Ok, speak to me of saddles...

[Cashela]

I find myself looking at saddles today online. My horse is having back issues still.

I am not interested in an Abetta, had one, liked it, but didn't properly fit my horse.

I have a Miss. Trail saddle by Reinsman but that gosh darn thing is so heavy. That is my new saddle, and while I like it, I don't think I would be hurt if I sold it today. This saddle was fitted to my horse. I feel secure in this saddle.

I have an Aussie saddle that is about 15 years old. That one doesn't cut it for me, I tried it last night and beyond the fact that I have a heck of a time girthing it up, I hate the position it puts me in, can we say chair seat? Although it did seem to fit my mare ok, aside from the fact that she looked like a twig when I looked down at her. I also felt that if she strongly objected to something that I could very easily be launched. I did not feel secure in this saddle.

I'm thinking that I would like to try an endurance saddle. Requirements would be, not to heavy and not to expensive. Any suggestions? Would be for a Fox Trotter that isn't very wide.

I look at treeless, but I have to admit they just scare me. I weigh, oh I don't know, I fluctuate between 192 and 198 lately. I feel that she needs a tree to distribute my weight. I worry that my boney butt would affect her back. I also had a friend that had one and she loved it at first but in the end it made her horse very sore and she wasn't even doing real heavy trail riding. While I am not an endurance rider, we do varying mileage from 5 to 18 miles a day over varying terrain.

Any suggestions?

[Auventera Two]

Lots of heavier riders ride treeless without insult to their horses backs. I know of a couple personally that have been treeless for years without problems. You have to get the RIGHT PAD to distribute your weight, and that means $$$. Be prepared to spend 200 bucks on a pad.

Call Action Rider Tack and talk to the girls there. They can give you one on one advice in this regard. Also you can call April Battles. If you google her, you'll get her website. She's a HW rider who has been treeless for years.

I like Abettas. I owned 2, still have 1. They are my choice for affordable, comfortable treed trail saddles.

[Guilherme]

I look at treeless, but I have to admit they just scare me. I weigh, oh I don't know, I fluctuate between 192 and 198 lately. I feel that she needs a tree to distribute my weight. I worry that my boney butt would affect her back. I also had a friend that had one and she loved it at first but in the end it made her horse very sore and she wasn't even doing real heavy trail riding. While I am not an endurance rider, we do varying mileage from 5 to 18 miles a day over varying terrain.

I suspect your friend's experience is much more common than some folks would want to believe. :sadsmile:

Saddle choice is a VERY personal thing. I ride a Stubben Scout (their police and military saddle) and it is just perfect for my use at the hunt, on the trail, in the arena, mounted shooting, military competitions, etc. It is a TRULY General Purpose saddle. My wife has a Stubben Siegfried VSD-DL, rides the same disciplines I do and has the same opinion on its utility. She liked my Scout but the smallest size is 18" and she needs a 17". We just had her Siegfried modified by adding d-rings to replicate the Scout's utility.

Sharon Saare makes a very good endurance saddle. I've met the lady and seen her work. She is a professional and her work is first class. But, as with any high tier item, you'll pay for the priveledge of owning one. ;)

Tucker and Steele make a line of trooper, buena vista, and plantation saddles that I've seen and they look to be of high quality. We owned a Steele Planatation saddle years ago and were very satisfied. They are not necessarily light in weight, but are of very good quality. They are what I'd consider a "mid price" range of saddles.

Smith-Worthington of CT makes a very nice, very high dollar line of endurance, English trail, and general purpose saddles. These are PRIMO in all respects. They will make the saddle any way you want it on any tree they can get. They've been in business since about 1792 and supplied Geoge Washington, among others, with tack. :cool:

Maybe your best bet is a "road trip" to the biggest tack store you can find within a reasonable distance. I note you live in NH so you've got an easier problem to solve in this regard than, say, somebody from West Texas. :lol:

Once you get there brouse the various types, sit in them, see what you like and what you don't. If you don't find anything then try another shop. Large equine events are another place you can see large numbers of saddles.

