Western saddle frustration....Do you ride western??

chickitta

chickitta

New Member
Sep 6, 2008
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Berkshire...
After owning my ex polo pony for 6 months I've finally found someone to help me with a western saddle and fitting...:) I've been riding in her polo saddle and it's really not the most comfortable or the most safest of saddles..and I don't think it's done her back any favours either.:mad: I've vowed never to ride in it again...

I've tried barefoot arizona... sat too high on her back, but it was new so maybe it just needed breaking in.

Tried nevada, but didn't do homework properly and far too low on her withers...

Hired an autralian stock saddle... unfortunately it was wide... and didn't fit!!! Again, didn't do homework properly!!!:eek: But I must admit really like the stock saddles.. but not the dressage girth it did up with...:rolleyes:

So, now i'm saddleless and don't think i'll be riding bareback anytime soon, but then again...maybe i'll have no option :mad:

I know a lot of people on her ride western so i'd really like some input on your western saddles and hopefullly i'll get the right one... I live in hope :D
 
Welcome to western riding :D
I guess the right saddle will be the one that fits both you and your horse.
Beware as many people say that fitting a western saddle is just as hard, if not harder, than fitting an english one.

When you say you have someone to help you fit a western saddle, is this a western saddle fitter ?

All I can suggest is that you try, try and try saddles on your horse. Second hand will be cheaper and already "broken in" so more comfortable too (well at the beginning anyways !).
Please be prepared to have a "realistic" budget for a good brand name saddle, your £150 e-bay offer should generally be avoided.

What kind of budget do you have ?
What kind of saddle are you looking for ? (ie. what do you plan to do with it - I'd personally avoid jumping :D )
 
With the arizona and nevada, what pads did you use?

The grandeur pads can be shimmed, and the pommel block can be replaced with a narrower one to give the correct wither clearance.
 
Yes, the person is a western saddle fitter so I'm really hoping they have something to suit us.. she sells and fits western saddles.

I'm a happy hacker, won't be doing anything too strenuous and definately not jumping, just hours of happy hacking :)

I'd prefer a second hand saddle, as you say already broken in :eek: I've a healthy budget, just wanna make sure it's a good fit for me and horse. and not too heavy.. I've heard so many things about bad fitting saddles :mad:

Stormin said:
Welcome to western riding :D


I guess the right saddle will be the one that fits both you and your horse.


Beware as many people say that fitting a western saddle is just as hard, if not harder, than fitting an english one.

When you say you have someone to help you fit a western saddle, is this a western saddle fitter ?

All I can suggest is that you try, try and try saddles on your horse. Second hand will be cheaper and already "broken in" so more comfortable too (well at the beginning anyways !).
Please be prepared to have a "realistic" budget for a good brand name saddle, your £150 e-bay offer should generally be avoided.

What kind of budget do you have ?
What kind of saddle are you looking for ? (ie. what do you plan to do with it - I'd personally avoid jumping :D )
Click to expand...
 
No_Angel said:
With the arizona and nevada, what pads did you use?

The grandeur pads can be shimmed, and the pommel block can be replaced with a narrower one to give the correct wither clearance.
Click to expand...

I used the grandeur pads... not sure what shimmed means though? I don't think the pommel block can be changed on the nevada.. not sure about the arizona... I seem to be going around in circles where saddles are concerned.. although saying that, judging by a lot of the posts on here I don't think i'm the only one... :rolleyes: One day i'll be sorted.. hopefully sooner rather than later :eek:
 
shimming is where you add extra padding into the pad to get the correct fit.

If the nevada had a zip you can change the pommel, the arizona as well.

If you have a decent budget the startrekk western might be worth looking at.
01072008003.jpg
 
Hi there, what size of saddle are you looking for? I've got a gorgeous Equiflex reining saddle which fits my ex polo mare beautifully and we certainly clock up the miles; that said, she was 5 years off the pitch when I got it fitted and having previously ridden her English she's gone up from medium narrow to extra wide on a GP saddle in that time - what condition is your mare's back in? When I first got my ex-polo pony, I rode her in both a Wintec English (so I could change the gullets as she got some muscle/condition on) and a McLellan, a South African trail/endurance saddle which at least had the fenders similar to a Western saddle and worked well for a few years of hacking and TREC type stuff. Sadly though it's a bit tired now so I can't offer that to try.

