Saddles. Do we hoard them?

[Djones]

I have three horses total.
2 dressage saddles, one leather one synthetic
1 true hardseat I will never sell. It was my first custom for a very special horse. It fits two of mine.
1 hardseat w/ a bicycle seat insert. It fits two but it’s going to be sold. I’m tired of how heavy it is.
1 endurance style all leather saddle
1 Alleghany Mountain Trail saddle that Mr M is replacing with the endurance above, got that one last week. The Alleghany is a really nice saddle, but the endurance is here to replace it as Mr M says it is more to his liking
2 Steele saddles we just got last week.

yikes, three horses, 8 saddles is RIDIC and the funny thing is I’m only up for selling two of them LOL.

[Equestrian24]

I’m a tack hoarder in general. I stopped counting how many bridles and saddle pads I own!

I currently have six English saddles (four that are actually my size, and two childhood heirlooms I can’t part with), and three Western saddles (one is for me and two are family heirlooms/occasional guest saddles). They’re all nice to have, even the heirlooms (which are the source of so many great memories!). Tack care is also like a source of therapy for me, so the more to maintain, the merrier!

[LCDR]

I am now blessed with a climate controlled tack room and a great love of clleaning tack. Before finally getting my own place, 8 saddles lived in the house. Our eight dining room chairs were the saddle stands. In fact any unused chair was at risk of having a saddle hanging on its back when I brought the ones from the boarding barn home to clean. No way would I put a saddle in the garage.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I can relate to this. I sold a lot of tack when we lived in Florida. We didn’t have room in the house so it was a battle keeping tack clean. It just wouldn’t hold up down there. Now, the tack is stored in a workshop. While humidity isn’t controlled, the temperature is, so it’s been so much easier. Hoarding mode…on.

[Small_Change]

I am pretty good about only keeping close contact saddles for myself and the kids that are actually in use, but I struggle with my three sidesaddles… None are actively being used right now, but I would love to ride aside again in the future, and I know exactly how hard these saddles would be to replace if I sold them. They’re gorgeous, sound for jumping and fit sport horse types, which is a big ask for old name side saddles! I also recognize that a big chunk of money has been sunk into these three saddles for them to just sit… sigh

[furlong47]

I had 4 saddles at the most, and have actually never owned a horse (but for years I rode/worked/sort of free leased at a barn where we basically supplied our own everything). I sold all of those over time and bought another, so actually am down to just 1 now. Although I’m sometimes tempted…

I had a lot of other tack too during that period, and most of that I also sold. It was largely acquired during my teens/early 20s, and I figured that if I need it again in the future I’d replace it with better quality items. I currently have 1 saddle, 1 bridle, 1 breastplate, some halters and lead ropes and a few different sizes of girths. (And a million saddle pads THOSE are what I hoard.)

[Rnichols]

The owner of the barn I board at is 81 and does not ride anymore. She has one pony she teaches two lessons on a week. She has 10 saddles. So yes, I think people hoard them .

[Djones]

I don’t bother to worry about justifying mine. Selling down to 1 dressage and 3 western or endurance style will not appreciably change my bottom line. Nothing is more than a $1500 saddle at most. Selling 4 to realize maybe, maybe $5000 in cash vs the pleasure of having them? Nah…

[quietann]

I have one dressage-y trail saddle, and that’s it. I’ve had up to 3 saddles at a time, but all but 1 were always for sale.

The saddle I have now, though, was fit to me and I am not an easy fit, with short legs, really short femurs, short stature in general, and some serious junk in the trunk. I am keeping it because it has fit several horses, plus my retired mare for whom I bought. In fact, I used it yesterday on the only horse I’m riding these days, an older Morgan gelding. His back has dropped a bit, so he’s going to need a half pad and some shims, but the saddle was still comfortable on him. It’s a Black Country Celeste with modified flaps, built for round horses who still have good withers.

