We always used to heat up a nail on the woodstove, grasp said nail with a pair of pliers, and burn a hole in the nylon.
1 Like
I don’t know how big the hole needs to be but it’s at least 1/4" to fit the knobs on the blevins buckle.
I’ll get it. It was just annoyingly difficult and I don’t use the saddle often so I said screw it and put it on the rack lol
I could also just grab my seam ripper and take the nylon off??
Something looks horribly crooked with your saddle. Like the tree is warped and/or twisted.
And that’s what I see when it’s on her back … among other things. (Looks like it would literally rest on her withers once you cinch it up and get on.)
Sorry, put that saddle in the garbage yesterday!
Total side note - do you know how to “re-rough” the roughout? On your next better saddle 
you can keep the roughout “rough” with a wire brush once in a while.
4 Likes
Corriente makes a nice comfortrable saddle that won’t break the bank and would check most of your boxes. I believe you can customize your seat, rough out options, etc. There is a wait to get your new saddle, as they custom make each one. On the plus side though, I often see them on ebay/ swap sites listed for more than they cost new.
1 Like
After seeing the photos, I’m going to agree with @beau159. That saddle doesn’t align equally with your horse’s spine, as if the tree is twisted or dare I say, cracked. It also looks very narrow and “pinchy.”
Just to toss out another option, since you have a decent budget for a work saddle, there’s this brand. This is where most of the show saddles in our barn are from, however, his work saddles are awesome and bullet-proof. I ride in one nearly every day.
The custom work saddles, which generally come rough out, run about $3,400 new. They do take months to arrive, though. If you can find a used one, of course they’ll be a little cheaper.
2 Likes
If OP is looking for a deep seat, then she would not like Corriente.
I have had both a roping saddle (association) and a barrel saddle, and both of them I felt “perched” in it. They do NOT have a deep seat. You sit a lot more “up” like you would proper showing.
1 Like
I do know how, I’m just lazy lol.
I’m going to take the saddle home (it lives in the horse trailer) and take a close look at it tree wise. Nothing SUPER crazy has happened in the saddle (no one has laid on it or flipped over with it), but it does have a zillion miles on it, lives in the elements as far as temp and humidity, and is cheap-cheap. It is on a rack, not just on the floor.
Here’s a picture of the only logo i can find on it.
Hmmm, I don’t own one, but have ridden in a few of thier ‘lady wade’ style saddles and felt pretty secure. (Personally have never liked a slick fork saddle, so I wouldn’t be buying one of those anyhow.) Good to know the barrel/ roping saddle is ‘perchy’ as I’ve always wanted to order a new barrel saddle from them. Will definitely make an effort to try out a friend’s before buying now! Thanks for the heads up.
1 Like
I really like the Capo Cowhorse & Bobs Cowhorse. Deep pockets, secure, and the twist is narrower for my pelvis.
Andrea at Capo does a great job describing her saddles, options, and fitting. She often has a good selection of used saddles as well. I’ll be doing a custom with her when the time comes, but right now my Bobs works well for what I need and the horse I’m on.
FWIW - I loved hard seats as a jumper and extra narrow/flat, so I’ve been a princess sitting in EVERYTHING.
I rode a 17” SE03 CWD and im currently in a 16.5 Bobs Cowhorse. Don’t be afraid of a bigger seat size in the cowhorse saddles.
ETA: I’ve also like a Double J Cutter - wasn’t rough out and only fit our narrower horses - not our big round cutters. I also felt really comfortable in a rough out Bob Marshall Cutter.
I personally hated sitting in the Teskeys Cutters & Ranch Cutters, the Coats ranch cutter, and the Jeff Smiths for more than 5 minutes.
2 Likes
Jeff Smiths I have been around tend to push you over the front when a horse is working, not balanced as well as others, but for many they work.
My preference after many years and saddles were Bob’s for many years, lighter than others and fit most horses and many riders fine.
After riding on some Kyle’s Cicero and talking to many top trainers, those seem to have one of the more versatile trees and formed seats for performance horse events.
You stay in a pocket with excellent balance no matter what the horse does, which way it moves and can follow along without being pushed up or left behind.
They are some of the heavier saddles, but once is on the horse, worth it.
These look like reining saddles, maybe? I am not terribly familiar with the different kinds.
Even used, I’m seeing 5k. That’s a little more than I want to spend, they look nice though!
Is that from the back view–where it looks like it is not making contact on the left side?
I see that now.
I sent an email directly to McCall about a saddle.
~$3700 and a year + lead time. Yikes!
There is a consignment shop near me - I’m going to stop in and see what they have, and at the very least try some saddles on her to determine size/bar angles that work for her back shape.
Anyone have any experience with these guys? Their stuff is pretty, but may not be what I’m looking for in terms of seat security. The saddles look heavier than sin, too.
I have another question re: western saddle fit.
Pads for western saddles are notably thicker than pads for english saddles (generally). I assume that means that when you put the saddle on the horse’s back sans-pad that you want it loose, because the 1" thick felt pad is going to take up the slack.
Is that correct?
I’ll let those who know more than me chime in on that. I do know that no matter what pad you use, the bar angle has to be correct for your horse. I know there is a trend toward thick pads, but I prefer a 3/4 inch pad for a more close contact feel. For showing I have a 1/2 inch under pad and then the saddle blanket on top of that.
3 Likes
You can try Galloping Grape in Warrenton VA. She is knowledgeable in western saddles and fitting, plus stocks used saddles. Maybe she has something. The wine selection is really good as well.
1 Like
As far as I know you want the saddle to fit correctly ( as possible) w/o the pad. While a smidge “too wide” can be corrected by a thicker pad ( a 1 inch or a bit thicker) I always use 1/2 -3/4 thickness and I like them somewhat flexible.
Some pads are thick, stiff and heavy.
1 Like
Saddle House is good to deal with and high quality saddles. Mostly cutting, ranch cutter or cowhorse saddles. Occasionally they have some used reiners.
Call Adam, he can help you with saddle fit too.
1 Like
