I sat in a saddle today that just sold itself in the first second my butt hit the seat! Unfortunately it was WAY over my budget.
It was the ranch cutter by Martin Saddlery and so level, with such great balance and feel, and the perfect “sweet spot” with a narrow closer contact feel in the twist and a deep seat, high swells, with roughout leather on the seat, fenders, ahh, just loved it. Was surprised b/c I hadn’t felt that “comfy” (really sitting IN the horse, not on top, feeling secure yet really able to move with the motion if necessary, felt great with my leg length and height, etc.) since riding in that old Colorado Saddlery saddle.
So, did some research. Seems Martin might be a more expensive brand. Is that a safe assumption? A pricier brand? I called the local tack shops to see if there were any used but nobody had any in my size (16) under $2400. 
What are some good sites to check for used Martins? Or is that unusual to find? How popular is roughout leather? Does that usually add to the price or detract? B/c I LOVED it.
I found another that was a Cactus trail saddle with a flex tree (I think) that felt similar but was padded, no roughout, lots of tooling. It was in my budget but I don’t like the tooling and don’t like padded seats. I am going to call the store back tomorrow after they’ve had a chance to call Cactus for a quote on the same saddle, roughout, no tooling. I’m hoping its less expensive and that sitting in that saddle with roughout will be the thing that tips the scales towards it vs the Martin.
That said, I still didn’t LOVE it like I loved that Martin saddle.
That said, I can’t afford the Martin for a couple more months and even then, it’d wipe out my account. I’m not sure I can really swallow that kind of price for my FIRST western saddle. When I grew up eventing, I had a generic close contact, then a Pessoa, then a Courbette, then a semi-custom Custom Saddlery with buffalo hide, moving up a bit with each new saddle. That said, I am now a lot older and appreciate quality leather a lot more than I did as a kid…and plan on keeping it a lifetime.
Another question: are there any benefits over the flex tree vs a 7" gullet (Martin) that would make it the better saddle for a variety of horses (I’ll be riding a few different ones, different types) that make it worth looking more into a roughout Cactus than going with the Martin? With a 7" I thought I’d be able to use it on a wide range and just pad it up on the narrower horses.
Thoughts?? So glad COTH has a western forum now!
