Members archer55 Posted February 9, 2015 Author Members Report Posted February 9, 2015 Thanks for all the information everyone. I think I have finally found some saddles in or near my price range, but would like you opinion on the company's products before I take the plunge. McCall - http://www.jacksonswesternstore.com/saddles/saddles/mccall/pendleton-association-saddle Also, how decent are the late John the Saddle Man's saddles? Quote
Members Josh Ashman Posted February 9, 2015 Members Report Posted February 9, 2015 McCalls are very well thought of in the circles I run in. All of the ones I have personally seen were solidly built out of good material. Timberline tree's is an offshoot or sister company and I like their trees as well. I'm not familiar with John the Saddle Man, so I can't say on his stuff. Good luck, Josh Quote
Members Billy H Posted February 9, 2015 Members Report Posted February 9, 2015 Just to add some thought to your search----------- remember that the horse you are buying this saddle for is a mixed breed and I will bet that he has some fairly wide shoulders and maybe a shorter back. You might find that the standard tree will not fit well. So if buying make sure in writing that there is a return agreement if the saddle does not fit correctly. If buying a used saddle you need someone with saddle experience to look over the rig and make sure it is safe for use. This site has so many folks with years of experience in not only saddle making but also saddle fitting---------- Keith Seidel Master saddle maker, Rod and Denise Nikkle who are tree makers and the list would go on and on with names. One thing that drives me crazy is folks will ask advise just like you have and then buy a saddle off the so called shelf and come back crying that the saddle sores their horse and ask what can they do to fix the problem. If they would have just listenend to wise suggestions from folks like who I mentioned they could have prevented a bad experience. You might want to post a picture or two of your horse and see what feed back you get on saddle fit. That doesn't cost you a dime and is worth a bunch. Either way I wish you good luck in your search. Regards Billy Quote
Members archer55 Posted February 10, 2015 Author Members Report Posted February 10, 2015 Billy H, I have wondered if this horse would need a tree made with shorter bars. I've include some older and not great photos. I'll upload better ones this weekend if needed because it's dark before I get home during the week. Thanks. Quote
Members CWR Posted February 10, 2015 Members Report Posted February 10, 2015 McCall is probably one of the best production saddles out there. CW Quote 1 Thessalonians 4: 11,12
Members Cowboy Crafts Online Posted February 11, 2015 Members Report Posted February 11, 2015 I was good friends with John the Saddleman, he made lots of saddles. If you can pick on up you will not be disapointed Quote
Members Billy H Posted February 12, 2015 Members Report Posted February 12, 2015 archer 55, I can't tell much from your pictures, but maybe someone else might. I agree with CWR ,Josh Ashman and Keith that McAll saddles are a pretty decent production saddle. The site you gave at $2,400 surprised me if they are advertising as new. Its been a while since I looked at one but when I priced them they were closer to the $3,000 mark. Maybe they have a less expensive line these days. Curious what saddle you used on this horse before starting your search? Don't know what part of the country you live in but Brighten Saddlery in Colorado has a bunch of McCall saddles. The owner "Roger" used to own part of McCall Saddlery and has about 30 years of experience fitting saddles, might be worth a call. Regards Billy Quote
Members brycew74 Posted February 13, 2015 Members Report Posted February 13, 2015 My opinion for what it is worth would be to find a young custom maker that is trying to build their reputation, you should be able to find someone that would build you a Roughout that fits in your budget, i would sooner ride a plain handmade saddle than a tooled up factory rig Quote
Members Josh Ashman Posted February 13, 2015 Members Report Posted February 13, 2015 As a not so young but still fairly novice saddle maker you may or may not get a better rig from a new maker compared to a "factory" rig. Some things like a balanced rigging and functional design might come better on a production saddle that was built by people with plenty of experience and tried and true designs. Certainly I'd pick the first saddle I built over any mass produced saddle like a Corriente, HR, TexTan, Longhorn, etc. But a good Billy Cook or higher end Cactus might be a little harder to pick between and a McCall would be far better than my first or second saddle by many standards. To be clear my comment has nothing to do with tooling or being fancy, just a proven workable design properly balanced and put together with quality material. Good luck with your saddle, Josh Quote
Members Big Sioux Saddlery Posted February 14, 2015 Members Report Posted February 14, 2015 EXACTLY what Josh said! I see some pretty terrible first, second, third, fourth,etc......saddles from novices, and I would feel safer in many production saddles over some of the "handmade" rigs. I know my first ones weren't much to brag about, and maybe they still aren't, but what I see coming in from so called "saddlemakers" is pathetic. I'm sure there are many good saddles out there by little-known makers that are quite functional, but just because a saddle is "handmade" does NOT make it a good saddle. You have to evaluate each one by itself. Good luck to you. Quote
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