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Veteran
Posts: 165
 
| I'm considering buying a Jackie Jatzlau wide saddle for my 4yr old gelding. He's quite wide and my Charmayne cactus is too tight. The Jackie saddle would have to be shipped quite a distance so I wouldn't be able to try it on him. I will try to post pictures of his back. Would appreciate any input from anyone who has one. |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
  
Location: In the Hills of Texas | Where do you live? |
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  Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | I just bought a Jackie about a month ago thanks to the help of a facebooke friend, NTO, and Trackinbubba and their advice. I really, really like mine! I had never ridden one either and had to have it shipped from the east coast to Texas. So glad I did...I love it! Now i'm really considering selling my other treed saddle and buying another one.
I'm in NE Texas and you're welcome to try mine if you're in this area. I know the stress of having to wonder if it will work. Here is a pic of mine. It looks black, but actually drum dyed chocolate.
 (Screenshot_2015-12-05-13-37-18-1.jpg)
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 Screenshot_2015-12-05-13-37-18-1.jpg (72KB - 126 downloads)
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | Herbie, did you get the wide or regular? |
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Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | Barnmom - 2015-12-22 11:11 AM Herbie, did you get the wide or regular?
I bought the wide tree. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Herbie - 2015-12-22 11:13 AM Barnmom - 2015-12-22 11:11 AM Herbie, did you get the wide or regular? I bought the wide tree.
Are you selling your Jeff Smiths saddles? |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 912
Location: Alabama | Dibs on Herbie's Jeff Smith!!  |
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Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | Southtxponygirl - 2015-12-22 11:41 AM Herbie - 2015-12-22 11:13 AM Barnmom - 2015-12-22 11:11 AM Herbie, did you get the wide or regular? I bought the wide tree.
I did sell one of them. Still have one more. I haven't advertised it, but had a friend contact me the other day asking if i'd sell it.
I only live 45 minutes from Jeff, so I could have another built very easily and customize it even more. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Herbie - 2015-12-22 11:56 AM Southtxponygirl - 2015-12-22 11:41 AM Herbie - 2015-12-22 11:13 AM Barnmom - 2015-12-22 11:11 AM Herbie, did you get the wide or regular? I bought the wide tree.
I only live 45 minutes from Jeff, so I could have another built very easily and customize it even more.
So you like the Jackie saddles better then the Jeff Smith saddles? Just wondering, cause I like the way your saddles look.  |
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Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | No, not better, just better for this particular horse. Now that being said, I have not made a run in my Jackie yet. This horse is still very hip high and now that he is healthy, he has matured and gotten big and wide, so i've had to adjust my pads a bit. That being said, he is still very down hill. All of the pressure from my saddle is sitting right on his shoulders due to simple physics and gravity. I also had an older Coats that i've now sold and bought back 3 times that I love and it too was just not leveling out. I have all the fancy pads and just couldn't get my saddle to not leave big pressure spots due to this particular horse's confirmation. It fits him fine, but the way he's built doesn't allow the pressure to be even. This is why I bought the Jackie. I keep a treeless around for those horses that they are magical on, and I rode it on him one day just to see. I've been hesitant to change anything, because this gelding can and will get out from under you in a split second...sometimes intentionally, and that Jeff Smith saddle as saved my butt more than once. I bought the Jackie thinking that it might offer some relief to his shoulders and if not, i'd sell it and just have Jeff build me another saddle. So far i'm really liking the Jackie and other than being softer through the seat, sits me very similarly to how the Jeff sits me, which is what I was hoping for.
I love the Jeff Smith saddles and will always keep one around for when I want to have a treed saddle. I have a third one that isn't the cutting tree, and my mom rides it, so if I sold the one i've hung on to, I still have that one. I won't be without one, but have to accomodate this horse first and foremost. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Herbie - 2015-12-22 12:54 PM No, not better, just better for this particular horse. Now that being said, I have not made a run in my Jackie yet. This horse is still very hip high and now that he is healthy, he has matured and gotten big and wide, so i've had to adjust my pads a bit. That being said, he is still very down hill. All of the pressure from my saddle is sitting right on his shoulders due to simple physics and gravity. I also had an older Coats that i've now sold and bought back 3 times that I love and it too was just not leveling out. I have all the fancy pads and just couldn't get my saddle to not leave big pressure spots due to this particular horse's confirmation. It fits him fine, but the way he's built doesn't allow the pressure to be even. This is why I bought the Jackie. I keep a treeless around for those horses that they are magical on, and I rode it on him one day just to see. I've been hesitant to change anything, because this gelding can and will get out from under you in a split second...sometimes intentionally, and that Jeff Smith saddle as saved my butt more than once. I bought the Jackie thinking that it might offer some relief to his shoulders and if not, i'd sell it and just have Jeff build me another saddle. So far i'm really liking the Jackie and other than being softer through the seat, sits me very similarly to how the Jeff sits me, which is what I was hoping for.
I love the Jeff Smith saddles and will always keep one around for when I want to have a treed saddle. I have a third one that isn't the cutting tree, and my mom rides it, so if I sold the one i've hung on to, I still have that one. I won't be without one, but have to accomodate this horse first and foremost.
Gotcha  |
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I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | I'm with Herbie...What you love and what works for a particuliar horse can be two different things. I will never sell my Caldwell but it no longer fits my horse. I also need more security as I can't ride like I use to and need all the help I can get so the Jackie covered both problems. |
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Veteran
Posts: 165
| Thankyou for all the input. I can't seem to get my photos to load, but he is a little downhill still too and has quite wide shoulders. I think I will just go ahead and take a chance on the saddle. He will be 5 in the spring, so he will probably still change a bit and hopefully the Jackie will work for him at least until he's done growing. What pad do you suggest to use with it? |
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Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | I love my Schneiders Performance pad with mine. It's thin, like 5/8" think. Jackie rides these as well. Tammy ride an Impact Gel under hers. The Schneider seems to be about perfect, you can get them with custom wear leathers too for $160. |
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