New Wade Saddle Got Me Bucked Off All Weekend

[AndyKnight]

How would you do that, Andy? I see what you mean about the buckle being high enough to cause some bulk, but I'm not sure what you mean by rotating the leathers to fix it. Would you pull them through so that the buckle would sit lower? I guess it's the rotating part that's got me a bit confused. Thanks!

You got it. When a stirrup leather is "set" any adjustment made to the length should be done by pulling them over the bar at the top one way or the other. rather than by taking the hobble strap off and adjusting where it goes around the stirrup.

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

Huntet,

I have put two of your pictures below - the uncinched one where most of us liked the placement and where you had it last night. The saddle looks pretty close in position. Your latigo is angled forward a bit as we noted it would be. So, how did the ride go with the saddle in that position? How did your horse react? What kind of sweat pattern did you get? I would suggest, now that you have a reliable vehicle, that you get the saddle checked out by a competant saddle maker to discover the cause of the assymetry before doing anything else. Shims can cause more problems than they fix in a lot of cases.

[Sage]

Good Morning,

What has been suggested about having a saddle maker go over your saddle is sound advice!

Hauntet---I have been reading your post's, and excuse me if I have missed something. But it sounds like you know your horse and have

had her for a while. You bought a new saddle and rode this this horse and saddle combination at least 4 times and things were good.

Then you took this same combination on a trail ride and the horse was acting up maybe from the start and things just became worse as

the day went on. Then got the horse home and have been riding with trainers with this same combinations with ok results?

If I may--- Let me tell you a experience I had not to long ago. Had a older gelding that was born on the ranch, he and I had been around

each other for more than 20 years. After that many years you tend to get to know each other fairly well.

Saddled up one morning to go check some fence, he was acting up just little, figured we could work it out and thought we had done just that.

Things had been going just fine---- then I found myself floating about 3 feet above horse and saddle, hit the ground. After the stars went away

I was asking myself--- what the H_LL happend! My horse was just standing there, took my rig off and really looked over things. All looked good.

Saddle up again, and for the rest of that day it was a challenging time just to get back to the barn.

Next day that horse and me and same rig went out to do the same thing, it was a great day of riding!

Sometimes your just going to have a bad day with a critter and thats all there is to that!

Sorry for being a wind bag! Keep us posted. Sage

[Huntet02]

Here's the pics of her sweat that night, this was with shims placed underneath her topline on each side placed about 4 inches underneath the saddle. SHe did great for about 20 mintues regular slow warm up riding then I noticed she started dropping her head way way low the same as she did as if to escape pain....it was subtle the trainer didn't see it but I pointed it out. Its not a dropping of her head in relax mode, its a dropping almost to the dirt and back up trying to get away from something...

Edited April 14, 2010 by Huntet02

[kseidel]

Here's the pics of her sweat that night, this was with shims placed underneath her topline on each side placed about 4 inches underneath the saddle. SHe did great for about 20 mintues regular slow warm up riding then I noticed she started dropping her head way way low the same as she did as if to escape pain....it was subtle the trainer didn't see it but I pointed it out. Its not a dropping of her head in relax mode, its a dropping almost to the dirt and back up trying to get away from something...

This is a good example of what I explained earlier..... Dry spots are caused by pressure points, not by the absence of pressure. Adding shims simply increased the pressure increasing the size and intensity of the existing pressure point. Also resulting in negative performance from the horse.

Keith

[Huntet02]

This is a good example of what I explained earlier..... Dry spots are caused by pressure points, not by the absence of pressure. Adding shims simply increased the pressure increasing the size and intensity of the existing pressure point. Also resulting in negative performance from the horse.

Keith

Finally got some answers. Took my saddle/horse to my local saddle maker he said right away this saddle was too small in the gullett just like he had thought; he had already measured the gullet with my husband while I was still getting my horse untied and he said this gullet measured 6" finished so he told me to not even bother getting my horse out he just looked at her front and back and knew.

I told him about the pressure point under the leather strings/concho he felt it and said he was sure some thread was knotted up inside there pretty good which could be easily fixed. He said I needed a 6 3/4, finished 6 5/8 he said he didn't understand why a lot of reputable saddle makers were making saddles with these smaller gullets but in his business he goes by what the true Flint Hills cowboys ride in all day long as they are his bread and butter and they want a gullet at least 6 3/4 to fit a larger variety of horses.

Ok so aren't

Regular quarter horse bars: 5 3/4"

Semi-quarter horse bars: 6"

Full quarter horse bars: 6 1/4" to 6 1/2"

Extra-wide quarter horse bars: 6 3/4" to 7"

I found a nice used Martin Wade that was the gullet size I needed but he woudn't take mine in on trade said my saddle wasn't worth much to him as it wouldn't fit much but smaller horses...

So everyone thats were I'm at ~ No saddle~ I couldn't even afford most of his used wade saddles they ran so close to $3 and they looked used up and we just couldn't justify spending that on a used. We had really thought this Teskeys was a decent start for me to get into a Wade, we really loved the quality of leather in the saddle, it truly was a great looking and functional saddle for the most part. So me and my husband feel like returning it and seeing what they offer is our only option, we don't have any smaller horses to use on. Hoping and praying I don't lose a small fortune to Teskeys not sure what the manager will give me back since its now used. Hoping to appeal to the saddle manager about the skivving problem. I will lose money but guess I had to learn my lesson the hard way- LOL I thought I was done learning things the hard way after I got grey hair......ha

I wanted to tell every one thank you again for your help and support. You are a great bunch and in getting to know each of you and reviewing you websites I realize what a talented group I was talking with, I have been privileged to get your help. THANK YOU

Edited April 19, 2010 by Huntet02

[jwwright]

Huntet..........I'm sorry that I was not able to take a look at your saddle / horse when you called the other day. Before you make any further decisions, would you please give me another phone call. JW

[Huntet02]

Huntet..........I'm sorry that I was not able to take a look at your saddle / horse when you called the other day. Before you make any further decisions, would you please give me another phone call. JW

tried to call you will try tommarrow...HUntet02

Edited April 19, 2010 by Huntet02

[kseidel]

Based on the pic that you posted of the gullet and tape measure, The front gullet width is wide enough for most large size horses. The back gullet width, or the width of the bars inside the hand hole, is more critical, and cannot be seen in this pic. The saddler that you saw is in error regarding his blanket statements about gullet dimensions and horse fit, and not even evaluating your horse. 1/4" larger or smaller in the front gullet width is not a deal breaker, and in fact has very little affect in the final result. His desire to start with a 6 3/4" and finish 6 5/8"only allows for 1/16" of leather on each side. All skirts are thicker than that.

Your thought regarding specific dimensions applying to regular, semi, and full quarter horses is also in error. Unfortunately, there is not industry standard, and remember... all trees are not shaped equally, and all treemakers do things differently! Gullet width has no bearing on bar angle and that is the primary difference between different builds of horses.

This saddler gave you a false sense of despair. There are many ways to make this saddle fit acceptably on your horse. Do not lose hope, all is not yet lost. You would do well to talk to someone better qualified to help you understand your options. Talk to JW, or you may call me as well if you wish. My work phone is 307-587-1200.

Keith

[Huntet02]

Based on the pic that you posted of the gullet and tape measure, The front gullet width is wide enough for most large size horses. The back gullet width, or the width of the bars inside the hand hole, is more critical, and cannot be seen in this pic. The saddler that you saw is in error regarding his blanket statements about gullet dimensions and horse fit, and not even evaluating your horse. 1/4" larger or smaller in the front gullet width is not a deal breaker, and in fact has very little affect in the final result. His desire to start with a 6 3/4" and finish 6 5/8"only allows for 1/16" of leather on each side. All skirts are thicker than that.

Your thought regarding specific dimensions applying to regular, semi, and full quarter horses is also in error. Unfortunately, there is not industry standard, and remember... all trees are not shaped equally, and all treemakers do things differently! Gullet width has no bearing on bar angle and that is the primary difference between different builds of horses.

This saddler gave you a false sense of despair. There are many ways to make this saddle fit acceptably on your horse. Do not lose hope, all is not yet lost. You would do well to talk to someone better qualified to help you understand your options. Talk to JW, or you may call me as well if you wish. My work phone is 307-587-1200.

Ok WOW I feel really ignorant--shared all youve said w/my husband asked him if saddler said anything to him about the back gullet or width of bars inside hand hole he said "No he only measured the outside concho to concho the same as he did in this picture". He thinks since I didn't buy it from him why should he care. Well I trusted him to give me fair saddlery advise!!!

My cousin about undid my saddle at stockshow this weekend trying to see what that pressue point was. He thinks its a ball of thread balled up behind the strings/conch I said do not take it apart I need to return it.

Keith

Edited April 19, 2010 by Huntet02