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What Name?
Posts: 1994
   
| rodeomom3 - 2015-04-14 1:13 PM americanpride08 - 2015-04-14 12:49 PM rodeomom3 - 2015-04-14 12:47 PM Longneck - 2015-04-13 4:18 PM 1) Horse fit
2) My fit
3) Eye appeal
4) Resell ability
I don't mind spending a few thousand on a saddle if I know it will fit me and my horse. They're not something that are really intended to be replaced every couple of years, so it's more of an investment.
Ditto, last year I paid $4800 for a new Caldwell with matching breast collar and back cinch, liked it so much I paid 3K for a year old one for my other horse.
One day.. one day!!! lol I'll have that rainbow 5k Double J saddle  ... lol I have a dream! When I finish college. I'll get the things I've worked hard for. =) I'll settle on my little synnthetic for now, It fits my horse well. Though it'll never resell, and it'll never last more than 5 years. But for 500. It's alright I guess. I was just curious! If I get a couple grand together, it's going for downpayment on 3 horse w/living quarters! =P |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Look on the tack ads here on BHW you are not going to see any cheap China/off brands on here most of your horsemen/horeswomen will not put a cheaply made saddle on their horses, all your going to see is good name brands on these ads, if I were you I would not be looking on Ebay for a new saddle look on here you will find really nice used saddles like Martins, Double J's, Circly Y's is ok, Deb Sibleys, Caldwell's and the list go's on and on but no cheap junk saddles. If I were you I would just save up and get something of value that will have a good resell on it so if it dont fit for what you wanted it for at least you can get your money back out of it. |
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 Husband Spoiler
Posts: 4151
Location: North Dakota | CYA Ranch - 2015-04-13 5:49 PM I would never ride a new saddle that was that cheap. There are also $1500 saddles that might be all jazzed up but are crap saddles. Find a good quality saddle used. You're horse will appreciate it.
Yep. I have not purchased a new saddle since my first barrel saddle when I was around 10 yrs old. That was just a cheap saddle but it was my first real barrel saddle and I loved it. Now all I buy are quality used saddles. Many of the popular saddles seen in tack shops that are priced $1000-$1500 new are not that great of saddles but they have a big name and look fancy. For me to buy a saddle brand new I will expect to pay at least $2k for a well made high quality saddle. But since I cannot readily afford that I usually buy nice quality used saddles for around $1k. I have a 30 yr old Circle Y Connie Combs saddle that will never leave my posession. I am not a big fan of Circle Y anymore but back in the day they did make a nice quality saddle. I bought that thing for $500 and I have put it to good use. I break out all my colts in it now so it gets thrown in the sand, bucked out, stomped on, etc and it is still going strong enough for me to feel perfectly fine throwing it on a good barrel horse and still making a run in it. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Just Bring It - 2015-04-14 1:27 PM CYA Ranch - 2015-04-13 5:49 PM I would never ride a new saddle that was that cheap. There are also $1500 saddles that might be all jazzed up but are crap saddles. Find a good quality saddle used. You're horse will appreciate it. Yep. I have not purchased a new saddle since my first barrel saddle when I was around 10 yrs old. That was just a cheap saddle but it was my first real barrel saddle and I loved it. Now all I buy are quality used saddles. Many of the popular saddles seen in tack shops that are priced $1000-$1500 new are not that great of saddles but they have a big name and look fancy. For me to buy a saddle brand new I will expect to pay at least $2k for a well made high quality saddle. But since I cannot readily afford that I usually buy nice quality used saddles for around $1k. I have a 30 yr old Circle Y Connie Combs saddle that will never leave my posession. I am not a big fan of Circle Y anymore but back in the day they did make a nice quality saddle. I bought that thing for $500 and I have put it to good use. I break out all my colts in it now so it gets thrown in the sand, bucked out, stomped on, etc and it is still going strong enough for me to feel perfectly fine throwing it on a good barrel horse and still making a run in it.
Circle Y was a great saddle 15 years back but now adays they just look cheapy made, I hate that their tooling is not detailed like it use to be. All stamped now  |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | americanpride08 - 2015-04-14 12:59 PM SOOOO what qualifies as a GOOD used saddle to ya'll?
