Ok. Thanks to everyone's saddle buying advice of not putting the saddle before the horse! How will i know which one fits? Do my legs go a certain place? Does my butt go someplace specific? Like all the way to the back, to the middle or do i slide all the way forward? HELP!

The short, but non-helpful answer is it depends on the saddle and what it was designed for. Especially whether it is english or western, but different variations of saddles inside those two large classes will vary in how they are designed to sit you.

Have you decided on a discipline yet even?

I think you were planning on lessons? If so, relax for now and enjoy them. If not I HIGHLY recommend them. So much of saddle shopping comes from feel that you get from time in the saddle (though professionals can definitely help guide you to finding a saddle that suits your needs and fits when the time comes).

In general you'll want a saddle that supports a correct body position. In general you want a saddle that aids you in sitting such that you can draw a straight line from your ears, through your shoulders, through your hips, and then into your heals. Not all saddles do this for everyone and some won't at all (namely cheaply made ones) which is why it's important to spend some time thinking of fit for both you and the horse. Beyond this though each saddle type is made for something slightly different and will have a slightly different feel and positioning for you. Here's where personal preferance and your discipline decisions come in.

If you decide you want to pleasure/trail ride you'll probably find an all purpose or pleasure seat western saddle ideal (but might not depending on your comfort).
If you decide to do speed events you'll end up with a much lighter saddle with a deeper, tighter fitting seat for more security.
If you want to do dressage you'll be looking for a deeper seated saddle with straighter flaps than if you want to do huntseat/jumping which will have a flatter seat and more forward flaps.

There are in betweens on most all of these, but you can see it's not a simple question of "what fits and what doesn't".

My best suggestion for you right now, since you are so eager to get going, is to go to a good reputable tack store (expensive is fine, you aren't buying yet ) and sit in a bunch of different saddles. This will give you a feel for what you like and don't like and help you narrow your search (which will in turn help us give you advice/suggestions). You'll also hopefully find a knowledgable saddle fitter that will help you determine what sits you correctly and what doesn't, etc.

Thank you for putting up with my questions!!

Not a problem! I wish I got to go shopping for a new saddle and horse to put it on I suppose I'll have to live vicariously through you LOL!

I will be sure to keep you updated then!!

in my area many tack shops provide saddle fitting service for free - they will come out to ur barn and make sure the saddle fits both u and ur horse. maybe check in2 that?

BTW, Rick's Heritage Saddlery offers free test ride via the internet, I think. You need to pay shipping.

Thank you for the tip. I will be contacting them.

I did a google search for saddle fitters in NC -- ended up finding one that worked out of a tack shop near me. It was $50 for him to come evaluate my saddle's fit, and the tack shop let me borrow as many saddles as I liked to try as comparisons for free.

OTTB- it sounds like we are probably close to eachother as I will go down to Rick's for many of my horesy needs. What tack shops in the area offer the free saddle fitting, or at least saddle fitting services?

I have heard Dover will send some1 out with a trailer load of saddles to fit you and your horse with the understanding that you buy the saddle from them. I've not used them and it may be a big wives tale for all I know. Smucker's near Morgantown will also assist with fitting, but my understanding is that you trailer the horse there and then they will assist with saddle fitting. Again, haven't used, but have had a number of people tell me they've had good experiences. I understand they are also good for saddle repairs. There's also fee for service folks that will come out and fit your existing saddle and reflock it if possible and necessary. They typically also have capability to sell you a new saddle.

I used Rick's in the spring after I acquired a TB mare that had saddle fit issues with my existing saddles - test rode about 6 or 7 used saddles and they either didn't fit the horse or me. Ended up having to buy a new saddle. Holly at Rick's was extremely helpful and with the number of saddles they had its unfortunate that I couldn't find a match.

Thanks for the info! I too used Ricks and was back and forth several times before I got the current saddle I have. They were great and really understanding. Right now, Yogi seems to have no back pain. I put a wide tree into the saddle and while he doesnt need it right around his withers, he gets wide very quickly just below them. I think thats why the medium and medium wide tree were causing him pain. The other day I was riding him and I could feel him stretch down and kind of lift his back up. At first I thought he was just lowering his head to be a pain but then felt his back come up and continued riding on without trying to get him to pick his head up a bit. Hopefully my assumption is right and I didnt allow him to get away with something I shouldnt have!

It sounds like ur assumption was right. I had much the same issue with a med tree and went to a saddle with a wide tree and I've seen a dramatic change in my mare's attitude.