Looking for information on Foster Saddlery

[Curbstrap2]

Anyone have any experience or knowledge on Foster Saddles they can share?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=230380520502&Category=47295&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2

[Curbstrap2]

It has sheepskin and good carving. Probably made in the 1980's? Come on folks....

[rickybobby]

It has sheepskin and good carving. Probably made in the 1980's? Come on folks....

I don't have any info on your saddles maker, sorry.

After seeing the photo, I think the saddle was made in the 1960's. Those big equitation seats, dark antique tooling and Elephant ear cantles were popular then.

The swell shape baffles me, that was not popular for that time (in So. Cal. horse shows).

Now, after seeing the photo it looks like a quality saddle, the leather appears to not be "breaking down" the tooling appears "crisp" over all it does not look beat up.

If this saddle is in fact 30 to 40 years old and looks like that it is more than likely a "good" saddle. Esp. for bid @ $205.00

If you are going to ride in it, have a saddle maker look it over, verify it is safe, Riggings are in good condition, tree is sound, ect.

As an investment I don't think it would sell because it is so "dated" for the show ring, but for display and to ride around it could be fine.

Buying a saddle without being able to inspect it is a challenge, and you might be buying something that is not safe or comfortable for your horse or you! It would be a great display or addition to a collection because of how unique it is. I was showing horses in the early 70's in So. Cal. and remember seeing those style saddles, they were on their way out of favor by then, that is how I estimated its age.

Good luck if bidding on this, it could be a fun addition to your collection for not a huge price, but beware and have it checked out before using!

Rick J.

[Curbstrap2]

I don't have any info on your saddles maker, sorry.

After seeing the photo, I think the saddle was made in the 1960's. Those big equitation seats, dark antique tooling and Elephant ear candles were popular then.

The swell shape baffles me, that was not popular for that time (in So. Cal. horse shows).

Now, after seeing the photo it looks like a quality saddle, the leather appears to not be "breaking down" the tooling appears "crisp" over all it does not look beat up.

If this saddle is in fact 30 to 40 years old and looks like that it is more than likely a "good" saddle. Esp. for bid @ $205.00

If you are going to ride in it, have a saddle maker look it over, verify it is safe, Riggings are in good condition, tree is sound, ect.

As an investment I don't think it would sell because it is so "dated" for the show ring, but for display and to ride around it could be fine.

Buying a saddle without being able to inspect it is a challenge, and you might be buying something that is not safe or comfortable for your horse or you! It would be a great display or addition to a collection because of how unique it is. I was showing horses in the early 70's in So. Cal. and remember seeing those style saddles, they were on their way out of favor by then, that is how I estimated its age.

Good luck if bidding on this, it could be a fun addition to your collection for not a huge price, but beware and have it checked out before using!

Rick J.

Thanks for your info. I think you are right that its from the 60's. The swells throw me too. I agree for this quality, at the money it's going for, you can't beat it with a stick.

Edited September 27, 2009 by Curbstrap2

[Curbstrap2]

After trawling around on Google, I found another Foster Saddle with many similarities.

Collectibles / Vintage Foster, Hand Tooled, Egg Shaped Horn

$775.00

Saddle #196

Pre-Owned

Look at the deep hand tooling on this vintage Foster saddle, made in Ft. Worth, Tx. You're not likely to ever find another one like this. This well built saddle is over 40 lbs of soft, quality leather. New strings, otherwise all original, including the tooled stirrups which are a full 3 1/2 inches deep at tread. 16 inch seat which is built up in front, 6 1/2 inch gullet. Has a dog eared cantle and egg shaped horn. This is a classic older style cutting saddle, the kind a lot of the gaited horse people are looking for now. The seat was built to keep you down in the back, some call it a "sit down" in type of seat, the old time cutters liked it. Some of the most attractive and original tooling I've ever seen. It's sound and ready for any job you'd care to give it, or just to be admired for the rare collector that it is. $775.00

