Breaking In A New Saddle?

[Traveller]

Hi everyone,

A woman at my barn just bought a new Crates saddle and isn't sure it fits her horse but has heard you have to break saddles in for a while before they fit as well as they're going to.

Is that true? I'm thinking that the bars stay more or less where they have been made from the get-go, but I could be wrong. Will your saddle (we're talking western saddles here) fit your horse better after a while? I'm assuming the leather will soften up and it'll be more comfortable for the rider, but I'm not sure about the horse.

What do you folks think?

Thanks!

Joanne

[AndyKnight]

Hi everyone,

A woman at my barn just bought a new Crates saddle and isn't sure it fits her horse but has heard you have to break saddles in for a while before they fit as well as they're going to.

Is that true? I'm thinking that the bars stay more or less where they have been made from the get-go, but I could be wrong. Will your saddle (we're talking western saddles here) fit your horse better after a while? I'm assuming the leather will soften up and it'll be more comfortable for the rider, but I'm not sure about the horse.

What do you folks think?

Thanks!

Joanne

Hi joanne,

I would say you have it right. The fleece may compact a little however if the tree doesn't fit time won't help. Stiff skirts that aren't blocked properly may cause the saddle not to sit as nice as it might after some use.

Andy

Edited February 2, 2010 by AndyKnight

[Denise]

Joanne,

The tree isn't going to change. If it does, you've got problems. If the skirts have been blocked properly (wet down, formed around the bars so they extend the bearing surface of the bars and continue the same shape outward and let dry in that shape) the fit won't change over time. If the skirts have not been blocked (and a lot of production saddles just put a flat skirt under a tree so the shape of the edges of the bars is pretty much negated) then I can see it gradually forming a bit around the bars, taking on their shape and therefore fitting better over time than a flat sheet of skirting does.

I read on here somewhere that "in the old days" no saddle makers blocked skirts, but "everyone knew" that when you got a brand new saddle the first thing you did was dunk it in the water trough and ride it so the skirts formed around the bars a bit. I would like to know if this is really true or just an old cowboy's tale. I do know that you won't get too many people dunking brand new saddles in the water trough these days, even if they are lower priced ones.

[Traveller]

Thanks for this, Andy and Denise. I trust your opinions over that of a local trainer. I'll let my friend know. Thanks!

[spur2009]

Thanks for this, Andy and Denise. I trust your opinions over that of a local trainer. I'll let my friend know. Thanks!

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Denise and Andy have hit it pretty much on the head. As for that old wives's tale, I have been told that also, and have only worked on one saddle that hase been "dunked", in over 20 years, and it came from out in Nebraska or Kansas some where. At that this saddle was dunked in some kind of oil, maybe vegetable oil. Made a real mess to clean up and repair, the owner paid dearly for the work. On the other hand, have opened up many, many old saddles made by a lot of really good makers from the past and as yet, have not seen even one by a competent maker that was not blocked. 'Course I'm up here in Michigan and there are not a lot of folks that make there living "in the saddle", so I can't speak for the rest of the country, just the stories we hear up here.

Bondo Bob

[horsewreck]

B. Bob has it just about right on. When I hear that stuff about dunking a saddle in anything I go nuts. Good new wool will make a saddle look a little high but that is short lived. As far as breakin I instruct people on how to do a wet and set on the stirrup leathers if they have a factory saddle (any good bench made saddle will come set). Other than that the only thing that needs to be wet is the saddle blankets (horse sweat not dunking). Then a good clean and oil from time to time. I have seen a few cheap saddles with no blocking in the skirts, but have never seen a serious saddle made that way.

[jacotranch]

In the late 60,s I saw cowboys dunk thier new saddles , they would put a hedge post over a water tank set the saddle on it and just soak the the stirrup fenders and leathers overnight keeping the skirts above the water next morning they would put the saddle on a stand in the shade, twist the stirrups and put a ax handle thru them to hold the twist ,let the saddle dry ,oil the fenders and leathers good then go to using them, for the first month or so every night they would set thier stirrups and stick the ax handle back thru . John Jacot

[Bondurant]

The best way to break in a new saddle is with your butt. Sure you can try to relax the fenders with saddle soap and broomstick but all the gimmicks are nonsense, some are even destructive.

If you have a nice saddle and for whatever reason do no not have time to break it in, just find yourself a cowboy or a horse trainer and give it to them for 6 months. In the end its about horse sweat, miles, and somebodies butt.

[steve mason]

wet saddle blankets will break in a saddle better than anything.

[jacotranch]

I am sorry I reread my post and it seemed to be a lesson on breaking in a saddle, I would not recomend this method , I agree wet saddle blankets is the way to break in a saddle . what I ment was to give a little history on what dunking a new saddle ment in my small part of the world in the late 1960's. John Jacot