Question for someone with more knowledge about saddle bars/trees than me:
I’m pretty set on buying a synthetic western saddle because I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest with nowhere to ride under cover. I don’t want to deal with the upkeep of a rain-soaked leather saddle.
Anyway, my friend let me try out her Big Horn 105 cordura saddle and it fit my horse (OTTB) very well. But I didn’t find the seat to be comfortable and I hate the cheap look of cordura. I’ve been looking around at faux leather saddles and am interested in the Wintec western trail saddle. I’ve used Wintec’s English line many times and love their comfort and durability in all weather conditions. I also love that it can almost pass as a leather saddle.
What I’m struggling with is the comparison of the trees between the two saddles. The Big Horn is described as a “13in Barrel Front Quarter Horse Bar” and the Wintec is described as “Full Quarter Horse Bars.”
I’ve been struggling to find more information on the internet about the specs of these bars. And unfortunately, all the Wintec distributors in my area are English specialty and don’t have any knowledge of the western line. Any help would be appreciated!
Links to the two saddles’ specs and a link to a Wintec semi-quarter bar saddle for comparison:
Big Horn 105: http://saddleshop.bizland.com/105__106__169__1702.jpg
Wintec Full quarter trail: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/wintec-western-trail-saddle/E010527/
Wintec Semi-Quarter all-around: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/wintec-semi-quarter-western-saddle/SLT733024/
