Which Type Of Saddle To Choose.?

[GrampaJoel]

Hi folks.

I am buying a new saddle. I plan on using it for trail riding. I mean real trail riding and camping. I am a avid backwoods person, but have been laid up for a few years.

I'm mostly healed up now, so now I can get out again with the help of my wonderful horse. I want to buy a new saddle from a good maker. I know there are several on this forum, and plan on choosing a maker to make me one.

But,,,

What style or what accouterments would be the best for long rides, and heavy use? I like the slick fork, regular cantel roll, with a round skirt style of saddle, but I am more than willing to defer to your knowledge.

I would love to make myself a saddle, but I am a person who knows quality and craftsmanship when I see it. Yes I do leather work, but I am not a saddle builder at this time, and I also know I can't build one saddle and have a saddle as good as I can buy from a maker (of many saddles) on this forum.

Soooo my question is....

What would you saddle makers here suggest ?

[jwwright]

Hi Joel............this is a personal preference decision. You have already made some of the major decisions............you mentioned you'd like a slick fork, with regular cantle binding, and round skirts. Now, it is just a matter of deciding what exact type of slick fork you'd prefer.............wade, 3B, etc.,,,,,,,,,,,,,cantle height...........decoration and so on. Any of the saddle makers frequenting this board would do a good job for you, and help you work out the details. JW

[Russ]

Don't sell yourself short. Have you thought about going to a "build your own" saddle school? That's what got me started in leatherworking. I wanted a new saddle and decided it would be cool to build my own. Didn't take long to figure out I needed help. Best decision I ever made. Got a great saddle and a great education and a great new hobby/part-time business.

Yes I do leather work, but I am not a saddle builder at this time, and I also know I can't build one saddle and have a saddle as good as I can buy from a maker (of many saddles) on this forum.

[Steve Brewer]

Joel,You need to figer out what you want first.A 3/b makes a nice saddle but so can a wade ,bowman or an Assoc..Just need a narrow seat and bars that fit your horses.Most makers can probably fill your needs..You can always get more help here.

Steve

[Traveller]

A 3/b makes a nice saddle but so can a wade ,bowman or an Assoc..

So why would a person choose one of those trees above another? Are they all equally good for riding in all day, as a serious trail rider would? Or is one better - in someone's opinion - at either the all-day aspect or roping requirements, etc.? Does one type have, for instance, a wider seat and another one a more narrow seat? Or do the choices have to do with the shape of horse you tend to ride? How much does aesthetic figure into the decision?

Ah, so many questions!

Thanks, all.

Joanne

[jwwright]

In my opinion..............It's about personal preference.............and among people that make their living horseback, somewhat a regional thing. You won't see near as many slick forks in Texas, NM, AZ, OK or Kansas................as you will further north and west. Asthetics has alot to do with it. The shape of the seat, width / narrowness of seat has nothing to do with the style of swell / fork on the tree. It has everything to do with how the tree maker made the top side of the tree, and the saddle maker who put the seat in. Someone who rides a very short seat my find a particular swell shape with alot of undercut better. Same thing on fitting a horse........................it's the fit of the bars on the horse, not the shape of the fork. JW

[GrampaJoel]

Well I'm totally confused now. I looked at a 3b saddle style earlier today on the net just to see what was being made reference to. It seems it's called a Visalia 3b saddle that is being talked about. Heck they look the same as a wade to my eyes. At least from pictures on the net.

So back to my original question.

I guess the info I'm after is,,,,,what style of saddle would work best for long rides in the mountains as well as on hilly and flat ground. I know what catches my eye, but it may not work for what I am after. I'm not planning on ropeing steers, but I might need to help pull someone back onto the trail with a rope on the saddle horn.

The saddle I have now was made by a very colorful gent out of the Bloomington area of SO-CAL.. I ask once what style of tree he used and he just avoided the answer. I bought the saddle on a friends advice. It is an ok saddle and I have used it a lot. But I feel it is poorly made now that I have some saddle knowledge under my belt. I have found that the saddle is made of cheap leather put together by Mexican workers here in the US sometimes overseen by this fellow I mentioned earlier.

When I bought the saddle I was given the impression that the fellow himself had made it.

