I have went from english riding to the western world. I purchased a nicely trained arabian western pleasure horse. I am very excited. But I am slightly stuck in the saddle department. I love love my dressage saddle, and I have decided to just ride in that for now, even if it looks funny jogging in a dressage saddle, it fits me and the horse. My trainer has a saddle I can borrow for lessons that is an arab equitation. While I like the her saddle I haven’t seen many come up for sale. I am so confused, at first I wanted an older saddle, I love the Broken Horn saddles, Victor or Billy Royal. But they seem to be mostly 15 inch seats and so heavy and large it seems a bit silly to be riding trail and practicing in one? So for training would it be better to take that money and buy a new lighter weight, say a Crates Ladies Reiner with minimal tooling to train in? The other option I like is riding in my dressage and ordering a J Stead lighter weight ladies wade. It seems to ride much like a dressage saddle and looks fantastic. Just may be 6 - 8 weeks of riding in my dressage looking silly. Any Advice?
I don’t have much for advice other than if you currently like your dressage saddle, then I think a reiner will make you feel out of balance (fenders/stirrup too far forward).
I had thought of buying a new saddle for my Arabian too, but the shorter skirts she needs are hard to find in my budget! So I am instead riding in an economy “Alamo” saddle that is balanced like an equitation saddle, and fairly light. Not ideal, but working for me for now and keeps me in the same balance as my dressage saddle.
I did a J Stead ladies wade, lovely saddle, beautiful work, fit the horse beautifully, did not fit me. I sold it after fighting my position for 7 months. I worked with a saddle fitter/maker and went with a Courts ladies all around. Love it, fits me, fits my horse. Not near as heavy as the J Stead wade. I also ride dressage so considered what I love about my dressage saddle for my new western. The J Stead stirrup bars were too far forward for my leg, too. The lady that bought it from the consignment shop loved it, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Jeremy did a great job in the saddle, I just wish I could have sat in several models before I bought it. He also does conventional saddles, consider that, too.
Before you buy a wade type, most of them are very wide twists. How wide a twist is your dressage saddle? Does you pelvis slant front or back? I needed a narrow twist with rise under my pelvis for support. Otherwise the saddle caused me to tip forward. If you like more of a reiner, you may not like a wade type.
How wide is your horse? My mare is very wide with a huge shoulder. The Courts actually fits her better than my J Stead. And it fits me. I really thought if the saddle fit my mare, I could ride in anything, I was wrong.
Sit in the saddle before you order one, ride in it. Be sure it is what you really want.
Western dressage is becoming more popular and there are some nice saddles being designed. Maybe a google search would turn up something that would work.
I saw an ad proclaiming a western saddle made especially for western dressage in Dressage Today a couple of years ago. I can’t remember the maker, but I agree with the idea of a Google search to see what comes up.
Sheilah
one thing to remember with arabs…they tend to be closer coupled, so need a shorter saddle, hence the rounded skirts. and, unlike the rest of the western world, they are into "dark oil’ for showing. having said that, i have a foundation qh, and love my JR Wenger schooling saddle. Joey did a great job of fitting me and the horse…
Where are you located?
You might be able to have us scout on your local craigslist and tell you ‘good’ bad or ‘meh’ on the listed saddles.
Give us an idea of your budget.
[QUOTE=twoxover;7426855]
unlike the rest of the western world, they are into "dark oil’ for showing. having said that, i have a foundation qh, and love my JR Wenger schooling saddle. Joey did a great job of fitting me and the horse…[/QUOTE]
Light oil has been ‘in’ for awhile now with Arabs. You still see some dark oil saddles, but mostly everyone has light or medium oil.
I was actually surprised because I saw 3-4 dark saddles in open western at last years nationals…for awhile it seemed like there were none or maybe 1 at the bigger shows.
I have no show ambitions, but I wanted a saddle that would let me sit in a balanced seat. I found a used Fabtron Cross Trail, which I bought & am eagerly awaiting its delivery. I think it should fit my 2 saddle horses* and me. The link to a picture is at the bottom of the post.
I like it because: It’s light weight (22lbs), has a short, round skirt, has full qh bars, has panels instead of fleece pads, and no intricate carving that requires cleaning with q-tips. :yes:
I have English saddles, but with these two horses, I appreciate having a high cantle and a “handle” in front.
*An Arabian and a Pinto–both are round & short-backed, with forward girth grooves.
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/fabtron-cross-trail-saddle.html#.UwUv6fldVNQ
I wouldn’t let heavier weight turn you off (as long as you can lift it). The best saddles that I’ve ridden in have been heavy. There really is nothing like the fit of a well made ranch/wade/roping saddle and with that quality usually comes weight.
Look into used saddles. Coolhorse.com has a good selection. Nrsworld.com has some as well. You should be able to find a nice older saddle around $800-$1000.
The fit is everything. I used to ride barrels and know from experience that a heavier saddle that fits well will clock faster times than a lightweight that fits “ok”. Here is my saddle:http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e63/caughtbuckinoff/D6FB8093-5A03-430A-925C-36C01D1BAC35_zpswyeewfnt.jpg
It weighs probably 50lbs. fully set up (pad, cinch, breastcollar), but my horse moves more freely in it than anything else I’ve ever put him in. He is an Arabian as well, albeit a bigger boy than many. The saddle skirt is 28in. I would not recommend anything longer for an Arab. I know some reining saddles are pretty long so check that before jumping in. Full QH bars (with a 7-7.5in gullet) works well if your Arab is round like roly poly there. :winkgrin:
Also, I would love to see a photo of your horse! I do love the breed.
Well, I went through a bit of a crash course at the Scottsdale Arab show. I can do a dark oil, there were a few here and there and it doesn’t bother me. I found out that I hate a really high cantle but like an equitation seat with a bit of a rise to it.
How does anyone feel about an off brand just for training like an older Tex Tan Herford or Big Horn? I found a few in my budget. But my arab is probably going to need an arab tree. He’s not mutton wither but not much of one, big shoulders and a fairly flat back. I will post some pictures once I figure out how!
No wide twist, that’s a big one for me. I like a narrow twist with the rise.
I will look into a courts saddle, seems like I just need an all around type more than a show saddle. He’s not super wide at the wither but the shoulder is large and he has a fairly wide flat back. Typical arab I believe.
[QUOTE=aka Hermein;7440343]
I have no show ambitions, but I wanted a saddle that would let me sit in a balanced seat. I found a used Fabtron Cross Trail, which I bought & am eagerly awaiting its delivery. I think it should fit my 2 saddle horses* and me. The link to a picture is at the bottom of the post.
I like it because: It’s light weight (22lbs), has a short, round skirt, has full qh bars, has panels instead of fleece pads, and no intricate carving that requires cleaning with q-tips. :yes:
I have English saddles, but with these two horses, I appreciate having a high cantle and a “handle” in front.
*An Arabian and a Pinto–both are round & short-backed, with forward girth grooves.
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/fabtron-cross-trail-saddle.html#.UwUv6fldVNQ[/QUOTE]
I thought about this saddle but the high cantle was a little too high for me. If only they made a version a bit lower!
[QUOTE=craz4crtrs;7421306]
I did a J Stead ladies wade, lovely saddle, beautiful work, fit the horse beautifully, did not fit me. I sold it after fighting my position for 7 months. I worked with a saddle fitter/maker and went with a Courts ladies all around. Love it, fits me, fits my horse. Not near as heavy as the J Stead wade. I also ride dressage so considered what I love about my dressage saddle for my new western. The J Stead stirrup bars were too far forward for my leg, too. The lady that bought it from the consignment shop loved it, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Jeremy did a great job in the saddle, I just wish I could have sat in several models before I bought it. He also does conventional saddles, consider that, too.
Before you buy a wade type, most of them are very wide twists. How wide a twist is your dressage saddle? Does you pelvis slant front or back? I needed a narrow twist with rise under my pelvis for support. Otherwise the saddle caused me to tip forward. If you like more of a reiner, you may not like a wade type.
How wide is your horse? My mare is very wide with a huge shoulder. The Courts actually fits her better than my J Stead. And it fits me. I really thought if the saddle fit my mare, I could ride in anything, I was wrong.
Sit in the saddle before you order one, ride in it. Be sure it is what you really want.[/QUOTE]
Dang, I do want to sit in the saddle before I order it. But here in AZ there just isn’t any shops that have used saddles. And the only choices I have are new Circle Y saddles or Tucker, that’s just about it around here. I had a flex 2 Circle Y brand new, while comfy for me, quality was only OK and the horses I had it on never seemed really happy. No obvious fit problems just not really comfortable.
I will keep looking!
Crates make a barrel saddle with a “Freedom Tree” that has a good flare at the shoulders. The saddles are named after a champion barrel racer–whose name escapes me. This type of tree is said to be comfortable for Arabs.
[QUOTE=Amym600;7442169]
No wide twist, that’s a big one for me. I like a narrow twist with the rise.
I will look into a courts saddle, seems like I just need an all around type more than a show saddle. He’s not super wide at the wither but the shoulder is large and he has a fairly wide flat back. Typical arab I believe.[/QUOTE]
My appendix AQHA mare is wider than the uber wide arabs I used to have and her Courts would have fit my old arabians great. For the widest flare in a Courts, look at the Miss Rodeo America model. I have a customized one that fits us both wonderfully. I also have the lite roper model that isn’t quite wide enough at her upper shoulders, but fits our mutton withered qh gelding nicely. The roper has less flare, the Miss Rodeo America more flare and is much flatter through the bars. I have lots of pictures, but its hard to post on here. I will see if I can change some settings and post some if anyone is interested.
My mare in the light Courts Roper.
My mare in her new custom Courts Miss Rodeo America all around.
Let me know if the links don’t work. The shaved parts are because I have my mare spayed because of ovarian cysts.
https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1724549_10202112938038161_414828546_n.jpg
Close up of the saddle.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t31/1417695_10201470386014762_926716221_o.jpg
Amazing saddle! Please read the info and the comments on this page.
http://kirkridgefarm.com/harmony-western-dressage-saddle.html
Dale Chavez trainer is an awesome saddle, comfortable and not too heavy.
I had a Dakota Reiner that I absolutly LOVED. I ride in a 14 or 14.5" barrel saddle. So, I ordered the reiner in a 14" seat… let me just tell you… it was too small. The way the saddles are cut and sit, you need a bigger seat if you are buying a reining or work saddle unless you are a small youth. I’m 5’4 and 125lbs… my 14" barrel saddles fit me great. But, the 14" in the work or reiner is just too smallb/c of the way they sit.
