[Fire]

I've been looking for a new saddle without any luck for quite a while now. Nobody I call or e-mail on any tack sites ever e-mail me back. I can't use Ebay, it's too expensive. So I figured I would check out a site I visited before and see if I found anything I liked and could afford.

This is the saddle.


Sorry it's huge.

I usually hate the cheaper saddles with silver because it chips, but it's just a training/trail saddle to me so I'll live if it chips or looks stupid. I think it's a good looking saddle. The tree looks level and the leather looks okay. Not premium quality but it doesn't look like plastic.

Can you generally tell if a saddle is going to fit (or close to fit) by measuring the gullet width? If I measure the saddle that fits my horse and then buy the same dimensions, would it most likely fit? It's $50 plus shipping to send it back so I really want to make sure it would fit before I bought it. :/ Any advice would be appreciated! I wish I could afford a nicer saddle but it's not possible right now and I just want a training saddle that fits my horse! This one is pretty enough to show in (if it looks as advertised). I'm excited that I found it but kind of apprehensive about buying online.

[pinevalley]

Do you have any tack shops relatively close by that have used saddles?

I would rather see you get a decent used saddle close by in your price range than to take a chance with a cheapie new one, that you have to have shipped.

To answer your question, if you have one that fits, it should be fairly close, but depending on when that tree was made there can be some slight changes. Not all trees are created equally even within the same gullet width, and a saddle that has been broken in and ridden in heavily may have some changes, compared to new off the rack.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by pinevalley

Do you have any tack shops relatively close by that have used saddles?

I would rather see you get a decent used saddle close by in your price range than to take a chance with a cheapie new one, that you have to have shipped.

To answer your question, if you have one that fits, it should be fairly close, but depending on when that tree was made there can be some slight changes. Not all trees are created equally even within the same gullet width, and a saddle that has been broken in and ridden in heavily may have some changes, compared to new off the rack.

There is a very very large used tack shop near me. We looked for three hours and couldn't find anything in the right size in our price range. The only saddles that fit our budget were moldy synthetics or pony saddles. I'm looking on TackTrader, too, but no one ever e-mails or calls back. It's like they don't want to sell their stuff. My budget is $250-$300, usually you can find a halfway decent saddle for that price. My first saddle (far too wide for my horse), I got it at the used tack shop for $250 new. It was a nice saddle, just didn't fit. I heard good things about the site I'm looking at buying that saddle from, that they buy in enormous bulk to give big discounts. If it doesn't fit, I can send it back.

This is the last thing I wanted to do, really, but there is only one tack shop near me (imagine that) that sells used/cheaper saddles and they didn't have one for us. I don't want a cheap saddle as much as the next person, but when you are on a limited budget and you need a training saddle, what else can you do?

For me...not much. So I'd like opinions on the saddle in question because it seems like a good deal. The saddle my horse uses now (it's borrowed and I can't use it much longer) is an older (mid 90's...?) Big Horn trail saddle. We measured at the conchos and it was 9". I thought...that can't be possible. So we measured at the screws near the swells. 6". I thought...that can't quite be right, either. So right inbetween it was 7", so that's what I'm looking for. The saddle pictured has a 7" gullet. I think it has a pretty good chance of fitting, as my horse isn't the hard-to-fit type, really. He's an average quarter horse. It may not be the best quality saddle...but you know, not all of us can afford the best. I wish I could. I'd rather skimp on a saddle (as long as it fits) and have money to pay vet/board/farrier than have an expensive ($500 is expensive to me..) saddle and be broke. :/

[WashingtonBay]

In addition to the gullet, you want to know what the tree is that fits him.... Full QH bars, Semi QH bars, Arab... there may be others.

That's the place to start.

Honestly, I'd encourage you to get a newer version of the Big Horn you have now that's working. They hold up well on trail and are a pretty good saddle for the price. Ours has held up really well.

This one... who knows if it's leather or cardboard or if the tree is even straight.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by WashingtonBay

In addition to the gullet, you want to know what the tree is that fits him.... Full QH bars, Semi QH bars, Arab... there may be others.

That's the place to start.

Honestly, I'd encourage you to get a newer version of the Big Horn you have now that's working. They hold up well on trail and are a pretty good saddle for the price. Ours has held up really well.

This one... who knows if it's leather or cardboard or if the tree is even straight.

The model of Big Horn I am borrowing is $400 new. I tried one of the cheaper models ($300 not counting shipping) but it rode...badly. It was shaped weird, the swells are really tall. I personally would not spend any money on a Big Horn. Maybe a pricier one, but I don't have the money for it. The tree not being straight would be a manufacturing defect and I could get it replaced for a straight one.

I don't know what these other horse owners with no money do. Lol.

As for the saddle...the leather looks really supple. The stirrups hang nicely and it doesn't look hard and shiny. My first saddle had really hard finished leather and roughout leather. Why is the hard leather bad? Aside from the fact that it squeaks.

[WashingtonBay]

Oh I know money doesn't grow on trees.

One place it pays to spend a little more though is a saddle you may never have to replace, versus a cheaper one that will cause problems for you and need to be replaced much sooner.

$400 for a new saddle that you know is of decent quality and fits is pretty reasonable, and even if I had to pay it off over a few months, that's the way I'd go.

[Shotgun93]

It just doesn't look like good quality. The leather will be stiff and brittle. As for the tree, having a straight tree is not something that is easy to tell from the outside, but chances are if you pulled the saddle apart, you would find that the tree is made out of poor quality materials. You would be hard pressed to get the manufacturer to replace the saddle. They know they are cheap quality saddles.

I don't know what these other horse owners with no money do. Lol.

We save and save and sell what we can. I know it's hard, I worked my butt off to pay for my saddle (which is a Big Horn reiner, which I love), I sold a bunch of stuff and worked an extra job. It was worth it though, I won't have to buy another saddle again for a long time.

As frustrating as it is, it's so important to buy a decent used saddle. The cheapy saddle packages are just that, cheap. Cheap in price and in quality

[Fire]

I'm only seventeen and $400+ is just too much for us. If I was older and not in school full time, I would be able to get a job (or two) to pay for it. But...I sort of don't have time for everything. Thanks for your input. I think I'm going to order it and send it back if I don't like it. Not being able to find anything that fits everything - my horse, my body, and my budget is frustrating. I've been looking all summer.

[rileyboy]

What website is it from??

[Fire]

Saddlesonline.com. Some of the saddles there look ugly and cheap but most look pretty well-made.