Trail saddles

[AppyMom]

I’m looking at getting a nice, used western saddle for my boyfriend for Christmas. He’ll need a 17" seat and SQHB seem to work well on most of our horses. All the horses are hunter horses, but he rides a couple of them occasionally on fun trail rides. The saddle won’t be used for any strenuous all day rides… just leisure and short trail rides.

What are some of the models I should be looking for? I know very little about western tack. I’m not looking to spend more than $600… so definitely looking for used. Has to be in good usable shape, but not too worried about cosmetic flaws or minor damage.

Thanks!

[ehwaz]

Quick Question - 17 inch English seat size or western ( equivalent to 19" english ) ?
If you need a 17 inch western seat size, that could limit your search.
You might want to consider some of the western style endurance- no horn, but large pommel. The endurance saddle, at least for me, are much more comfortable and great for the trail. They tend to have rounded,smaller skirts compared to western saddles, which leads to better cooling for the horse and a much lighter saddle. I’d also consider some of the synthetic saddles ( big horn, abetta) as they do not require much maintenance and are also lighter weight. In my area, you could get a good quality western endurance synthetic saddle for $200-$300.

One thing to look into for comfort and safety are the E-Z ride stirrups - very comfy and the cages prevent your foot from going through the stirrup, letting you use boots without a heel .

[AppyMom]

17 inch Western saddle. I have a 16 inch Tex Tan that I like pretty well, but he hates it. Way too small for him… although I don’t know if it’s just because of the way the seat is shaped. The pommel is more vertical instead of being low and angled forward like I’ve seen on some western saddles (if that makes sense, lol). He rides in an 18.5 English saddle. I’ve noticed that most western saddles come only in whole sizes and not half sizes so that’s where I figured he would need a 17.

Thanks for the tips. I’ll definitely look into the E-Z ride stirrups as he is somewhat of a beginner, so that’d be a nice safety precaution.

[qhwpmare]

Fabtron makes a nice light trail saddle in a 17".

[Flash44]

Definitely look for a Trail saddle, as they are built to be comfortable to sit in for a long time. A 17" saddle is probably a normal man-sized saddle, both my husband and son ride in 17" saddles. You can also get a seat cushion, which is much appreciated by those that only ride sporadically!!!

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=AppyMom;7286689]
I’m looking at getting a nice, used western saddle for my boyfriend for Christmas. He’ll need a 17" seat and SQHB seem to work well on most of our horses. All the horses are hunter horses, but he rides a couple of them occasionally on fun trail rides. The saddle won’t be used for any strenuous all day rides… just leisure and short trail rides.

What are some of the models I should be looking for? I know very little about western tack. I’m not looking to spend more than $600… so definitely looking for used. Has to be in good usable shape, but not too worried about cosmetic flaws or minor damage.

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Your motivation is admirable. But buying saddles is like buying shoes; they have to be just right to be right at all!

Give a “gift certificate” good to a certain amount and let him pick his own.

Good luck and Merry Christmas!

G.

[Sparrowette]

[QUOTE=AppyMom;7287532]
17 inch Western saddle. I have a 16 inch Tex Tan that I like pretty well, but he hates it. Way too small for him… although I don’t know if it’s just because of the way the seat is shaped. The pommel is more vertical instead of being low and angled forward like I’ve seen on some western saddles (if that makes sense, lol). He rides in an 18.5 English saddle. I’ve noticed that most western saddles come only in whole sizes and not half sizes so that’s where I figured he would need a 17.

Thanks for the tips. I’ll definitely look into the E-Z ride stirrups as he is somewhat of a beginner, so that’d be a nice safety precaution.[/QUOTE]

I’d take him to the store and be sure about what size exactly, he needs. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like you’re just going by math, here. Then you can start looking at brands, styles etc.