[Mango20]

I have three saddles in use, plus one I really like but don’t have a horse to fit it right now and one I’ve had since 1985 and it’s one of those saddles that fit almost everyone and is great for starting young horses. I also have two others that I’d like to sell. On the plus side, I actually have sold my son’s first two pony saddles.

[atlatl]

It’s not like you have to feed them.

[cattywampus]

Hells yes we hoards them. (Well, right now we hoards harnesses, but we’re still crouching in front of the tack room hissing at anyone who tries to take our precious things away.)
Why?
I mean, different ones do different things and fit different horses, and a lot of them have stories:
The first “good” saddle I had back in the early 90s, that served for all 3 phases eventing until I got an actual dressage saddle, which still fits almost anything
The old stubben that totally fits fat ponies
The good saddles my sister left behind when she quit horses for good (she has NICE taste)
My mom’s trophy barrel saddle from 1963… I’ve got room for it all, and I just like tack.

[exvet]

My reasons are really no different than those already given. I used to have the excuse that I had so many saddles (up to 8 at one time) because I had anywhere from 11-14 horses at any given time (former breeder) and two kids who rode along with my showing and training. As a result I needed multiple saddles of different fits/sizes. Now I own 4, one is retired from riding. I still have 6 saddles. Three dressage saddles, one fitted for each of my competition mounts and a spare for when either of ‘those’ saddles need to be out for repair. It’s an old pilatus and it’s great for lunging horses in and backing. I have three western saddles, all crates. Two are in use regularly and the third is when we have guests who want to trail ride when they come visit. Honestly I could come up with a few additional rationalizations for having so many but I am exvet. I am a saddle hoarder LOL. At least that’s a start right?

[Obsidian_Fire]

Well, yes, along with all the other tack we’ve collected. Because, yanno, the next horse might need it. Too small too big too young too old… who knows? And I have ONE horse. ONLY one horse! Right now I have 4 dressage saddles and 2 western, custom made, one with my name stamped in the cantle. First custom saddle I ever had. It’s highly likely I’ll never ride western again, but so what? As for the dressage saddles… well… I suppose I’d like to sell off 3 of them, as only one fits my princess. OTOH, one of them (okay, 2, if I count the Wintec) will more likely fit “the next horse” than what I currently use.
Sigh.

[moonlitoaksranch]

Lol!

[Heinz_57]

I hoard, and then I purge occasionally. I sold off all my extra saddles last winter to offset the blow of a custom saddle purchase.

I have 3 horses, but only one is currently under saddle. Current stock includes 4 saddles - my custom Stubben, an older County AP, a Stubben Siegfried and a Montgomery Ward western saddle that needs to be re-fleeced. I will be starting my youngster under saddle later this year, and my rehab horse will be ready to ride soon, and my main riding horse needs a proper jump saddle so I can hop him over things… that’s easily at least 3 more saddles that I need, if not 5 so everyone has a jump & dressage of their own. Right?

[anon40672407]

@Heinz_57

a Montgomery Ward western saddle that needs to be re-fleeced.

Pardon my ignorance, but I’m not sure I’ve ever understood this. Why do some western saddles have fleece on the underside, when we cover horses with blankets or big old pads before putting the saddle up there?

[Heinz_57]

It seems to depend on who you ask, but generally speaking it provides some cushion as well as absorbing moisture/sweat, and some grip to keep the pad in place. This sucker is HEAVY and I’m not sure it would ever fit anything I own - or me, so not sure it’s worth the cost of having it redone but its a neat saddle anyway.

[Bogie]

You’ve all made me feel much better about my library. I did a mental check and I think I’m down to 14, although one is a saddle that I’ll never sell because it’s one of the few things I have left from one of my best horses. It’s also old enough that it’s not worth more than the memories.

[TheJenners]

I have three expensive saddles, all north of $4k new (I got one used on eBay at a screaming good price, but my fitter could easily sell it for 1.5 or 2x what I actually paid for it…), and soon only one horse I can ride who only goes in one of them. I’m keeping the other two for the baby who might be getting started this year… And reasons.