Tex Tan opinions? Big Horn question! *ugh*

Bless_Gracie

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Feb 10, 2015
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Hi All, I've come to the forum for advice on two very different types of saddles.
We've owned our rescue horse Gracie for two months now - actually I think she owns us at this point. :rolleyes:
Our farrier visited the first week we got Gracie - she was approx. 250 lbs. underweight at the time - back in early February and suggested I wait until at least his next visit until I start riding her. When I wasn't busy taking care of Gracie I spent my free time saddle shopping until my eyes bulged.
The farrier was back yesterday and was impressed with Gracie's progress. Her visit yesterday included her hoof trim, teeth float, immunizations and YAH! a saddle fitting. Farrier suggested it would be a good time for me to start lightly riding Gracie, to help her build muscle back up. Now for the problem....
I had already pretty much decided on a synthetic saddle, Abetta or Big Horn. I'm not as young as I once was and need a lighter saddle, less time cleaning, like round skirts, yada..yada. I still drool over a few leather saddles, specifically a few Tex Tans, but planned to get a synthetic for now.
Without meaning to the farrier turned me off the Abettas, based on his family's experience with them; I kinda like the Big Horns better anyhow. So, out of hundreds of saddles I have narrowed my choices down to either getting a Big Horn synthetic or going ahead and getting the leather saddle of my dreams - a Tex Tan.
Here's what I'd like to ask y'all -

Does anyone know where I can find gullet sizes on the Big Horns? Gracie is part draft and has to have a large gullet, 7" at least and FQ bars.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Tex Tans at all? I can't find any online reviews and most folks I have talked to have never even heard of them, although one person told me they knew they were made in the US.

Sorry for the long post and TIA :)
 
No experience with Tex Tans, Abettas or Big Horns, but if your horse still needs to build some condition and you are looking for a lightweight saddle have you considered a treeless at all? a treeless would be able to adjust to her shape more easily if she needs to build up some muscle :)
 
Angel, other than asking the farrier for his opinion on treeless and flex trees - he had none as his family doesn't use them - I hadn't really considered one, but I will. Thanks for the reply.
 
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These are Western saddles, right? I don't know that many of them are readily stocked here in the UK, so need one of our Western experts to come along with this particular advice!
 
These are Western saddles, right? I don't know that many of them are readily stocked here in the UK, so need one of our Western experts to come along with this particular advice!
Yes, a western trail saddle. I guess I should have mentioned that.
 
I imported a half synthetic Big Horn for my everyday saddle for my TWH and it was fantastic. Far easier to use and much lighter than my Amish Dixieland Gaited show saddle that I had custom made for megga bucks.:rolleyes: I hardly ever used it and always just grabbed the Big Horn for ease of use.

The gaited saddles are wider than the ordinary western saddles and cut back from the shoulder, which I like on any walking horse TBH, but they also do a draft fitting, that I imagine is even wider fit. I found it much cheaper and had far more choice researching and importing direct from America, prices in the UK and Ireland are a rip off and mostly for rubbish saddles IMO.

Why don't you invest the cost of a phone call, or even just email Big Horn and the other one you mentioned (sorry never heard of them!) and ask for their advice. I found the help and extreme good service from everyone I spoke to when buying second to none, and they would be only too happy to advise you on gullet fittings. I sent a template of my horse to BH and they sorted one out for me based on that, it was a lovely fit. Far better service than I ever got over here when buying GP saddles!:p
 
Is it normal where you are to have a farrier do teeth, vaccinate and fit saddles?

The Bighorn Cordora Trail comes in a 7" gullet with full QH
They also do saddles with draft horse 7.5" to 8" bars.
 
Is it normal where you are to have a farrier do teeth, vaccinate and fit saddles?

Gosh I read that as maybe a vet and a saddle fitter out at the same time.....I do hope the farrier isn't being used for all these things!!!! Unless of course he is also a vet, equine dentists and a qualified saddle fitter, which I very much doubt to be honest. :oops:
 
Personally I wouldnt pick a big horn, the trees rarely seem to fit well in my experience, that is the case with most western synthetics imo but there are a few cracking ones out there or you might be lucky and have the right shape horse for them. Have a look at the circle Y synthetic, they last well, have good trees and are nice quality.
Tex tans from yoakum texas are lovely but as you mention often much heavier, but it will last you a lifetime (perhaps not what you need at this point given your horse is going to be changing shape so much)
I would highly recommend talking to Chuck at Horse Saddle Shop, this guy really knows his stuff re trees and what fits different types of horses and he has always been happy for me to send him templates and pictures for him to look at to get a guide on the type of tree most likely to suit my horses and he will test the templates against saddles he has in the shop, of course there is no replacement for seeing the saddle on the horse but its a fair starting point if you have to buy long distance as I did multiple times (as a 5 year old my mare changed shape, muscled up so much we had 6 new saddles that summer, what did fit didnt anymore after about 6-8 weeks). What ever you choose dont scrimp on your pad, a good pad is essential with any western saddle.
 
Is it normal where you are to have a farrier do teeth, vaccinate and fit saddles?

The Bighorn Cordora Trail comes in a 7" gullet with full QH
They also do saddles with draft horse 7.5" to 8" bars.
Yes it is considered quite the norm - at least on the teeth and vaccinations. Actually what he did on the vaccinations was to give her the first one while we watched and then supervised while my husband gave her the second one. Equine vets, any vets, are few and far between around here, and our own vet is too far away to make farm calls. Most people either do their care themselves or do what we did and find an excellent farrier. We asked for many recommendations before we picked a farrier and were very fortunate that this one had an opening. Kind and gentle with the horses, he knows his stuff, is an excellent teacher, and knows when the situation is more than he can handle. All that care and his charge for the other day was $100 total.
Thanks for the gullet information on the Big Horn.
 
I find it interesting how different other parts of the world are. Your area is vast in comparison. I can walk to my nearest feed and tack store.
 
I find it interesting how different other parts of the world are. Your area is vast in comparison. I can walk to my nearest feed and tack store.
I can't even walk to my neighbor's house. :D We do go to town every couple of weeks to stock up on groceries, animal feed and other essentials, but that's about it. I despise going to town...and unfortunately today is the day. :(
 
I can't even walk to my neighbor's house. :D We do go to town every couple of weeks to stock up on groceries, animal feed and other essentials, but that's about it. I despise going to town...and unfortunately today is the day. :(


Hehehe, I don't like going into town either! I would never leave the quietness here if at all possible. I do most of my food shopping / clothes shopping online now. I like our feed merchants but don't like town itself. I have neighbours tho.
 
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Tourist season? No thanks. The population of the closest "town" is 177 people and we live outside town limits. We have to travel to a bigger town (pop. roughly 6,000) just to do the grocery shopping.
 
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