Aussie saddles for work

[FatCatFarm]

Got the Down Under Kimberley Superior on the horse and my husband in it and we are very pleased. Fits both my husband and the horse great. No problems at all with the seat, stirrups or flaps. I was surprise at how little bulk there is once it’s cinched down properly leaving a very close contact feel with no top heaviness.

With it being a 20" seat and the longer, Aussie flaps, I don’t have a pad that fits it. Both the new pad I got for it and my oversized dressage pad are too small. So am now searching for a good long flap Aussie pad for it. Will probably break down and just get a Coolback pad from Long Riders Gear or The Australian connection as I like contoured pads that fit completely beneath the saddle. I have been curious about the 1" thick Diamond Wool Aussie Under Pad but you have to tie the darn thing to the saddle to keep it from slipping beneath and I already have one Aussie pad with the leather ties like that and it creeps beneath the saddle which I hate.

[WarDance]

[QUOTE=wylde sage;6184863]
You know WarDance, we will need a full recap of the blessed shopping event and what you wind up with. Virtual tack addicts need to know![/QUOTE]

I will give you guys a full synopsis for sure! Maybe with some pics!

So it turns out my dentist appointment isn’t until the 20th. I’m kind of tempted to call their office and see if I can get in earlier (just so I can go shopping sooner)!

[Malda]

I have the Trail Rider Comfort Pad with Bags from Down Under and with my current saddle I’ve had no slipping problems and I don’t use the ties. I really like the pad, the quality is good and I love the big pockets. I looked around the site and didn’t see a Diamond Wool Aussie.

[QUOTE=FatCatFarm;6184963]
Got the Down Under Kimberley Superior on the horse and my husband in it and we are very pleased. Fits both my husband and the horse great. No problems at all with the seat, stirrups or flaps. However, with it being a 20" seat and the longer, Aussie flaps, I don’t have a pad that fits it. Both the new pad I got for it and my oversized dressage pad are too small. So am now searching for a good long flap Aussie pad for it. Will probably break down and just get a Coolback pad from Long Riders Gear or The Australian connection as I like contoured pads that fit completely beneath the saddle. I have been curious about the 1" thick Diamond Wool Aussie Under Pad but you have to tie the darn thing to the saddle to keep it from slipping beneath and I already have one Aussie pad with the leather ties like that and it creeps beneath the saddle which I hate.[/QUOTE]

[FatCatFarm]

[QUOTE=Malda;6185403]
I have the Trail Rider Comfort Pad with Bags from Down Under and with my current saddle I’ve had no slipping problems and I don’t use the ties. I really like the pad, the quality is good and I love the big pockets. I looked around the site and didn’t see a Diamond Wool Aussie.[/QUOTE]

Here is the 1" thickness from Jeffers:
http://www.jeffersequine.com/aussie-under-pad/camid/equ/cp/0027749/

The 1/2" version from Down Under:
http://www.downunderweb.com/store/MI_PAD533.html

It’s the Shaped Comfort Pad that I have and was bought through State Line Tack when I bought my Wintec, and it’s the one that creeps beneath the saddle despite the ties. It would be a better pad with a retention strap to go across the saddle flaps IMHO.

Then here are the Toklat Woolback pads from Long Riders Gear that come in a long flap length for Aussie Saddles: http://www.longridersgear.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=79_27_205&products_id=754 Not cheap though.

[qhwpmare]

A friend has a 15" Down Under Saddle Co synthetic Aussie for sale $175.00 it has a horn and poleys. Very comfy and lightweight.

[FatCatFarm]

I did go ahead and order the 1" Diamond Wool Aussie Under Pad from Jeffers. Just can’t beat the price and it’s got a couple of good reviews. Hopefully it will fit and won’t slide. We’ll see.

[GotMyPony]

War Dance - I second Oldpony66’s recommendation that you consider Tuckers, too. OP66 has the Plantation and I have the Equitation Endurance. I love my EqEnd and have friends who love their Plantations, so it’s just personal fit.The EqEnd comes with English leathers that let you avoid a chair seat and the leathers can be worn above or under the flap. All Tuckers have lots of rings for hanging things and are made for long hours on the trails.
New Tuckers would be over your price but I sometimes see used ones online for $800 or so. Nothing against Aussies - I’ve never tried one - but since you’re looking around you might as well try some different things before you buy. Good luck!

[WarDance]

So I’m looking on the Tucker website and I LOVE these saddles! I think I could sit in one of these all day…

I’m still going to go to Downunder but I also want to look for some Tucker saddles.

[oldpony66]

GMP, yes the price was why I wasn’t really recommending the Tucker for WarDance. I watched for a used Tucker for a year or more before I finally broke down and bought a new one. If you can find a used one for $800 that would be a steal! It seems that the used ones go for only about $100 less than a new one! I have English leathers on my Plantation and the Aussie, but the Aussie leathers are really thick and wide so they rub if you don’t have boots or half-chaps on. An easy fix, of course, is to just switch them out with regular English leathers.

Have fun shopping, WarDance! I wish I lived close enough to a place where I could have sat in all the saddles. I’m stuck guessing and ordering online… so far I’ve been lucky all but one time.

[WarDance]

I just found this saddle online and it’s only a couple of hours away from me:
http://www.horseclicks.com/plantation_trail_saddle/advert/51328

Looks pretty nice to me and the price is right.

[GotMyPony]

WarDance - I would definitely go check out that saddle… of course, I love a road trip anyway. Even if this one ends up not working for you (fit or something) you’ll at least have a feel for how a Tucker is made, sits, etc. One thing, the Tuckers come in a Medium (i.e., “regular”) and Wide and maybe even an extra wide, so be sure to check that out and think about the horses you’ll be riding. I needed a Wide for my old QH mare but a Medium fits my Kentucky Mountain horse.
I will say that most people who try Tuckers really love them but you do run into some people who just don’t find them comfortable (like I hated my husband’s Steele, which he loved). So whatever works for you… Good luck!

