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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
 
| After years of just "wanting" to run barrels, this year I have actually taken the steps to start. My mare is currently at a trainer, and will be there for at least another month, if not 2, so it will be a while before I can haul her somewhere to get a saddle fit done. Other than my dad's old roping saddle that weighs a million pounds, I don't have anything that will fit her. I would like to work on buying a used saddle that will hopefully fit, so that I can keep riding her right away once I get her back. However, I'm getting a bit overwhelmed looking at used saddles and not knowing which ones may be a good fit. If you could give me some ideas at what may be good ones to narrow my search to, it would be greatly appreciated!
My budget is $1500 or less. I've always ridden in roping saddles, but she tends to be pretty ratey and my saddle makes me feel like I'm going to face plant on her. I got these pictures yesterday, sorry that they're not the best!
Edited by MissouriJen 2015-02-08 2:25 PM
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Talk to the trainer and see what she is using and if it fits her | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
| I've got a message out to the trainer. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
| Found out she is being ridden in a Dakota. | |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | Can you find out from the trainer, and maybe you know this already, what type bars of the saddle she is being ridden in? The bars and not the gullet width make all the difference. Not saying that gullet isn't important, but that's a lot the way saddles work, or the one's I have had.
Contact WimpyB on here...if you take pictures of your mare's back and send them to her, she would be able to help you with saddle fit. Very knowledgable woman. 
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
| mtcanchazer - 2015-02-08 8:31 PM
Can you find out from the trainer, and maybe you know this already, what type bars of the saddle she is being ridden in? The bars and not the gullet width make all the difference. Not saying that gullet isn't important, but that's a lot the way saddles work, or the one's I have had.
Contact WimpyB on here...if you take pictures of your mare's back and send them to her, she would be able to help you with saddle fit. Very knowledgable woman.
Thanks! She will need full QH bars, I have a saddle with SQHB and it is too tight on her. I'm just clueless as to which brands to start looking at that will fit her back "shape." | |
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Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | There's always big name brands out there. For my FQHB mare, I've had really good luck with Courts and Circle Y. The Circle Y I thought fit my mare a little better, but it was too big for me. Other than being too big, I really liked the feel of the Circle Y to ride in. The Courts fits us both pretty well, I think. I just got a Double J and it has fit both my gelding, who has defined withers but is not yet completely filled out, and my mare who has withers but not as defined, but I haven't had it very long so I haven't had a good chance to test it out yet as I have ridden in it about three times because of winter. I'm also a little undecided on how it fits me as I'm still adjusting the stirrup length.
On the Circle Y's, the better made saddles are the mid-90's to the mid-2000's. The newer ones (appx. 2008 and newer) aren't as well made. I looked at one once that was nearly new, lightly used, and even though it felt good, it had stitching coming apart already. On Circle Y's, the serial number on the new one's defines the saddle as a Regular Tree or a Wide Tree, so basically that is the difference with them between the FQHB and the Semi-QHB.
Also, I have had good luck with finding both Courts and Circle Y's under $1500, but I was able to snag my Double J for less than that too. | |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Hands down a Coats. Shiloh Contender and Robbie Phillips are amazing saddles for the price. | |
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