence I see over and over again, from those who believe they are being kind to their horse with those thick pads and wide cinches, is that they almost always over-tighten the cinch. Well, you have to! There's no way a saddle will stay in place with those things if you don't. With a regular mohair or wool pad and a regular mohair string cinch, for most riding you can almost leave the cinch loose and the saddle will stay right where it should stay. Now, having said that, don't go doing barrels or roping with a loose cinch, but I can tell you that I have ridden many, many miles through the mountains with a cinch that was almost hanging loose under the horse's belly. With the right pad, you place the saddle on the horse, give it a couple good shakes, and the saddle will settle right where it should be. Snug up the cinch and there you are. The saddle will not move, if you know how to sit a saddle, for most riding most of us do on most days. Your horse will respond better to you when you saddle up as well.

Just for information, for those who are wondering. I have been riding and handling horses for more than 40 years. Most of my riding is local trail riding, in preparation for the occasional long pack trip. My pack trips are through some pretty rugged places. I haven't done shows or games since I was a kid, but I used to be pretty good on a fast horse as well.