Once you decide on a type, then take your horse with you on the next trip and try doing some fitting.

You can also brouse e-Bay and places like that once you get an idea of what you want.

Take it slow and take your time. One BIG QUESTION to ask of yourself is what you want to do with the horse. THAT will be the main driver in the type of saddle you need to look at.

Or, put another way, in saddle selection Form Follows Function.

Good luck in your search. :)

G.

[katarine]

Cashela, I can only say great things about my experiences with National Bridle Shop in Lewisburg, TN... (www.nationalbridleshop.com, I think, if not google it) I took a horse up to them (3+ hrs from here) and tried several saddles in their side yard, LOL. I bought one, tried it another week, and decided I didn't think I could live with its tallllll saddle horn. Sent it back, full refund. You can (within reason) really TRY a saddle of their's out and return it if not satisfied. I put 7-10 hours on that saddle and still got a full refund. I took good care of it, but I actually got to USE it.

Look at their Tennessean Lite Rider w/o horn: it didn't *quite* fit me, while the horned version did. but boy that horn is dangerously tall. Great customer service, super good staff, many to choose from.

My own very limited treeless experience left me saying nay. I didn't feel secure or very safe in it (Barefoot Cheyenne with the recommended girth and pad). JMO I'll stick with treed, I rode that one and found I just couldn't hang with it.

[sublimequine]

Cashela, I can only say great things about my experiences with National Bridle Shop in Lewisburg, TN... (www.nationalbridleshop.com, I think, if not google it) I took a horse up to them (3+ hrs from here) and tried several saddles in their side yard, LOL. I bought one, tried it another week, and decided I didn't think I could live with its tallllll saddle horn. Sent it back, full refund. You can (within reason) really TRY a saddle of their's out and return it if not satisfied. I put 7-10 hours on that saddle and still got a full refund. I took good care of it, but I actually got to USE it.

Look at their Tennessean Lite Rider w/o horn: it didn't *quite* fit me, while the horned version did. but boy that horn is dangerously tall. Great customer service, super good staff, many to choose from.

My own very limited treeless experience left me saying nay. I didn't feel secure or very safe in it (Barefoot Cheyenne with the recommended girth and pad). JMO I'll stick with treed, I rode that one and found I just couldn't hang with it.

I'll second that. National Bridle Shop has AMAZING customer service, and really reasonable prices on their stuff in general. I've only bought from them online (I'm in IL), but have been very satisfied. :)

[Cashela]

My friend did have the special super expensive pad to go with her saddle.

I will check on NB

[Auventera Two]

My own very limited treeless experience left me saying nay. I didn't feel secure or very safe in it (Barefoot Cheyenne with the recommended girth and pad). JMO I'll stick with treed, I rode that one and found I just couldn't hang with it.

I can certainly agree that your balance has to be really good to ride in a treeless. Or at least in my experience. I've heard some people say they didn't feel any different than in a treed, but in my experience, the balance has been crucial. Any bit of sloppiness, bracing on your stirrups, or poor seat will get you in trouble with a treeless.

Just like with a treed saddle - there are many options in treeless and many padding and girthing options. It's your choice to either try something else that will work better or start trying treed saddles. People experiment as much with treeless as they do with treed trying to get the fit just right. It's not like you just throw any ole' treeless saddle on the horse and it's going to be heaven for horse and rider.

I rode in a Barefoot London and while I did like the saddle, it was very uncomfortable for my hips and lower back. VERY. But I'm right at home in the Bandos after a learning curve. No different than treed saddles.

[katarine]

While I (would like to say that I)know you didn't mean that to sound like you're questioning my seat or skills- as you quote me :lol:I can ride a horse,
A2.

I don't brace on my stirrups. I gallop around bareback, thank you. I've come off twice in the last 15 years...both in MT on horses I didn't know well, under weird circumstances.

I'm not sloppy or unbalanced.

