heaviness of western saddles

Pigletsmum

Pigletsmum

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Oct 4, 2008
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I've just started riding a friends horse and I'm amazed at how heavy the saddle is!

Are western ridden horses more prone to back problems? I'm not a light weight myself and I'm a bit worried about the impact on his back from all the weight! (he's a stocky criollo btw).
 
They're not heavy. You're just small & weak :bounce:

It actually helps if you open the TOP door of the tack room as well as the bottom!

Good question though. I just presumed they were stocky little critters used to carrying heavy items and human beings.
 
:giggle: you dafty!

I was thinking more from the horses perspective having got a coblet with a back problem I'm interested in these things :wink:
 
Pigletsmum said:
Are western ridden horses more prone to back problems? I'm not a light weight myself and I'm a bit worried about the impact on his back from all the weight!
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As long as the saddle fits the horse and a decent pad is used underneath, there's no reason that the horse should have more back problems. The saddle may be heavier but the bearing surface is very much greater than an english saddle so it balances out :wink:

Just a hint - I don't know how you've been taught/shown how to put saddle on horse's back but we tend to swing the saddle onto the back. Much easier than physically lifting it as you would an english saddle.

Have a look on the western reining circuit - alot of those QH's are around 14.2hh yet often ridden by stocky men ...
 
I'm 5"6 and can get mine on a 17.2hh shire. Its all in the swing.:smoke:I'm not saying all western riders are swingers:bounce: Lets see some photos of this criollo chap as I just love them.
 
Western Saddles are def heavier, I have a McCall Lady Wade which is designed for women in mind and is lighter than usual western saddles but it is still heavy.

Putting it on the horse is all about the swing, get it right and it is easy, lays onto the horses back effortlessly, get it wrong and its cumbersome.

As for wieght on the horse, its IMO and that of others, they are better than the traditional english saddle as the weight is spread more evenly over mnore of the horses back. However don't be fooled into thinking one saddle fits any horse, that is total hearsay. there is a reasson why people think this and I can tell ya why if you wanna know.

All saddles no matter which country they are made must be fitted to the horse
 
Okay, when the men hearded their cattle for miles and miles they needed to take a few quarter horses so that they didn't tire them out, however they couldn't carry saddles so used the same one for each horse.

The reason they could do this was all their horses were from the same sire / dam line and so all the horses were very similar build meaning in that case the one saddle was gonna fit all of their horses.

These days even quarter horses can range in various height and bulid and people even use Western Saddles on other breeds such as TB which are built completely different.

So unless your horses all come from the same stock then no, one Western Saddle will not fit any horse.

Does that make sense? I got this info from a Western Reining Champion who only rides quarter horses.

Cheers
 
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Even horses from the same lines can vary greatly. I understood that the horses were not necessarily that long-lived either.

Joyce Harmon has done quite a lot of research into weight distribution. She said the horse cannot sustain more than 1.5lbs per square inch without causing damage to tissue, veins and muscle. She tested many english saddles with the Pliance pressure-testing pad and not one english saddle spread the weight over a large enough area to be under 1.5lbs. When a western saddle fits well it spreads the weight (rider weight dependent) under the 1.5lbs. So despite the saddle being heavier, it is, in fact, better for the horse to carry than an english saddle. :)
 
Thanks Demson that's great. Very interesting. I have a western saddle it weighs 28lb. My horse has no problem with it whatsoever. Never makes a face, moves about or fusses when tacked up. He has lovely, long stride and seems very happy to hack out for long periods. I must admit though, I have lost 2st in weight as a sympathy vote.:)
 
Pigletsmum said:
Thank you :smile:

WS - how do you know if a western saddle fits well though? :unsure:
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:nerd: good question.

Basically you look for the saddle tree to follow the shape of the horses back without any pad or anything underneath. It must also have plenty of flair over the shoulder and have some flair at the back of the saddle to come away from the loins. You should be able, with no pad, to run your hand under the front of the saddle, over the shoulder, and should feel free. You should not have to over tighten the cinch to stop it slipping. The saddle weightbearing area should not go beyond the last rib. There is a good YouTube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ei4nv-ltSA&feature=related that shows you how to check the saddle length although it is for english saddles, but you will get the idea. I really must get cracking on my YouTube's too. Much of this is hard to assess without seeing/feeling one that is a good fit to compare it too. So the other way to check is to use a Port Lewis Impression pad which can check much of the above for you.
 
Dear Western Saddler can you clarify something for me? what width gullet is a full quarter horse bar and what size is an extra FQHB? The gullet on my saddle is six and three quarter. Thank you in advance.
 
Years ago when I considered a WS for my other pony I mut have tried approx 15 different saddles on him, two fit him but were like sitting on concrete, one that did fit us both surprisingly was the Wintec but the fenders were way too long and couldn't be adjusted any less. So I walked away without a WS for him.

With my bigger horse I fancied a WS for him. I was contacted by a lass in Sweden selling a McCall Lady Wade. I did some research and found that they were a good make of saddle. The lass told me which type horses she had used the saddle on and I took a risk and bought it..

I then had it checked for fit and it was found it suited my horse perfectly.. which was a relief as it cost a few thousand pounds.

I love Western Saddles but wish they were lighter :wink:
 
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