More saddles

[keepthelegend]

Is much known about these Simcos at Stateline? 43% off seems good, but not if it’s a saddle I don’t want in the first place! The Tex Tans are also massively discounted plus 10% more at Horseloverz.

http://www.statelinetack.com/Search.aspx?query=Simco-Longhorn

http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tex-tan-ocala-barrel-saddle/E006894/

https://www.horseloverz.com/western-saddles/trail-pleasure-saddles/tex-tan-addison-trail

O would used like this be better value, comfort and quality?

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/used-circley-trail-saddle-uscy3262.html

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CIRCLE-Y-PARK-AND-TRAIL-SADDLE-W-STAND-/321924187350?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/used-k-bar-s-barrel-saddle-uskb3214.html#.Vl2xPYQlfBI

So lost. This is to trail ride on a high withered Qh type.

[beau159]

As I put on my post in your other thread, pictures of your horse’s back may help.

[QUOTE=keepthelegend;8421744]

http://www.statelinetack.com/Search.aspx?query=Simco-Longhorn[/QUOTE]

Simco is an okay brand. More towards the bottom but certainly would be acceptable for a starter Western saddle. I browsed through some of them, and I didn’t see anything smaller than 15" seat.

@keepthelegend;8421744

http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tex-tan-ocala-barrel-saddle/E006894/

https://www.horseloverz.com/western-saddles/trail-pleasure-saddles/tex-tan-addison-trail

Tex Tan is a good brand, although like most saddles, their quality isn’t the same as it was 15 or 20 years ago.

Keep in mind, these are a 15" seat.

Appears to have good wither clearance in the design.

[QUOTE=keepthelegend;8421744]

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/used-circley-trail-saddle-uscy3262.html [/QUOTE]

Wither clearance doesn’t appear to be as high on that one, but untimately it just depends on how it fits.

I’m surprised they don’t say how old the saddle actually is. Most saddles, including Circle Y, have a serial number that tells you the month and year the saddle was made.

[QUOTE=keepthelegend;8421744]
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CIRCLE-Y-PARK-AND-TRAIL-SADDLE-W-STAND-/321924187350?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123 [/QUOTE]

So far, this one is my favorite. It’s an older Circle Y so you should have good quality there. Appears to have been taken care of mostly. The stirrups look awful straight (for long trail rides, your knees will thank you if there is some twist in the stirrups) but that is something that can be fixed if it is an issue.

And it’s a 14" seat … yay! (although I’d have them show a picture of the measurement to confirm)

But keep in mind, there are NO RETURNS on this and there is certainly no guarantee it is going to fit your horse.

[keepthelegend]

Thanks so much! I get so nervous to buy a 14" rather than a 15" because it just sounds so small! Wish there were more 14.5" around.

Also found this, maybe a bit better condition and a 14.5! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Circle-Y-Park-Trail-used-/272047455904?

I am trying to narrow down all the barrel racing saddles. For the high withers, how much does a gullet size of 6 3/4 and 6 1/2 make if both on semi qh bars? Are they generally comfortable enough to trail ride in?

[aktill]

Yikes, the thickness/lack thereof of the rigging plate on the one above doesn’t inspire confidence. I guess it’s not a roping saddle, but still very thin.

[keepthelegend]

So now it’s basically between

http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tex-tan-salem-flex-western-trail-saddle/E000221/

https://www.horseloverz.com/western-saddles/trail-pleasure-saddles/tex-tan-addison-trail

https://www.horseloverz.com/western-saddles/barrel-racing-saddles/tex-tan-go-round

https://www.horseloverz.com/western-saddles/trail-pleasure-saddles/tex-tan-seminole-flex-trail

[keepthelegend]

[QUOTE=aktill;8421969]
Yikes, the thickness/lack thereof of the rigging plate on the one above doesn’t inspire confidence. I guess it’s not a roping saddle, but still very thin.[/QUOTE]

And I don’t even know what a rigging plate is. Probably should buy new! Although this is going soon…http://www.ebay.com/itm/Circle-Y-Trail-Saddle-/252184470291?ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:US:1123

[beau159]

@keepthelegend;8421874

Thanks so much! I get so nervous to buy a 14" rather than a 15" because it just sounds so small! Wish there were more 14.5" around.

Also found this, maybe a bit better condition and a 14.5! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Circle-Y-Park-Trail-used-/272047455904?

I don’t have a problem with the rigging bar on that saddle. Looks to be an older style saddle. The serial number doesn’t seem quite right, as far as the numbers making sense. You could always call Circle Y to verify. If the saddle is older than 1990, it is really really hard to make sense of the numbers. Otherwise, the serial number can sometimes give you the seat size, tree, and month/year it was made.

[QUOTE=keepthelegend;8421874]
I am trying to narrow down all the barrel racing saddles. For the high withers, how much does a gullet size of 6 3/4 and 6 1/2 make if both on semi qh bars? [/QUOTE]

Once again, there is no standard in the western industry.

