Saddles. Do we hoard them?

[moonlitoaksranch]

We have two Circle Y saddles we used on our old QHs. I want to keep one in case we get another broad backed beastie down the road. But, the other saddle, my saddle, is really too big for my Mustang. I’m thinking of selling it and buying an endurance type instead. But it’s seems unusually hard to sell a saddle. Is it because of all the stuff we go through with our saddles? Do we get emotionally attached and want to hoard them? Maybe because of the memories of our lost equine friends? I still have a very old Colorado Saddlery children’s saddle with brands on it. It’s a 14 inch I rode my first horse in when I was a teen. And our son’s first pony saddle (he towers over me now). Why is it so hard to part with a saddle?

All together, we have five saddles. Only one is in regular use.

[steelerino]

I keep mine because they are expensive to replace. I am currently horseless and kept all 3 of my saddles lol

[2DogsFarm]

I kept my Stubben A/P - purchased new (on sale) from Dover in 1985 - until last year, when I donated it to a theraputic program.
But, I rode in it for all those years, showing Hunters, Dressage & Eventing.
It fit every horse I rode/owned until I got my WB (a COTH Giveaway ) in 2010.
He got a new semi-custom Stubben.

& Thanks to COTH, the close contact saddle that was DH’s - bought used in 1990 - just became a purse & wallet

No Hoarder here.
Until I donated the Stubben, I only ever had 3 saddles.
Now just the newer Stubben.
And a single bridle, the other 2 I had went with the saddle that became a purse.

[Alterration]

@moonlitoaksranch

e have two Circle Y saddles we used on our old QHs. I want to keep one in case we get another broad backed beastie down the road. But, the other saddle, my saddle, is really too big for my Mustang. I’m thinking of selling it and buying an endurance type instead. But it’s seems unusually hard to sell a saddle. Is it because of all the stuff we go through with our saddles? Do we get emotionally attached and want to hoard them? Maybe because of the memories of our lost equine friends? I still have a very old Colorado Saddlery children’s saddle with brands on it. It’s a 14 inch I rode my first horse in when I was a teen. And our son’s first pony saddle (he towers over me now). Why is it so hard to part with a saddle?

I have 11 saddles. I own 4 horses. 1 of those horses is not in work at all and the other is a retiree that gets trotted out once in awhile. So 11 saddles for 2 functional horses.

I have sold saddles through the years, and always regretted it. I don’t think it’s emotional, for me it’s because every time I sell a dang saddle, that is when I have the horse that it would work for perfectly. And I’ve never sold any saddle at anything close to their value. Just doesn’t seem to work that way.

I have a Circle Y Equitation, a custom Wade, a Spanish saddle, three dressage saddles, three close contact saddles, a saddleseat saddle, and my first saddle, which does actually have sentimental value and won’t be sold (a Borelli hunt seat that I bought for the princely sum of $75 when I was 12 years old).

I have sold one really nice roughout, a barrel saddle, 5 close contact saddles, 2 ap saddles and an Aussie. There are times I wish I had each one of those.

But I freely admit to being a bit of a tack hoarder.

[NancyM]

Ummm, yes. I do collect them. Older, flat, minimalistic saddles. Quality old saddles that often fit TBs, since that is what I own, and the type of saddle I like to ride in. With a nice selection, I can usually find one that fits any horse I have. They are cheap to buy, and don’t eat anything. Occasionally I have to spend some money on one, minor repairs. But they don’t eat anything. So I feel it’s a good item to hoard. Occasionally I do sell one. Occasionally, I buy another one. Far less harmful or expensive than many things that people hoard. My DH collects bicycles… expensive ones. That is his passion. And he does ride them and appreciate them. My passion for old saddles is far cheaper.

[Bogie]

Do I actually have to count them to admit I’m a saddle hoarder? Because that would be scary. For many years I had two horses that were completely different shapes – OTTB and draft x – which gave me some justification for my extensive saddle library. However, now that I’m down to only my draft x, I’m faced with the dilemma of do I keep my other saddles in case my next horse is not as uber wide as my current ride? I’ve sold off a few, but there are some that I feel emotionally connected to. I’ve never sold the saddle I used on my Trakhener gelding, who died a decade ago, and it’s probably not worth enough now to part with it. Other saddles are ones that I chose because they worked for me and might no longer be available . . . and some I bought because I liked them so much I needed a second one as a back up.