[WarDance]

So the owner of the Tucker saddle still has it and wants to sell. It’s a medium width, which would be perfect for the gaited horses I usually ride. Here’s the question though…

So next weekend the barn manager is going to a horse show in the same town the lady with the saddle lives. Should I have her look at the saddle for me and maybe buy it for me? This could save me the drive since I have to go 4 hours to Denver next week (4 hours 1 way) and then drive another 2 at some point to look at this saddle. The problem is that I may get to Denver and like the Aussie saddles better than the plantation saddles. Or this plantation saddle could be great. It comes with a breast collar, cinch and a Tucker saddle pad all for $800. It sounds like a steal to me. What do I do?

[FatCatFarm]

The good thing about the Tuckers is that they hold their value well. Worse case scenario is you get it; don’t like it; turn around and sell it and all you’ve lost is time.

FWIW, my husband rode for the first time in 20 years yesterday in the used Kimberley Superior saddle we got for him from Downunder. It was breezy here and there was lots of things for the horses to boggle at: metal gate blow down and on the ground; a guy bass fishing along the side of the lake where we ride and his SUV parked in the way with him casting that stick around with the flashy thing on the end of it; and a wild turkey scuttling around in the underbrush. So we had several spooks happen: to the side and suddenly rushing forward and my husband had no problem staying in the saddle for which I was very grateful. I know you’re more experienced than he is, but thought it worth mentioning giving the kind of riding you’ll be doing in your saddle.

[WarDance]

That’s good to know that the Aussie saddles make it easy to stay on! The worst spooks at my job happen when you are turned around talking to your guests and the horse decides to spook. We try to use the more bombproof ones as the guide’s horse so this doesn’t happen but no horse is totally bombproof. I’m an experienced rider but it’s hard for anyone to stay on when your horse spooks and you are turned around in the saddle!

[oldpony66]

well, if you try saddles in Denver, then drive 2 hours to try the Tucker, you will have a good idea which you like better. Afterward, if you still want an Aussie you should know what you want and be able to order it from DownUnder if you don’t want to drive back to Denver.
On the other hand, unless there is something really wrong with the Tucker, if your trainer buys it for you and you don’t like it you should be able to re-sell for the $800.

FatCatFarm… can your husband “turn around” in the Aussie? Maybe it’s just how I fit in the one we have, but “turning around” is really hard for me with those poleys. I’m really wedged in there and have to turn just my head/shoulders. Perhaps I belong in a larger Aussie saddle! That’s why I like the Plantation because I have some freedom in the seat/legs and I don’t feel so trapped.

[spookhorse]

I kinda ride sideways in my Aussie quite a bit LOL I sort of stand up in both stirrups and turn my feet to face one side. If you feel cramped or too confined in an Aussie for any reason, try the next size up and keep going til it feels right!

I <3 my Aussie saddles from The Australian Stock Saddle Company and bought them both used for great prices- the first one locally and the second off eBay. I’ve ridden many miles in both and love the close contact and secure feeling that I have with them. I can’t seem to get both in either a Western or English saddle and the only Plantation saddle I’ve ridden in gives me butt and knee bruises O_o

I also don’t like the larger stirrup leathers or fenders and prefer the thinner ones. The newer saddle came with the 4" fenders and I hated them so switched the old English style ones from the old saddle. I bought a newer set of the same from the ASSC to have something on the old saddle in case I need to use it. I love how the gorgeously broke in the old ones are! Then I sold the 4" fenders on eBay and got $40 or so for them

[WarDance]

I don’t think I’m going to buy that saddle sight unseen. I’d rather have a saddle with english rigging not western. It may be a saddle for work but it’s something I will be riding my own horses in too so I want to get something that I actually like. I think I need to go “play” in the tack store in Denver before I spend my money on anything.

[FatCatFarm]

@oldpony66;6189259

FatCatFarm… can your husband “turn around” in the Aussie? Maybe it’s just how I fit in the one we have, but “turning around” is really hard for me with those poleys. I’m really wedged in there and have to turn just my head/shoulders. Perhaps I belong in a larger Aussie saddle! That’s why I like the Plantation because I have some freedom in the seat/legs and I don’t feel so trapped.

I agree with what spookhorse said, if you feel trapped in your aussie saddle, then you need to try a bigger seat. I ride in one too, a Wintec and do not feel trapped. Secure yes; trapped no. I am riding two green horses and after getting dumped hard after a bad spook over a Canadian Goose, I went out and got mine. My husband’s saddle saved him a couple of times this past weekend when we went out for what was supposed to be a quiet first trail ride and actually was kind of stressful with everything that went on. Just depends on what you’re after and what you prefer. I have not ridden in a Tucker. Maybe if you add some bucking rolls to the pommel it would provide some additional security.

[oldpony66]

If that’s the case, then beware of the sizing charts on DownUnder’s site. My husband and I both supposedly fit the same size saddle and it sounds like maybe I don’t! No problem, not really my saddle… I like my Tucker and feel quite secure in it. Secure enough, anyway… as in, I like to be able to shift my old self around sometimes and have some wiggle room.

[TheOtherHorse]

I don’t think the sizing charts on Down Under are accurate. Both mine and my husbands measurements each fit into several different sizes, and the aussie size we actually ride in doesn’t equal the english and western sizes that the chart says they should. Also, it is personal preference whether you want it to fit snug or have a lot of room. I prefer my snug fitting saddle over my husband’s exact same model in one size larger. I can comfortably ride in his, but do feel more secure and balanced (and easier to post the trot) in my snug size.