Search results matching tag 'saddle'

Bang for my Buck - Recommended All-purpose Saddles?

Emolee — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT

I'm a member of the "Broke Horse Owner" club, and I'm in the market for a new english saddle. The one I have now is just... eh. Uncomfortable for me, and it takes about three pads to make it comfortable for my horse. He has medium-high withers but a fairly broad back, and it is SO HARD for me to find a saddle that fits him comfortably. So, I'm thinking the best way to go would be to get one with an adjustable tree, like the Wintec saddles that come with the tree sets.

Any suggestions? Brands, etc? I am on a budget so keep that in mind, I suppose... and I'd like something with a fairly deep seat.

Thanks! :D

English saddle repair

kingsenglish — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:00:00 GMT

I have a wonderful Crosby Mark IV close contact saddle I bought used about 3 years ago. I love it and it fits my horse very well. Unfortunately, it has developed cracks along the seams of the seat. I took it to my local tack shop and they told me to continue to clean it and oil on a regular basis so I can still use. They told me that eventually I would have to have the seat replaced and that it would cost around $600 - I only paid $400 to buy it in the first place. I want to keep it since I love it so much and it fits my horse. My question is how do I find a reputable tack repair shop? Or would it be better for me to find a new saddle altogether?

Does my saddle need to be repaired?

kingsenglish — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 07:00:00 GMT

I have a used Crosby saddle that has a crack on the side of the seat. When I bought it two years ago, I don't remember it having a crack. It's jagged (so it's not a cut) and measures about 2-3 inches.

Does it need to get repaired? And if so, how do I find a place to do that? And how much should I expect to pay?

Re: English saddle advise

qhallaround — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

No No No!!!! RUN AWAY!!!!!! BAAAAAD idea!

Those beginner saddle packages are complete junk. The only plus about them is that they will fall apart on you in a few rides thus sparing you and your horse the pain it would otherwise put you through.

They are made on extremely inferior trees that don't fit 90+% of horses, pinch and cause severe back pain/problems. Some of them don't even come in tree sizes!!!! They also won't do you any favors. At best it won't put you in the correct riding position, and it could throw you completely off balance and make you miserable. The "leather" is crap and will fall to pieces (as will the stitching).

In general if it's an english saddle that sells for less than $500 new it's not worth putting on a horse. That doesn't mean you need spend $500 on your first english saddle though ;)

If you don't want to show and don't really care about looks you can look into the wintec synthetics. Good quality trees in sizes so that you can fit a decent portion of horses (some even come with adjustable gullets for fine tuning of fit, though these are the more expensive models, if you can find one used they can go fairly cheap). Good build quality that will put you in a reasonable position. The only thing that really makes them cheap is that they are synthetic rather than leather (look at what the Bates, which are essentially leather wintecs, go for).

You can also look for used, older, but not abused name brand saddles. You can find a saddle that was "mid range" ($500-$600ish) used for cheap. Look for brands that you know like County, Henry De Rival, Wintec, Courbette, etc. A name brand saddle will have a good tree, and position, and at least respectable leather that will hold up and last you a good long while if you treat it nice. You can probably find something like this used in the $200-250 range and it will be well worth the extra $$$ to not hurt your horse. Be careful buying used saddles and pay attention to the amount of flocking left (padding on the underside); older used saddles may need to be reflocked which can get expensive, but you should be able to find one that is fine.

You'll also probably want to buy local (unless you are willing to fork out the $$$ to ship a bunch back and forth) as fit can be an issue not only for you but the horse. It's not like fitting the typical western saddle to the typical stock horse where it just fits or can be corrected with a good pad; it can get quite tricky and you don't want to start playing with padding (english saddles are actually designed to be used basically without a pad; the pad should only be there to keep the saddle clean. All the fancy crap you see is people trying to correct for poor saddle fit! This is not the same as western where the saddle was designed to be used with a pad and spreads weight out in a much larger area.)

Cleaning a saddle

kingsenglish — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

I clean and condition my saddle regularly with Lexol, but it feels dry. I've oiled it once and my instructor said that you only need to do that once a year. The driest spot seems to be where the stirrup leathers touch the saddle. Should I use saddle soap?

Re: Buying stirrup leathers

kingsenglish — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Thanks for the advice.

The tack shops I normally go to have very little selection when it comes to leathers. And they tend to be the $100 variety. I've been looking online (especially eBay) for the best price/quality combo - which is why I was asking about matching the color; it's hard to tell how dark or light the leather is online.

I'm short too, so maybe I should buy kid's size. My current leathers are 1"x50 and most of the leathers I've looked at are 1"x57. Does that make a difference?

Buying stirrup leathers

kingsenglish — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:00:00 GMT

Does it matter if I buy a brand of stirrup leathers that isn't the same brand of saddle? If I buy a different brand, how do I make sure they match the shade of the saddle?

I have a Crosby close contact saddle and would like to replace the stirrup leathers. It's been difficult for me to find Crosby stirrup leathers that are the same size as the old ones - 1"x50. And I'm not sure other brands will match the saddle. Most of my online research has turned up leathers that are 1"x57 and they look dark enough to match, but I'm not sure. Any suggestions of where I can look?

Re: Looking for a starter saddle

staceyhedge — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:00:00 GMT

I would worry less about a particular brand than one that (1) fits your horse and (2) fits you. Depending on your horse's conformation (guessing he's a QH?), some of the saddle brands might not be wide enough in the tree for him. You probably should look at some good used saddles in a wide or xwide tree. You might consider spending a little money to have a saddle fitter out (www.mastersaddlers.org is a good source--or ask your local tack shop for a recommendation). If you don't have someone who can come out, read my article on saddle fitting at http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/tack_apparel/english/eq9points447/index.html. It's pretty easy to understand and perform these things yourself. Heck, if I can learn this, anyone can! ;-) The nice thing about getting a saddle fitter out is that even if they don't have the right saddle for you--or the couple you have for them to try don't work--they can tell you EXACTLY what you need to look for (shallow panels, wide tree, etc., etc., which will help you when searching used saddle listings on the Web, eBay, equine.com or a host of other great sites out there. Good luck!!