I always buy used and for the most part, when I’ve sold, have made a profit. As my husband says, better to have one horse an 15 or so saddles, than 15 horses and one saddle.

[LCDR]

My name is @LCDR, and I am a saddle hoarder. Actually I prefer the term saddle junkie. I have been riding for 40 years and I have only parted with one saddle, plus giving a couple to my only riding relative. I have 14. They all bring back memories of a particular horse and certain riding moments.

Yet I still go on ebay almost every day and check my saved search for newly posted Lovatt and Ricketts saddles for sale. I am hoping to find an exact match for the only one I gave up - my first saddle.

[walkinthewalk]

Yes - I - hoard - saddles.

When I was working, I was called the Imelda Marcus of our company because I had so many shoes.

The same could be said for saddles and the kicker is that I am a trail rider and have ridden bareback the bulk of my life.

I have sold several saddles but there are still seven covered up in the attic. One of those being the Sears-Roebuck saddle/bridle/martingale mom bought for my first horse in 1959. It is still rideable if I wanted to sit on a cement block, lollol.

[MunchingonHay]

I have kept my saddle that was gifted to me as an 18 yr old. (I am in my late 40’s now) I keep it oiled and conditioned and think about posting it for sale then I wonder; well, what if I need it?

I have not sat in it in over a decade.

[Foxglove]

Just the opposite here --I sell/donate a saddle when the horse dies or the discipline leaves the barn. My 3 kiddos and Granddaughter all had different equestrienne interests: Hunter, jumper, dressage, western pleasure, side-saddle, flat saddle, driving, and ranch riding. We had many different sizes of clothing for each discipline, and a full set of tack for each --sometimes two as both kiddos would show in saddle seat at the same time, same age group. Western pleasure riders prefer “silver” saddles; ranch riding doesn’t allow . . .etc. As the kiddos left home --one took her 3-Day equipment with her and her horse --CC saddle, o/f saddle, dressage saddle; but that still left a whopping lot of tack in the tackroom. Gradually, over about 10 years --I narrowed my interest to fox hunting and mounted archery. Everything else left the building. Last November, a dressage horse was dropped off --had to go buy him a saddle. But, frankly, what were the odds that the 40 year old brown Bates would have fit him? There have been many improvements in saddles --I was good with buying him his own. Between the 4 horses currently here, there are 5 saddles. My two fox hunters each have a (custom fitted) hunt saddle; the dressage horse has his dressage saddle; and I keep a western ranch type saddle for when I ride out alone on trails (quicker to saddle and perhaps I feel safer with that big horn). Everything else is gone.

Personally, I believe saddles are almost living things. If they are not cared for and used, they deteriorate. I cringed when a guest at the hunt club loudly proclaimed she was riding in her grandfather’s hunt saddle! One can only worry that billets and stirrup leathers have been changed and the saddle reflocked a time or two. As it turned out, none of the above and it was a scramble on the hunt field to keep her in the saddle as billets gave way and stirrup leathers broke.

[Jackie_Cochran]

It took many, many years, but now I am down to 4 saddles and I no longer own any horses.

One I ride in, my Pegasus Butterfly Claudia jumping saddle that I can fit most any back with my 6 pocket shimmable pads or with one horse my Corrector shimmable pad.

My truly ancient Crosby PDN Wide Front now lives on my Home Horse riding simulator.

My newer Crosby Prix de World/Lynn Palm saddle I am saving to use when I finally save up enough money for an Equicizer (this will take a while.)

My ancient hard seated A-fork Western saddle, ca. 14" seat, is living on my saddle rack. Why? Oh I don’t know, maybe some day I will have to lead a horse carrying packs of some sort and it would be a good saddle to hand stuff onto. Besides, for some reason, my husband is against me selling this saddle though the seat is many inches too small for him.

[Bogie]

It’s funny how people say it’s hard to buy saddles because I think it’s anything but! I’m always seeing saddles that I want to try/buy and there have many that I have loved. Saddles are always popping up on my FB feed that need to be appreciated.

