I am bringing my guy back into work after 2 years off. We just do play day/trail riding type stuff. The saddle I have seems to perch on his back and think the bar angles are wrong. Where would you guys start as far as looking into new saddles. Full QH bars? I’m not positive what my current saddle is but I believe it is semi-QH bars. For reference he is only 14.1. Thoughts from pics? Also any recommendations on brand is appreciated. I’m not sure I want to splurge on the big name saddles for the kind of riding we do-but I do want us to be comfortable!
A lot of it is going to depend on your budget and location. Where I live, there were/are several different tack stores with a large collection of new and used western saddles. Most of them allowed people to actually bring their horses in to try out saddles. If you have something like that in your neck of the woods, that can be very helpful! It’s so easy for a saddle to seem like it fit online only to be the completely wrong shape once it shows up. Semi-QH bars are more common than Full-QH bars in my experience.
To start, I took back tracings of my horse. I used a metal wire (from an old clothes hanger) to outline her withers and back, then transferred the measurements onto some cardboard. I took the cardboard pieces to various tack stores to see what “fit” the tracings. Several tack stores I visited let customers try sitting in the saddles, which I took advantage of.
However, the saddle I wound up with I bought sight-unseen online. I knew the specific model was comfortable as an old trainer of mine had one that I loved. I managed to find a used model in the size I needed, then had the thing shipped to me. I went with a store that had a return policy so I could send the saddle back if it didn’t work out. That was the only way I felt comfortable buying one online. Facebook is popular for selling saddles as well, but I feel that finding the right saddle that way requires a better eye than I have. I see people buy saddles that don’t work out, then they’re stuck with the saddle until they can sell it as they need money to get a different one.
I wound up with a Circle Y Topeka. It’s one of their trail models. Super comfy and light-weight, but made of actual leather. It’s not as nice quality as the older ones, but its a lovely saddle. Wintecs and Corriente saddles are the more budget friendly brands I’ve worked with. I (personally) hated the feel of a Wintec but they fit the horses well. Corrientes fit well, were comfortable enough, and came in lots of different designs. They also hold their value well. New ones are often under $1k and sell for the same price used.
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All of my broad-backed QHs go so well in Martins and I LOVE them. I have one all-around I bought new 15 years ago and one of their barrel models I bought used (in a FB group) 3 years ago. The first one is a 7.5 inch gullet and I knew I needed just a smidge wider for my second horse so went looking for an 8 inch which is perfect. They also make them much wider in some models. One thing that was handy to know is that every Martin has a stamp that will tell you the gullet and some other information so if you are buying used you don’t have to rely on those useless photos people like to take where they hold a ruler across the front of the saddle to show you how wide it is.
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I’ll have to check this brand out! Saving buying used is great but I do get concerned with what I am actually buying (mostly tree type) since I don’t think that is typically stamped on a saddle?… I would truly have no idea what I was buying and it turns me off a bit.
Thank you! Saddle shopping is such a painful thing. Mostly bc I just don’t have an eye for it nor super knowledgeable on things to look for fit wise. I like the wither tracing idea! Not really any western tack stores in the area, but if I did brave to look at a used saddle up for sale in the area, the tracing may help me determine if there’s a chance it’s an appropriate fit.
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