So much for buying without knowing what you are actually getting..

Any way with my above mentioned preferences aside I'm looking for recommendations for a new saddle for my above mentioned needs.

boy this is a long reply..

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

GrampaJoel,

Any fork shape can be used for what you are wanting. The shape of the front does not dictate how good a groundseat is in the saddle - the saddle maker does that - nor does it dictate the fit of the tree on the horse other than making sure the gullet clears the withers. A slick fork is one that doesn't have swells. The name that goes along with them is basically due to the history of that tree style, and in many cases you will find multiple differing explanations of what that name is supposed to look like. The differences have to do a bit with shape, but mainly fork "width", stock thickness, horn type. Regading shape - how many ways can you make an upside down U anyway? You will find a bit of difference between makers, but not a great deal. Regarding width - on our gallery we have pictures of three widths of slick forks. http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?app=gallery&module=user&user=1524&do=view_album&album=112 Remember that there really is no place to measure a slick fork, so one maker's 9" may look like another ones 10". Seeing pictures of their trees is the best way to decide what you want in these two areas. Regarding stock thickness - this is one of the big determiners of what name the fork can be called, but that isn't consistent between makers either. What do you like the look of - big fronts or narrow ones? Measurements do accurately describe this factor. Horn type - metal or wood post - is a big differentiation. Wades have a wood post horn. If it has a metal horn, it is NOT a Wade, regardless of what people call it. But you can have wood post slick forks called by other names. Wades traditionally have 5" stock, but now you will see them with different stock thickness. This thread has a pretty good discussion on Wades: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1907 The wood post horn allows the wood above the gullet to be thinner than a metal horn because you need more wood there for the screws to hold the metal horn on. So the horn and gullet lip (which is at the top of the fork) are actually lower to the horse with the same amount of clearance at the back and under the gullet. This is better for roping in reducing leverage on the horse, but it is neither better nor worse for general riding. So long as they clear the withers, there is no functional reason to choose one style over the other. It is pretty much aesthetics and personal choice.

For long hours in the saddle, you are looking for a comfortable ground seat for yourself, and that can be built into any saddle by a good maker. For the horse, you are looking for adequate surface area on the bars, so stay away from narrow and short bars. The rest, like JW says, is pretty much personal preference. The big companies will sell a "name" of saddle with very few options - the bar shape may go with the fork style for instance (and of course every company is different...). If you are going truly custom, you can get whatever combination of things and whatever look you want and the saddle will be just as functional.

Edited September 2, 2010 by Rod and Denise Nikkel

[horsewreck]

If your goal is a trail saddle that you can ride long hours, select a saddlemaker who builds mostly for ranchers and working cowboys. These guys are the people who spend the most time in the saddle and only buy from builders who know how to build in "all day comfort". Stay away from arena saddles built mostly for team and calf ropers as they aren't designed for all day use. Like JW pointed out a lot of saddle selection is what looks good to you, a good maker can build on any style of well made tree regardless of fork design and still turn out a saddle you will want to crawl into...... Jeff

[GrampaJoel]

JW, Steve, Rod and Denise Nikkel, horse wreck.

Thank you very much!!

Between the four of you, you have set my mind at ease. I believe I understand how to choose my next saddle. Thank you all very much for your time and your patience!!

Russ

Thanks for your input also. I did as you suggested and looked for a saddle making school. There isn't any in either of my locations that could work for me. I would love to attend a school or apprentice for someone. But it doesn't look like it is in my future for now.

It's a time thing.

With all my duties around our home, I just can't go off to some other place and leave the Misses at home alone to shoulder the burden of caring for our animals and such by her self..

But it was a good suggestion just the same.

Thanks gang!!

Joel

[Goldshot Ron]

Joel,

I live in the Idyllwild area, and if you want to take a trip, you're more than welcome to visit my little shop. I've got some trees you can look at, photos, and saddles that I've made. Now, I'm not trying to sell a saddle, but offering any advice that might help you. I think I know the maker you mentioned, and I've repaired a few of his saddles. Anyway I can share with you some ideas about where to start...oh yeah, and confuse even more about trees, designs, rigging, etc...

Ron