[anon40672407]

@steelerino

I keep mine because they are expensive to replace.

Not only that, but having been in horses a long time, I don’t want to have to learn the ins and outs of new brands.

Buy a Stubben, you have a Stubben for life.

I own 5 saddles at the moment (all used) and I don’t own a horse. Three suit me, one is ‘husband-sized’. 2 are wide tree, 3 are regular. I can pretty much saddle up any sized horse and since I’m leasing different animals that actually comes in handy.

The 5 of them cost me (all together) far less than a single new saddle would cost and they are brands I am familiar with.

I did sell out most of my saddles when I got out of horses in 2008, and gave away at that time my favorite (and rare) Hopfner Alerich. Miss that one for sure.

(whoops. 6 saddles. I, too, have an ancient Crosby PDN). All of my existing saddles are wool flocked, except for the PDN. I do believe that’s better than foam for longevity.

[anon40672407]

@Bogie

do I keep my other saddles in case my next horse is not as uber wide as my current ride?

Yes.

[js]

I have sold some that had good value, usually because I needed to replace it with something that would be a better fit. I have kept some (old western show saddles) they don’t have much value monetarily but have sentimental value so I keep them.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Thank you all. I’m not alone, lol!

For those that can move them on easily, well done!

[walktrot]

I’ll sell the Circle Y trail saddle with flexible tree.

I won’t sell the special order Albion Original Comfort dressage saddle. Ever. It was on consignment, brand new, at Pelham in 2001 for $1650… Built for the short and fat. 19" seat, short flaps, extra long panels for more support under the cantle. “wide” tree but fit was no problem on my TB-built Paint gedling with withers.

I’m staring at my 75th birthday in a few months. We were together for 21 years. I lost him last July… There isn’t another horse like him in the universe. I won’t sell the saddle. Ever.

[Kyrabee]

I only have two. I bought a new (well demo) Prestige a few years ago. It didn’t seem to work for me…fit the horse fine but I had trouble finding my balance point in it at trot. Finally, last spring, I hauled it back to the barn and tried it again and viola…I had lost 15 pounds. No trouble at trot and I find it a very comfortable saddle. However, the old one is treeless so I know it will likely fit most horses so I am not too keen to sell it just yet.

I had a trail saddle for awhile and finally sold that. Kind of wish I hadn’t because now I am at a barn with trail access. The Prestige, with its giant thigh/knee rolls has been quite secure so far.

So no…I don’t consider myself a hoarder. Thankfully, I only have one horse.

Susan

[PNWjumper]

I’m another who will out myself as a hoarder. I think I own 17 or 18 saddles, maybe a few more? I gave away 4 saddles a few months ago, so at least I’m down a little!

But as others have said, I don’t ever sell saddles. Generally speaking, you get pennies for the dollar on what you spent for them and then can’t replace them for anything close to what you sell them for (I know the math and logic of that doesn’t make complete sense…that’s part of the problem!).

But I also always have a rotating group of 6-10 horses, so am often needing to find something for a particular horse, so never mind having different saddles to try. And now that my daughter is riding too, I need to (ideally) have two saddles that fit each horse so that if one is being ridden in on another horse, there’s still one for that horse/rider combo.

I do have two that I’m embarrassed to still have, though. I have a brand new Stubben dressage saddle (it’s gorgeous!) that has sat on a horse ONE time right when I first got it. I was determined to do my dressage lessons in a dressage saddle, and then never actually did so…as supported by my dressage trainer who told me she preferred I do lessons in the saddles I was riding/jumping in.

The other is a fancy western saddle that my mom bought from a friend who did big western stuff. I took it under the idea that it would be fun to trail ride in, and then really it turns out I only trail ride in my regular saddles anyway.

So I definitely need to get rid of those two just for the amount of space they take up in my tack room. Maybe 2023 will be the year?

[anon40672407]

@PNWjumper

So I definitely need to get rid of those two just for the amount of space they take up in my tack room. Maybe 2023 will be the year?

Ooh hoh ho. Sly of you to post the possibility of moving two saddles in a thread of avowed hoarders. Well done!