looking for an aussie saddle with a WIDE tree?

[shaft0463]

i have recently free-leased my mare to a wonderful woman at my barn who has always ridden in an aussie saddle (she is from australia, accent and all).

she is looking to buy an aussie saddle for the mareness, but cant seem to find one wide enough. the mare fits perfectly into a wintec xw gullet plate, and it seems like everythign ive found online or in a tack store is either a lot more narrow or is built on a draft tree, which is just way too wide.

any advice? i know nothign about aussie saddles, but i would like to help her find something if i can. her budget is like $300 or $400 i think, and used is certainly fine, actually preferable. we can do some basic work on the saddle (restitching, cleaning and conditioning). something decent quality but in need of a bit of TLC is fine as long as its riding sound and doesnt need a bunch of work.

[sublimequine]

That’s a quite small budget for a saddle, but you might want to try…

http://www.downunderweb.com/kimberleysaddles.htm

The Kimberley Economy is $345. You can also check out their clearance page.

Aussies seem to be built on a narrow tree unless specifically requesting something wider. So finding a used Aussie with a wide tree can be hard.

Good luck.

[shaft0463]

yeah, it is a small budget, but she does have saddles to borrow in the mean time, until she finds something.

i was just looking at that line of saddles. are they decent quality? i doubt she will be riding a ton, but comfort for the mare and for her is important.

[sublimequine]

[QUOTE=shaft0463;2781291]
yeah, it is a small budget, but she does have saddles to borrow in the mean time, until she finds something.

i was just looking at that line of saddles. are they decent quality? i doubt she will be riding a ton, but comfort for the mare and for her is important.[/QUOTE]

I actually have never used one, but am considering buying one from that line myself. I have heard nothing but good things about the company and their saddles, though.

[ChocoMare]

These folks seem to have what you want! http://frontierequestrian.com/getProductDetails.cfm?ID=291

[sublimequine]

[QUOTE=ChocoMare;2781662]
These folks seem to have what you want! http://frontierequestrian.com/getProductDetails.cfm?ID=291 :)[/QUOTE]

Does anyone have experience with those saddles? They sure look nice, but that price almost sounds too good to be true! :uhoh:

[LR1976]

That’s where I got mine and for the price I don’t think you can beat it! It has held up well, fits well, comfy enough, and the people there were very helpful.

[sublimequine]

[QUOTE=LR1976;2782412]
That’s where I got mine and for the price I don’t think you can beat it! It has held up well, fits well, comfy enough, and the people there were very helpful.[/QUOTE]

Wow, really?

[Wellspotted]

Someone at our barn has a Kimberly Campdrafter (I think that’s the model name). It looks just like this one, which is for sale for $500–

http://denver.craigslist.org/grd/463059977.html

I don’t know whether the one at our barn has a wide tree or not; it is much too wide for the QH I ride, so if you could find one like it, it might be wide enough for her mareness. It looks to me like a fairly good-quality saddle, and it wasn’t as heavy as another Aussie saddle I once tried!

:eek: :eek: I just realized the link I posted is for craigslist. :o I know that’s a no-no here–but you can at least have a look at the saddle! :eek: :eek:

[LR1976]

I guess I should add that this is for 2 or 3 hour trail rides once in a while. Not sure I’d want to sit in it all day. But again, I’ve been happy with mine.

[Cielo_Azure]

The bushmaster is a very nice saddle for the cost and it does hold up well. We had a slight issue with the stirrups not being able to be short enough but some extra holes and a small screw/bolt did the trick.

I am pretty sure that I bought the “premium” bushmaster ($429) and not the one that you are looking at ($289). You might want to phone Brad and find out what the difference is between the two types of Bushmasters. If it is type of leather…proceed at your own peril with the cheaper one.

We have had the saddle for 4 years, it has been used a lot. It still looks great. We have Percheron mares and use the saddle primarily for trail riding. Right now, it is only used occassionally but at one time, it was used almost daily for about two years.

It is the saddle the “Brad” the owner will recommend to you for wider horses. Don’t get a 10" gullet, unless you have one rolly polly horse (like a Brabant).

Some of their much cheaper saddles are not so good. I say this not from my own experience but from reading other people’s comments on forums over the years. Cheap leather is the major issue.

[GE1]

I’ve had one of the Kimberley saddles. It was super comfy and fit my QH like a glove. The tree is adjustable and will be fitted to your horse’s shape based on a wither tracing that you send them. I really hated the over-girth and under-girth system but that can be converted if you prefer English or Western girthing. I decided to sell it because I really wanted a Western saddle.

[sublimequine]

[QUOTE=Cielo Azure;2782517]
The bushmaster is a very nice saddle for the cost and it does hold up well. We had a slight issue with the stirrups not being able to be short enough but some extra holes and a small screw/bolt did the trick.

I am pretty sure that I bought the “premium” bushmaster ($429) and not the one that you are looking at ($289). You might want to phone Brad and find out what the difference is between the two types of Bushmasters. If it is type of leather…proceed at your own peril with the cheaper one.

We have had the saddle for 4 years, it has been used a lot. It still looks great. We have Percheron mares and use the saddle primarily for trail riding. Right now, it is only used occassionally but at one time, it was used almost daily for about two years.

It is the saddle the “Brad” the owner will recommend to you for wider horses. Don’t get a 10" gullet, unless you have one rolly polly horse (like a Brabant).

Some of their much cheaper saddles are not so good. I say this not from my own experience but from reading other people’s comments on forums over the years. Cheap leather is the major issue.[/QUOTE]

The one you have, what do you think of the leather? Do you think the saddle will last a long time?

[Cielo_Azure]

Yes! I do.

It has been used a lot, the flocking is still great and after 4 years, it really looks almost new. there is no cracking, no dye issues. I really do like the quality.

[shaft0463]

wow, i didnt realize i would get more than one or two responses!

the draft width will be too wide for her, as she does have withers and is just a normal wide tree width. someone at my barn has a kimberly model, so i will take a look at that. i dont think its a wide tree, but we can at least look at the quality. that sounds like it may be the way to go!

thanks!

[sublimequine]

I actually put a bid on one on ebay, then realized it would be too big for my skinny butt. But if anyone else is looking for a wide aussie, they sent me pics of the gullet width, and it is indeed quite wide. Also amazing price ($150 :eek: )…

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140176163222

Someone should bid so I don’t end up with this too big saddle! :lol: