Also read http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/checking-out-a-flex-tree/
[QUOTE=aktill;8132251]
Also read http://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/checking-out-a-flex-tree/[/QUOTE]
That is the link I was looking for, interesting.
Very interesting reading. Thank you for that.
Paula
I’ve settled on a Big Horn 1691 http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/thesaddleshop/bh1690c-hr.jpg
It seems to fit us well.
http://freckerssaddlery.com/lighter-weight-wade.php
Not cheap, but you will always be able to sell it for as much or more than you paid for it.
Yeah, that’s about $3000 over my budget! :lol:
[QUOTE=paulaedwina;8148029]
I’ve settled on a Big Horn 1691 http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/thesaddleshop/bh1690c-hr.jpg
It seems to fit us well.[/QUOTE]
Then that’s a bonus. This is just fine for everything you said you wanted. A good option.
Don’t forget to post pictures.
Here are some pictures from my flickr page. Profile of me in the saddle and sweat patterns.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52967336@N00/17517235629/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52967336@N00/17703893621/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/52967336@N00/17081120854/in/dateposted-public/
You and Fella look great!
[QUOTE=gaitedincali;8125170]
My favorite saddle is 40lbs fully rigged and I can swing it up one-handed (and have it settle down softly) even on tall horses and I have severe tendonitis in both arms, so I’m no strongman! Once you learn the trick to it it’s easy. I don’t even look at weight anymore when buying a new saddle.[/QUOTE]
Can you share your trick? I’m short and my horse is short, but sometimes, I struggle with my western saddles. I’m okay up until about 40lbs, but after that… it gets awkward. People always talk about ‘the trick’, but I haven’t been able to figure it out yet. lol.
Quote Originally Posted by Preposterous Ponies! View Post
I still can’t figure out why everything in western has to be so bloody heavy - even my big wool pad is an armful.
Nobody ropes angry cows in a dressage saddle, that’s why. Complaining about weight with western tack is like complaining that your full size pickup doesn’t get the same gas mileage as your Toyota Prius.
99% of people riding western don’t rope angry cows either! Imagine Western Pleasure riders chasing anything… what a concept.
[QUOTE=Willesdon;8161256]
99% of people riding western don’t rope angry cows either! Imagine Western Pleasure riders chasing anything… what a concept.[/QUOTE]
I thought I’d update you all on the Big Horn 1691. Fella likes it very much, but I am fighting chair seat a bit in it. Not too much, but enough that a clinician noticed it and now I see it too. To regular non-dressage riders it probably doesn’t look so chair-ish 
So I’m looking at saddles again with a new, slightly more educated eye. Of course after the Big Horn purchase new I have no real budget to speak of. I found another Wade on Ebay and see that the fender placement is much more along the lines I am looking for and I think I will try it. I’ve spoken to the seller and I can return it in 15 days minus shipping.
Yes it is heavy. It’s about 10 pounds heavier than my current saddle. It is a fixed tree (as opposed to a flex) so I’ll find out right away whether Fella can move in the 16. As for all the leather between me and the horse -we’ll see. I’ve learned and Fella is learning to be more forward without me constantly having leg on (whew what a relief :lol: ) I will let you know.
Oh, here is the Wade http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUCKAROO-HIGH-BACK-WESTERN-WADE-RANCH-ROPING-COWBOY-SADDLE-16-EDGE-/351439028048?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51d365ff50
Paula
You cannot buy a decent brand new leather saddle for 349 dollars. Is this a July Fools Joke? You can throw the money away if you want to but that’s a terrible choice for a saddle.
[QUOTE=paulaedwina;8216974]
I thought I’d update you all on the Big Horn 1691. Fella likes it very much, but I am fighting chair seat a bit in it. Not too much, but enough that a clinician noticed it and now I see it too. To regular non-dressage riders it probably doesn’t look so chair-ish
So I’m looking at saddles again with a new, slightly more educated eye. Of course after the Big Horn purchase new I have no real budget to speak of. I found another Wade on Ebay and see that the fender placement is much more along the lines I am looking for and I think I will try it. I’ve spoken to the seller and I can return it in 15 days minus shipping.
Yes it is heavy. It’s about 10 pounds heavier than my current saddle. It is a fixed tree (as opposed to a flex) so I’ll find out right away whether Fella can move in the 16. As for all the leather between me and the horse -we’ll see. I’ve learned and Fella is learning to be more forward without me constantly having leg on (whew what a relief :lol: ) I will let you know.
Oh, here is the Wade http://www.ebay.com/itm/BUCKAROO-HIGH-BACK-WESTERN-WADE-RANCH-ROPING-COWBOY-SADDLE-16-EDGE-/351439028048?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item51d365ff50
Paula[/QUOTE]
Here we go again . . .
I’m curious about the saddle you posted a link to. How is it possible that it is a quality saddle at less than $400? Have you asked the person if he made it? If not, where it was made? What kind of tree it has (other than “QH bars”)? What is the wood of the tree? What kind of shape does it have to it? What does the seller mean by “reinforced in all the right places?” Where did the leather come from? What is the quality of the leather? For a western saddle to cost less than $400 new, I assume it is a piece of shit. Heck, on a quality saddle, the tree alone is going to cost you more than that. And how was it made? What about any sort of craftsmanship? Any saddler worth his salt wouldn’t sell his art for that kind of price.
And you’re willing to put that on Fella’s back and think he’ll go well in it?
Paula, at some point you are going to have to just ride. You’re going to have to take lessons to improve your position, you’re going to have to buckle down and do the hard work. Every saddle you get you seem to think will or has solved your problems, but not one has. So maybe it is time to put in the hours and time and money in lessons to improve. Have you ever added up all the money you’ve spent on your saddles over the years? You could have bought at least a very high quality used (if not new) saddle by now.
This line would make me run the other way alone, even though it’s amazing awesome in it’s foreign marketingness:
“TREE: Unique Super Strong Reinforced Tree. Specially Designed for Heavy Duty works.”
Translation: hollow fibreglass tree
The tree alone in my saddle is worth twice what the total cost of that saddle is. The leather alone is worth more than the purchase price of that saddle.
OMG Pocket Pony you’ve made so many assumptions about me that I don’t even know where to start. I ride 5-6 days a week. I take regular lessons, and my riding is pretty freaking awesome right now, especially considering where I was a year ago. I show, I hack, I clinic, I trail ride. So I am not sure what you mean by, “You are going to have to just ride”. No I do not think every saddle will save me. I have owned a grand total of 3 saddles including the one I am riding in. I thought I was going through a process of learning more and more as I went. Jesus Christ.
Oh my goodness. I am so lightheaded right now. I don’t know why I venture on to the Chronicle and make myself so vulnerable to you people when every time someone sneaks up and kicks me in the teeth. I must be some kind of fool.
Thanks, atkill. I was wondering about the tree because I’ve learned that a well-made tree cost about $800.00. I bought the Big Horn for $1200 and it works very well, I was wonder if I could do better with different fender placement.
But, yeah. I don’t know what kind of masochistic damned fool I am to keep posting in forums where people are just so mean.
Cheers,
Never mind.
Thanks for all the fish.
Well then I stand corrected.
But I stand by what I said about that saddle. It is not good quality nor is it something I would recommend for anyone to try. You get what you pay for.
There is no way that Buckaroo saddle on ebay is anything other than junk. Don’t waste your money.
I would stick with the Big Horn you have, if I were you. The fact that Fella likes it is worth a lot. And if the only thing you don’t like about it is that it puts you in a little bit of a chair seat, I’d say you’re well ahead of the game, especially given your budget constraints.
It has been my experience that chasing the perfect saddle, especially if you have a limited budget, is akin to undertaking the quest for the Holy Grail. You might get lucky, but chances are, you won’t.
Thanks, NoSuchPerson
Yes, Fella is a completely different horse in it. I don’t dislike it either mind -I was just wondering whether it was worth chasing that fender hanging thing. My OCD personality is given to chasing Holy Grails I have to admit.
ETA Atkill, thanks BTW, I had no idea fiberglass trees were hollow. Now I know how they can sell those so cheap!
These posts help a great deal!
Paula
