I just bought a used Tex Tan saddle for my wide shouldered paint mare and I’m a little confused on the bar size. I thought there was basically Semi-Quarter, Full-Quarter, and Wide however the saddle I bought was listed as Regular Quarter horse bars. Would this be in between the Semi and Full? It measures 8 inches across the front whereas my Semi Tex Tan measures 7. It seems like each brand has their own wording so I’m having a hard time trying to figure this out. Thanks in advance!
There is very little logic or consistency in those terms between manufacturers. The quicker you forget you’ve ever heard them, the happier you’ll be.
[QUOTE=aktill;7888722]
There is very little logic or consistency in those terms between manufacturers. The quicker you forget you’ve ever heard them, the happier you’ll be.[/QUOTE]
100% correct. I have had production saddles of the same make with the same tree that were totally different.
Exactly. The terms and trees vary according to manufacturer, so you may just have to try the saddle on and see if it fits. I highly recommend downloading and using the templates at horsesaddleshop.com, then talking to them about various saddles that may or may not be a good fit for your horse. Buying used does save money, but if the saddle doesn’t really fit, and you have to sell it and get another saddle, it can be a hassle. I went through this with my wide half Arab, and spend enough shipping saddles back and forth that I should have just sucked it up and purchased a new saddle.
…are like women’s pants…nothing fits similar across brands and sizing. It’s hit or miss and you have to try one until something fits.
:lol:
So annoying!
But to answer your question:
yes, regular QH bars should be “some size” between what they consider their semi-QH bar, and their Full QH bar.
Thanks everyone! The comparison to women’s pants cracks me up, so true! I’ll just go for the trial and error and eventually figure something out 
Our current problem is she was ridden in an ill fitting saddle for a while and has gotten VERY cinchy so I’m having a hard time figuring out if this new saddle is hurting or if she’s still anticipating the hurt. It seems to fit well and doesn’t pinch in her shoulders like the old one but I guess we’ll have to wait and see if she works out of it
Thanks again!
And even if you have two different manufacture’s who call their saddle a “full quarter horse bars”, they will still fit completely different. The angle of the bars, the rock, the twist, the flare, etc will all make a difference on the fit.
Check out this website to educate yourself a bit.
http://saddlemakers.org/id193.htm
You can’t simply go by “semi” or “full” or “regular” on a tree size. Because it doesn’t tell you anything about the rest of the fit.
In my experience, most regular = semi and most full = wide. But again, you are going to have variations between saddle makers.