Can't however offer much advice, other than that you may well find your horse changes shape quite significantly with the change in job, and please keep us posted with how you get on! :)
 
campbh said:
Hi there, what size of saddle are you looking for? I've got a gorgeous Equiflex reining saddle which fits my ex polo mare beautifully and we certainly clock up the miles; that said, she was 5 years off the pitch when I got it fitted and having previously ridden her English she's gone up from medium narrow to extra wide on a GP saddle in that time - what condition is your mare's back in? When I first got my ex-polo pony, I rode her in both a Wintec English (so I could change the gullets as she got some muscle/condition on) and a McLellan, a South African trail/endurance saddle which at least had the fenders similar to a Western saddle and worked well for a few years of hacking and TREC type stuff. Sadly though it's a bit tired now so I can't offer that to try.

Can't however offer much advice, other than that you may well find your horse changes shape quite significantly with the change in job, and please keep us posted with how you get on! :)
Click to expand...

I think i'm gonna need a 15' but not really sure....I've had my mare 6 months and she's really muscled up, i've been riding in her polo saddle as not had much luck finding her a new one. It definately doesn't fit her anymore..Thinking about it now I should have done what you did and got the wintec and changed gullets. .I hope I haven't damaged her back by riding in polo saddle..wow, your mare sounds like she muscled up as well going from med narrow to extra wide:eek: I think her backs ok.. but she has fairly high withers. I'll keep you posted... gonna go and google equiflex reining saddle :)
 
chickitta said:
wow, your mare sounds like she muscled up as well going from med narrow to extra wide:eek:
Click to expand...

Yeah - caused me no end of bother, but then she went from a scraggy ewe-necked and hogged creature to a horse that really enjoyed using her back in the end, she is now wider than my QHs!! Although, to be fair, she only got to a wide fitting when ridden English; she just seems to be one of those horses that 'fills' the space you allow and does have a way of going in trot and lope which really causes her to fill out sideways, so a saddle which you check only at walk will end up way too tight (sorry, probably sounds wierd but that's the way I've found her to move!) ...

My Equiflex is made by Pullman Continental, I've had no quibbles with it at all but from a company which has a mass of tree sizes and shapes, I only found 2 which really seemed to do the business with my horse :eek::eek: and this is the best of those two... But she's comfy, so am I, so thumbs up from someone who's spent an Awful Lot of Money on equine chiropractics over the last 5 1/2 years! :)
 
Hi, saw your info regarding Equiflex saddles. I am currently waiting for the people from Continental to come back to me to tell me what tree size I need for my horse.( A template was taken by a western saddle fitter) All saddles I have tried on him are too tight on his shoulders. (He is a Criollo). What tree is your saddle ? If you don't know where to find this it is under the swell of the skirt.
 
Have found your saddle on the Western Saddler, the no 141 is the model type, there should be another number which is under the swell of the skirt and this denotes what tree they have put into this particular saddle, as you have said, they do a huge range of different trees that they can fit into any of their saddles.
 
I've a healthy budget, just wanna make sure it's a good fit for me and horse
Click to expand...

You have said the magic words, healthy budget. ;) Good saddles are not cheap. My own opinion of western saddle prices is $1500.00 (new) on up for a good saddle, $1000.00 for a decent saddle (new) and any less than that I consider riding bareback and saving my money. ;)

Take a look at this link, paying close attention to the "used saddle" menu in the list on the left of page. I just happened to have it opened to the "ranch-wade" tree section. :D

http://buysaddles.com/catalog/Ranch_Wade_Saddles-460-1.html

There's some other sections including trail. Look around and you might get some ideas of "value" for comparison. It's tuff to find saddles in the US, :rolleyes: I can only imagine what folks far away must go through. :eek:

Take you time and find the right saddle for you and your horse. Buy the best you can afford, new or used.


Keep on, keepin on

Jack
 
newrider.com
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