My daughter just got a great deal on a used saddle, but she lives in CA and I just picked up the saddle for her in FL. I have a box that it will fit in, but what’s the best way for me to package it to send to her? Bubble wrap? Cheap pillows? Styrofoam peanuts? Would like to get this sent off today.
Just wedge it in there so that it doesn’t rattle around in the box. Then tape it up with tough tape to keep everything secure. That’s how the one I bought arrived, no issues.
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wrap it in those foam shipping sheets or bubble wrap, stuff it in a box with as tight as a fit as you can, fill in any empty spaces with peanuts or crumpled paper etc and you should be good to go
Cardboard is very abrasive so completely enclosing it in plastic then packing with bubblewrap or filling the spaces with crumpled paper is the way to go. I’ve been using Stamps.com to get much better prices than standard shipping. Also, write your daughter’s address on the box in addition to the mailing label.
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DO NOT USE PEANUTS! Those things are horrible for mailing with saddles. They don’t help and just make a huge mess. Just put it in a box (I use 18x18x24") with a cover in a garbage bag. The bag is just in case the boxes gets rained on. The biggest thing is to make sure the saddle can’t move around a lot. That is how they are damaged.
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they work fine, you just have to use enough of them. Plus they have the added bonus of being environmentally friendly if you use the right kind unlike plastics
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I mail hundreds of saddles a year. They are unnecessary and expensive.
just reading the previous post form @shelton01: is it the saddles that are unnecessary and expensive? 
Anyway, you can wrap the pommel and cantle in bubble wrap or if you have a couple of old towels, they will do just as well.
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I’ll usually put it in a garbage bag first and cinch it shut so it kind of holds the flaps down to make it fit in the box, and the plastic makes it slide into the box easily. I’ll use a box that just fits - no room to move around, and fill in any gaps with bubble wrap or those puffy plastic things you get in shipments. No peanuts - if I HAD to use peanuts, I’d be nice and bag them up first and put the bag in so they don’t explode all over when opening the box, but really, I just avoid them. I also make sure to use a sturdy box, not one that is so lightweight it will collapse.
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Or buy her some nice new clothes for Christmas and use the new clothes to fill all the spaces around the saddle.
I have shipped several saddles to my niece and fill the voids with other things from my tack room like quarter sheets, bridles, girths, coolers and such. It is a great way to downsize for me!
But with a really sturdy box, and the saddle in a plastic bag in case the box gets wet, and a tight fit into the box no packing material is needed. The key is the box, plus avoiding USPS. And ship after Christmas if you can.
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Sorry I meant the packing peanuts! All saddle fitters I know of hate them. They really don’t do anything for a saddle because they are too light and just move around when the saddle moves around.
Really the biggest thing is to select the right size box. It should be big enough so it doesn’t squish the saddle, but not too big so it moves around.
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Thanks for all the responses! The seller gave me a saddle shipping box, so it was a good fit. The saddle had a cover, I used a trash bag, and filled the empty space with a couple of pillows. Hopefully it arrives in California without any issues next week.
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You can buy an old blanket at a thrift shop. Cheaper than bubble wrap.
What is the best shipper for large items? Price quotes?