I happily and heartily galloped my idiot TWH up a forest service trail and road yee haw, in just a Lil Joe Bareback pad and tacky-tack pad and tacky girth. No way I'd have done that in the cushy tushy 'ride on a cloud' Barefoot Cheyenne. Too much cush and cloud- where the hell is my horse?

Please refrain from inferring that if only I knew how to ride better, I'd have bought that saddle. The math doesn't compute.

[Auventera Two]

That's not at all what I meant. I meant exactly what I said. You have to experiment to get the saddle that works best for you. A lot of people who don't like the Barefoot type saddles love the Freeforms or Bob Marshalls. I rode in a Bob Marshall and while it was "comfortable" I probably wouldn't buy one. Treeless saddles have as much diversity as treed saddles. Treeless isn't for everybody. The first treeless I tried would never work for me for the long haul, but the second one has been a good match. When this one wears out I might try a different style because I might like it even better. There are many options with different feels to each one. You couldn't say you hate treed saddles because that Barnsby dressage saddle you rode in was horrible, because you might just love a Circle Y barrel saddle. They're all different. Each person's balance and riding style is different and therefore a different type of saddle might work better for your particular style or body type.

[JetsBuddy]

I had an older Boz that I loved and I am waiting for my new Swell Fork endurance saddle to be finished and shipped. Pricey but great quality, hand made and the most comfortable saddle I have ever ridden in (I've ridden in quite a few including English, Aussie, different Western styles and I ride bareback a lot).

http://www.bozsaddlery.com/Boz%20Swell%20Fork%20Saddles.htm

You don't see too many Boz saddles come up for sale as people who buy them tend to keep them for a long time.

[katarine]

A2 you wrote that that balance is key with treeless and that if you do a b or c then yeah, treeless is going to be a struggle. and you quoted me in your post. I never said I ride like a monkey on a football or suggested/implied/inferred that I have balance issues, please: I said I didn't feel secure or safe in it. Where do my words say I have poor balance? Where do my words support your words to the point you'd choose to quote me? We are saying different things. THAT is my point.

[jazzrider]

A2 you wrote that that balance is key with treeless and that if you do a b or c then yeah, treeless is going to be a struggle. and you quoted me in your post. I never said I ride like a monkey on a football or suggested/implied/inferred that I have balance issues, please: I said I didn't feel secure or safe in it. Where do my words say I have poor balance? Where do my words support your words to the point you'd choose to quote me? We are saying different things. THAT is my point.

Is this some other thread you're talking about, or this one? Because I just don't see any comments about monkey's on footballs ;). But I'll raise my hand as an example of someone who just can't do treeless. Not because of my weight but because one leg is about an inch and half longer than the other, thus my hip bones are out of alignment. While I'm as balanced as I can be and have worked hard to get there -- I'm still just a bit too crooked to make treeless work.

I have no advice for you Cashela -- other than to commisserate on your search. I just got a Tucker Plantation I'm very happy with for my TWH, after many long months searching, demoing and borrowing saddles to try on him. Good Luck!

[gabz]

Cashela - If you have a "normal" built MFT, the Tennesean might do the trick. A friend has one and I've ridden in it, and it's a nice saddle. It fits her spotted saddle horse very well.

Another place to check are the Fabtron saddles. THe entire upper part of the saddle is leather. The skirt and fenders are cordura. I find that the Fabtron brand is a very sturdy, but lightweight saddle (compared to the ones that have plastic cantles and hardly any leather). They make some saddles on the Steele brand tree and offer several gaited horse models (rounded skirts and flared fronts).

West 20 tack store in Wisconsin can generally identify a brand & model of saddle based on just a few photos of your horse. Julie's been doing saddle fitting for years and years - using the thermography equipment - and can now pretty much use her past experience to id a saddle. She carries many, many brands.

Let me know if you want more info.

[Diamond Jake]

I'll second Guilherme onthe Stubben. If I had the money, I would have gotten one. They're FAB U LOUS.