Gullet size only tells you the width of the bars on the tree. It will depend on the horse on how that sits and how high it comes off the withers. You can have the same gullet size on two saddles and they can fit 100% different if the bar angle is not the same.

This is an example of having the same bar angle, but different gullet widths. It will change how it sits on your horse’s back.
http://saddlemakers.org/53a52dd0.jpg

Same differences happen if you have the same gullet width, but different bar angle.
http://saddlemakers.org/9ff903c0.jpg

Just because one company calls their saddle a “semi” quarter horse bars, does NOT mean it has ANYTHING the same as another company. There is no standard.

I thought I had already posted these links, but if I didn’t, take a good read through.
http://saddlemakers.org/id193.htm
http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/tree-and-saddle-fitting/factors-that-affect-tree-fit/

So you cannot determine how much wither clearance you are going to have, because it depends on the individual horse and how the individual saddle sits on that horse. Even if you have good wither clearance but your gullet width isn’t right, the saddle doesn’t fit. Or if you have the right gullet width but there isn’t any wither clearance, the saddle doesn’t fit. It’s sheer trial and error.

Some saddles with list a swell height but not always.

The “rule of thumb” to be able to get 2 or 3 fingers between the swell and your horse’s withers. Realistically, you can have less than that, so long as it NEVER actually contacts your horse.

[keepthelegend]

[QUOTE=beau159;8422704]
I don’t have a problem with the rigging bar on that saddle. Looks to be an older style saddle. The serial number doesn’t seem quite right, as far as the numbers making sense. You could always call Circle Y to verify. If the saddle is older than 1990, it is really really hard to make sense of the numbers. Otherwise, the serial number can sometimes give you the seat size, tree, and month/year it was made.

Once again, there is no standard in the western industry.

Gullet size only tells you the width of the bars on the tree. It will depend on the horse on how that sits and how high it comes off the withers. You can have the same gullet size on two saddles and they can fit 100% different if the bar angle is not the same.

This is an example of having the same bar angle, but different gullet widths. It will change how it sits on your horse’s back.
http://saddlemakers.org/53a52dd0.jpg

Same differences happen if you have the same gullet width, but different bar angle.
http://saddlemakers.org/9ff903c0.jpg

Just because one company calls their saddle a “semi” quarter horse bars, does NOT mean it has ANYTHING the same as another company. There is no standard.

I thought I had already posted these links, but if I didn’t, take a good read through.
http://saddlemakers.org/id193.htm
http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/tree-and-saddle-fitting/factors-that-affect-tree-fit/

So you cannot determine how much wither clearance you are going to have, because it depends on the individual horse and how the individual saddle sits on that horse. Even if you have good wither clearance but your gullet width isn’t right, the saddle doesn’t fit. Or if you have the right gullet width but there isn’t any wither clearance, the saddle doesn’t fit. It’s sheer trial and error.

Some saddles with list a swell height but not always.

The “rule of thumb” to be able to get 2 or 3 fingers between the swell and your horse’s withers. Realistically, you can have less than that, so long as it NEVER actually contacts your horse.[/QUOTE]

Thanks so much. Really helpful! I am trying to find some saddles that are good enough deals that I can resell if they don’t work as I think trial and error is how I am going to have to do this.

I am really starting to like the “vintage” saddles in the western world and from pictures the Tex Tan Herefords look wonderful, but I am unsure what they are like from a comfort standpoint for the horse and myself. I know a lot of brands were of higher quality many years ago, but at the same time there is a lot of new technology in saddles today. My mother in law bought an older VW because she thinks the “fit and finish” is superior to the new ones, but it has no latch for carseats, no advanced airbags, no blind spot monitoring or back up camera, etc. Her leather is very soft though and well stitched though, lol. Is that the same in saddles? Maybe I am getting a hand crafted, beautiful, higher quality saddle, but missing out on a lot of comforts for horse and myself?

Would any of these saddles be worth trying?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172020140077?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281867509429?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281861794638?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231542506990?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I am also looking at some new saddles (I like the Reinsman Comfort fit trail saddle from what I can tell), but really do find the old saddles full of character…maybe it’s the whole wild west aspect and thinking of the life they have had and they seem so attractive compared to what an English saddle for $300 would be like…but maybe that’s because I have zero idea what i am looking at!

[beau159]

Tex Tan Hereford saddles were very good in their day. My mom’s older barrel saddle is that brand. It’s a solid 40 years old, or older, and the leather is still just awesome on it. Very well made.

I think you are to the point where you need to start making some decisions, and start trying some saddles on your horse to see what fits and what doesn’t.

On an older used saddle, I would always get the serial number ahead of time, and contact the saddle manufacture to find out any information you can. Sometimes it tells you the seat size (for sure), and sometimes the type of tree (full, semi, etc), and also the year the saddle was made.

The tricky part with trying older saddles, even though they might be better quality and a better price tag, is sometimes you don’t know for sure what type of tree you are dealing with. So if it DOESN’T fit, it might be hard to know what to try next, so you aren’t just trying the same tree (different saddle) over and over.