Edited September 27, 2009 by Curbstrap2

[Curbstrap2]

What do you all think of this one? Its a nice Vintage Wyeth. Which is a better saddle in your opinion? Thanks again!

http://cgi.ebay.com/L-K-VINTAGE-RARE-WONDERFUL-WYETH-SADDLE_W0QQitemZ190336825636QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2c50f57924&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Edited September 27, 2009 by Curbstrap2

[rickybobby]

What do you all think of this one? Its a nice Vintage Wyeth. Which is a better saddle in your opinion? Thanks again!

http://cgi.ebay.com/...id=p3286.c0.m14

I don't know anything about the value of this saddle. It may be a nice "find" if the history given is accurate. The other saddle (foster) was a vintage find just because of the style. This saddle looks like a production type saddle that many of the "Dude" ranches here in AZ. use. It may just be the design but it may be worth some $$. Take a look around the web and see. The other saddle sold for $300.00+ Did you get it?

These older saddles are really cool and even better if they have some history to them. The second saddle (foster) that you posted does not look like it is in as good of condition but it is hard to tell in photos. The discription that is given does not seem very accurate I believe cutter and reiners (stock horse class in the 60's & 70's) liked a flatter seat like they do today. That seat is for Equitation to help roll your seat (butt) under you to help sit up straight. This would appear to be a 60's show saddle as well.

Rick J.

[Curbstrap2]

I don't know anything about the value of this saddle. It may be a nice "find" if the history given is accurate. The other saddle (foster) was a vintage find just because of the style. This saddle looks like a production type saddle that many of the "Dude" ranches here in AZ. use. It may just be the design but it may be worth some $$. Take a look around the web and see. The other saddle sold for $300.00+ Did you get it?

These older saddles are really cool and even better if they have some history to them. The second saddle (foster) that you posted does not look like it is in as good of condition but it is hard to tell in photos. The discription that is given does not seem very accurate I believe cutter and reiners (stock horse class in the 60's & 70's) liked a flatter seat like they do today. That seat is for Equitation to help roll your seat (butt) under you to help sit up straight. This would appear to be a 60's show saddle as well.

Rick J.

No, I was outbid on that one. No worries .... the world is full of saddles.

[Denise]

Curb,

Are you looking at these at riding saddles for yourself? I sure can't help you with the brands, but one thing I would recommend is to take a close look at the seat in them if they have a good side view. Where does it put you in the saddle compared to where the stirrups are? That first one was a slide all the way from the front to inside the cantle. You couldn't possibly sit anywhere except at the far back of that seat with your legs out in front of you. Different people have difference preferences as to how they like to sit, but a seat like that puts a lot of weight far back on a horse and makes it difficult for you to "get with him" as he moves. Not to mention it is tough on the horse to be carrying you there. Ideally, I would see the low spot (where your pin bones will rest) as being a little in front of the cantle with enough room for the rest of you around that spot. What happens in front of the spot doesn't matter (flat or rise) so long as there is enough room for you in that "pocket". Just some observations. Other's thoughts may vary...

[Curbstrap2]

Curb,

Are you looking at these at riding saddles for yourself? I sure can't help you with the brands, but one thing I would recommend is to take a close look at the seat in them if they have a good side view. Where does it put you in the saddle compared to where the stirrups are? That first one was a slide all the way from the front to inside the cantle. You couldn't possibly sit anywhere except at the far back of that seat with your legs out in front of you. Different people have difference preferences as to how they like to sit, but a seat like that puts a lot of weight far back on a horse and makes it difficult for you to "get with him" as he moves. Not to mention it is tough on the horse to be carrying you there. Ideally, I would see the low spot (where your pin bones will rest) as being a little in front of the cantle with enough room for the rest of you around that spot. What happens in front of the spot doesn't matter (flat or rise) so long as there is enough room for you in that "pocket". Just some observations. Other's thoughts may vary...

As a rider of primarily gaited horses, I prefer something that will set you a bit further back to free up the front end of the gaited horse. When your weight is behind the vertical, it allows for a more comfortable ride and better gait. Thats why these older styles are still hot. Generally they have a semi QH bar and will better fit the modern gaited horse.

[Denise]

Other's thoughts may vary...

An example! Thanks for explaining your thoughts, Curb.

[David Genadek]

As a rider of primarily gaited horses, I prefer something that will set you a bit further back to free up the front end of the gaited horse. When your weight is behind the vertical, it allows for a more comfortable ride and better gait. Thats why these older styles are still hot. Generally they have a semi QH bar and will better fit the modern gaited horse.

Curb scrap,

The notion of needing to lean back to get a horse to gate isa common misconception amongst beginning gaited horse riders. There are fiveessentials to riding all horses.

1. Straightness

2. Engagement of the hind quarters

3. Lifting the base of the neck

4. Moving forward using all three of the above, in otherwords the horse knows how to carry weight on its back.

5. Bend in the rib cage.

These five essentials are exactly the same across all breeds and disciplines. They are essentially what it means to ride a horse. Since the mother of all gates is the walk then that means all horses are gaited. Anything that would disrupt the walk will interfere with the more complicated gait. So what allows some horses to do more varied footfalls? Well, there many variables however, one ofthe key variables is the placement of the lumbosacral joint. You will find the most gaited breeds that this joint is placed further back which means that the lumbar span on gaited horses proportionately longer. This means the lower back of gaited breeds is more vulnerable to poor riding. It is true that this greater length allows for more varied oscillation of the spine which can then be translated into the legs as different gaits. It also means that the same rules that apply to non-gaited horses are more critical on gaited breeds. Most understand the importance of collection on non gaited breeds but when you start playing with extending the range of footfalls the rider must become even more adept at controlling the muscular tension above and below the spine. One of the mistakes many people make in assessing gait is they look merely at the foot fall sequence. But to truly understand gait you need to look at it as foot fallsequence relative to back dynamics relative to overall conformation.

From the standpoint of the seat of the saddle the most critical issue is to get the rider's pelvis level. No rider on any breed can properly govern the five essentials unless they have a level pelvis. To learn more about gaited horses I suggest you go to my better half's website www.lizgraves.com. One of my favorite stories about this topic is about Liz riding saddle seat. Of course saddle seat is a discipline where everything is designed to make you sit improperly. Liz, however, has training that comes from the Spanish riding school and the US cavalry and the thought of riding leaning back and braced was intolerable to her. Because of this she taped foam on her saddle seat saddle so that she could adopt a proper seat. In order to hide the foam she had to make a suit coat with longer tails. Of course in the proper position of having a level pelvis and being more forward on the horse she was able to have a much higher quality gait and is also more capable of sustaining the gait over a longer period of time. So in the end she won the world championship with foam taped to her saddle seat saddle. Unfortunately good horsemanship is invisible until you can see it. So the following year everyone had longer tails on their coats but no one changed their position. So if you want your horse to gait as he is designed to gait find a saddle that has a level place for your pelvis. To do anything but is actually a death sentence for your horse and it also puts you in an incredibly unsafe position. To learn more about that go to www.PeggyCummings.com.

David Genadek

Edited October 1, 2009 by David Genadek

[Harfindel]

Hi all. I am new here - not a saddlemaker, just getting into repairing and restoring saddles as a hobby. I have built fly rods and other various things as hobbies over the years, so I am hoping I can catch on eventually.

I was looking that Foster saddle when it was on ebay, and found this article:

http://www.dentonrc.com/sharedcontent/dws/drc/localnews/denton/stories/DRC_Fosters-Break-in_0915.17f2e846a.html

It mentions that the fellow's dad built saddles in the 1960's and 1970's, so that's about the right time. Denton is near DFW, too, I think.

Anyway, not sure if this is connected, but I thought I would set down the link.

Very interesting forum, by the way.