Fit, quality, and safety. Look at this saddle for example:http://www.ebay.com/itm/WESTERN-BARREL-SADDLE-15-RACER-RACING-LEATHER-PLEASURE-TRAIL-SHOW-HORSE-TACK-/161667063154?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25a41b9d72
The leather is shiny and the tooling is shallow. It looks like plastic. Something I would have put on my barbie horses as a kid. The crystals look like plastic as well. No sparkle. And check out that rigging. It seems to have migrated a little out of place....it doesn't even mention what the tree is made from. My guess? Fiberglass. The underside has cheap fleece rather than real wool. It's so ugly. If the misplaced rigging doesn't create some weird pressure points, the cheap tree will. That is if the leather doesn't fall apart on you while you're trying to stay balanced in it. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Southtxponygirl - 2015-04-14 1:40 PM Just Bring It - 2015-04-14 1:27 PM CYA Ranch - 2015-04-13 5:49 PM I would never ride a new saddle that was that cheap. There are also $1500 saddles that might be all jazzed up but are crap saddles. Find a good quality saddle used. You're horse will appreciate it. Yep. I have not purchased a new saddle since my first barrel saddle when I was around 10 yrs old. That was just a cheap saddle but it was my first real barrel saddle and I loved it. Now all I buy are quality used saddles. Many of the popular saddles seen in tack shops that are priced $1000-$1500 new are not that great of saddles but they have a big name and look fancy. For me to buy a saddle brand new I will expect to pay at least $2k for a well made high quality saddle. But since I cannot readily afford that I usually buy nice quality used saddles for around $1k. I have a 30 yr old Circle Y Connie Combs saddle that will never leave my posession. I am not a big fan of Circle Y anymore but back in the day they did make a nice quality saddle. I bought that thing for $500 and I have put it to good use. I break out all my colts in it now so it gets thrown in the sand, bucked out, stomped on, etc and it is still going strong enough for me to feel perfectly fine throwing it on a good barrel horse and still making a run in it.
It is sad. We have one of their JBN treeless saddles that we got used and it's not a bad saddle but I NEVER would have paid the new price. The quality is just not there. For $1200 barely used it wasn't too bad of a deal. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I didn't even ride while I was in college. The desire just wasn't there, and I can tell you that the money for sure wouldn't have been there.
I have been out of school now for four years, have a full time job, a husband that also has a full time job... and no kids. I might as well get a saddle that I love right now when I can afford it and know that I'll have it forever (I don't plan on ever selling it as it was a gift) and won't be trying to buy something a few years from now when I have kids... and probably no money! lol |
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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
Location: NC | I've tried several brands. And always go back to Pro Rider. Their base model starts at $750. My husband has one that's going on 10 years old and still looks good. I found a barely used one last year for $600 and snatched it up. Found another one this year in my saddle fit search and snatched it up also. I paid $800 and it was ridden in 3 times. Wasn't even oiled. That saddle ran about $1200 brand new. I LOVE the new tree style.
I've tried Circle Y. Sat in a Crown C. And I keep going back to my Pro Riders. They may not be a $5000 saddle but they're pretty awesome and a quality made saddle in my opinion and experience. I have yet to buy a brand new saddle. Love getting them used for great deals.
My main things when looking:
Fit to the horse
Fit to me
Reasonable price range |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | I currently ride in a Caldwell. I basically forfeited my expectation of any gifts for any gift giving occasions for the next fifty years, sold anything I had that was unnecessary, and started taking on more clients (private tutoring) to pay for it. My gelding has a low back/high withers but MASSIVE shoulders - the Ultra Rocket was all I could find that fit him, so I ordered one with the assumption that I'd likely be buried with it someday.
A 5k saddle is the extreme end of the quality spectrum though. You can EASILY find a well-made, good brand, used saddle for 1k-1.5k. If I were shopping in that $800 budget area, I'd pass on the purchase for the time being, save a little longer, and bump my search efforts to that $1k range. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | i sacrified many years of no riding and studying and then working hard, so i could afford the quality I have now. I will not ride a cheap saddle nowadays. My saddle buying days are almost over, I have been collecting Caldwells and have a nice selection of trees so i can fit most horses. I think i might only need one more tree to my collection but don't need it right now. I will get one if the right deal comes along though. Always try to make sure that whatever you buy has resale. that way as you get more and more money saved you can sell and trade up. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | I got a nice used Martha Josey for a little over 800 at Teskey's. It's an older saddle but still solid. I'd go with used and quality. |
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