I bought a Smith-Worthington this spring. They customized the fit for me, which of course will have to be changed because Jake has lost so much weight already, but it is an all purpose and I use it for all my endurance rides. I just LOVE the position, it is light, and it does not make Jake sore. Ruth and Kurt are REALLY nice people to work with.

Maybe you want to cruise down to MASS for the Equine Affaire this fall and talk to some people there.

As for right now.... shoot. The search for a properly fitting saddle can be so tough, it usually takes some time!

Good luck,
Steph

[RackOn]

I LOVE my Desoto saddle. It is an endurance saddle on a western tree. Centered position, close contact, lightweight, great fit for me and my horse.

My wait was 6 months but so worth it. I used the plaster measuring kit because my arab has narrow-ish withers but wide shoulders and was hard to fit. I cannot say enough good things about it. You can sometimes find them used on the endurance.net classifieds and ebay but not very often. Most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden in.

Marilyn is great to work with. Google desoto saddles in Michigan and you will find her site.

I've also had good luck with Tucker saddles although more for western riding. I found the stirrup placement too far forward for many miles of posting or two point.

[Overo Kid]

I'm getting a custom-made saddle for my horse from these guys:
http://www.montanamountainhorse.com/

I'm getting it endurance style--no horn. They sent me a tree in the mail, I put it on my horse and sent them digital photos by email. They made me a custom tree.

I can't tell you if it's any good yet--it's coming Monday, and I'm super excited! That's 5 weeks after I ordered it. I'll give you an update then.

My horse is a super narrow Spotted Saddle Horse (about 75% Tennessee Walker).

These guys have great customer service and the easiest to use website of any of these sorts of companies that I've seen.

[pines4equines]

For the little I know about treeless saddles, I have found through other people, they're better for horses who have rounded backs.

If your horse has a bony kind of back (TB-ish), I have had several people complain about treeless and the similarity was a bonier backbone. People who love treeless seemed to have horses who are rounder, fatter along their back bones (drafty, fat QHs, etc.). Just something I've noticed...

[BarbeyGirl]

I really like my Stonewall endurance saddle -- it weighs a grand total of 12 pounds :eek::D:cool: and costs about $1000 (or even less). They'll custom make a saddle for your horse if none of their standard trees will work.

In the interest of full disclosure, Stonewall Saddle Company is my sponsor, but I rode in and loved my Stonewall for two years before I had any relationship with the company or its owners. :yes: You can read the story here (http://inthenightfarm.blogspot.com/2008/07/upward-in-night.html), if you like.

Anyway, it's comfortable for long rides, really puts me down on my horse, and feels very secure even when I'm starting greenies. I also like that it distributes weight well but only covers a small portion of my horse's back, so it doesn't hold in much heat.

[twofatponies]

I ride a Stubben Scout (their police and military saddle) and it is just perfect for my use at the hunt, on the trail, in the arena, mounted shooting, military competitions, etc. It is a TRULY General Purpose saddle. My wife has a Stubben Siegfried VSD-DL, rides the same disciplines I do and has the same opinion on its utility. She liked my Scout but the smallest size is 18" and she needs a 17". We just had her Siegfried modified by adding d-rings to replicate the Scout's utility.

Sharon Saare makes a very good endurance saddle. I've met the lady and seen her work. She is a professional and her work is first class. But, as with any high tier item, you'll pay for the priveledge of owning one. ;)

Tucker and Steele make a line of trooper, buena vista, and plantation saddles that I've seen and they look to be of high quality. We owned a Steele Planatation saddle years ago and were very satisfied. They are not necessarily light in weight, but are of very good quality. They are what I'd consider a "mid price" range of saddles.

Smith-Worthington of CT makes a very nice, very high dollar line of endurance, English trail, and general purpose saddles. These are PRIMO in all respects. They will make the saddle any way you want it on any tree they can get. They've been in business since about 1792 and supplied Geoge Washington, among others, with tack. :cool:


G.

Thanks for all the great ideas. I've been wondering about saddle choices, too. Off to google some of those..