|
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| Why am I seeing so many of these saddles with replaced trees, or being sold with a broken tree that needs replacing? What was wrong with the trees? Are these saddles associated with the wright saddles in any way? |
|
| |
|
Too busy outside!
Posts: 5417
 
| I've always wondered this too....... |
|
| |
|
 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
 
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | The old design was fragile and easy to break. They have redesigned it to be stronger. The new trees are yellowish, old ones are white plastic. I inadvertently bought a broken one 10 years ago. Loved the saddle, but was so disgusted that I sold it broken for cheap to someone who didn't mind getting it re-treed. Then I avoided them.
I recently bought a used one with a new tree because I was having a really hard time fitting my gelding and was desperate. The redesign seems to be sound and miraculously, it fits my horse--the shoulder part flexes and that was where I was having problem fitting him. Saddles that accommodated his shoulders didnt fit his back, but this is perfect.
You can tell it has been re-treed, but it's nothing terrible and doesn't affect its performance. There are just places that weren't glued down as tightly as they probably were originally. I got a great price on the saddle, and it works, so I don't care about cosmetic flaws. The worst part of this particular one is the seat seems to be made out of buckskin or something similar and it now has sweat stains from throwing the cinch across it and my butt sweat. Apparently, it doesn't get this hot where it used to live. LOL |
|
| |
|
Too busy outside!
Posts: 5417
| Three 4 Luck - 2014-09-29 6:56 AM The old design was fragile and easy to break. They have redesigned it to be stronger. The new trees are yellowish, old ones are white plastic. I inadvertently bought a broken one 10 years ago. Loved the saddle, but was so disgusted that I sold it broken for cheap to someone who didn't mind getting it re-treed. Then I avoided them.
I recently bought a used one with a new tree because I was having a really hard time fitting my gelding and was desperate. The redesign seems to be sound and miraculously, it fits my horse--the shoulder part flexes and that was where I was having problem fitting him. Saddles that accommodated his shoulders didnt fit his back, but this is perfect.
You can tell it has been re-treed, but it's nothing terrible and doesn't affect its performance. There are just places that weren't glued down as tightly as they probably were originally. I got a great price on the saddle, and it works, so I don't care about cosmetic flaws. The worst part of this particular one is the seat seems to be made out of buckskin or something similar and it now has sweat stains from throwing the cinch across it and my butt sweat. Apparently, it doesn't get this hot where it used to live. LOL
Lol! Loved your description! Especially the very last part- thanks!! :) |
|
| |
|
 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | If you buy one with a broken tree to send off and get retreed, make sure you know what size the seat was before the tree broke. The seat can measure way different with a broken tree. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1094
Location: Idahome | Yes, the old trees were very fragile and broke easily. The newer ones are much more durable. I am one of the ones that has a broken one for sale. It is the newer tree, but I had a cold flip over with it on and it snapped. The saddle didn't really fit me very well anyway, so I figured I would try and sell rather than wait for a new one to be put in and then sell. |
|
| |
|
 Ms. Elvis
Posts: 9606
Location: Running barrels or watching nascar | Had one with a broken tree and never stepped into those saddles again. I know I'm being close minded but after that experience, I don't trust those saddles. |
|
| |
|
 Party Girl
Posts: 12293
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | What all the others said... and not they are not associated with Wrights at all. |
|
| |
|
 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | UTAHCANCHASER - 2014-09-29 1:16 PM What all the others said... and not they are not associated with Wrights at all.
Not that I know of and I own an Ed Wright saddle. |
|
| |
|
 Jr. Detective
Location: Beggs, OK | I think that the saddles that had the problem were made 10 years ago or so. I love mine. I sold a Merrill that I had because I was buying a Caldwell and wished that I had never sold it, so I bought another one. They are super lightweight and fit a very wide variety of horses. |
|
| |
|
Party Girl
Posts: 12293
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | Nevertooold - 2014-09-29 12:26 PM UTAHCANCHASER - 2014-09-29 1:16 PM What all the others said... and not they are not associated with Wrights at all. Not that I know of and I own an Ed Wright saddle.
She asked in her original post if they were. I was answering. I think my fat fingers got in the way and I wasn't very clear... 
|
|
| |
|
I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | UTAHCANCHASER - 2014-09-29 2:57 PM Nevertooold - 2014-09-29 12:26 PM UTAHCANCHASER - 2014-09-29 1:16 PM What all the others said... and not they are not associated with Wrights at all. Not that I know of and I own an Ed Wright saddle.
Sorry about that...I think I hit the wrong quote...LOL |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| UTAHCANCHASER - 2014-09-29 2:57 PM
Nevertooold - 2014-09-29 12:26 PM UTAHCANCHASER - 2014-09-29 1:16 PM What all the others said... and not they are not associated with Wrights at all. Not that I know of and I own an Ed Wright saddle.
It was the cecil Phillips I was thinking of, not sure why I was putting cecil and Merrill together lol. |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| barrelracer1983 - 2014-09-29 10:57 AM
Had one with a broken tree and never stepped into those saddles again. I know I'm being close minded but after that experience, I don't trust those saddles.
I have also heard that a broken tree is not replaced, they apply another piece of the plastic over the broken piece.
I am not sure if this is true, just what I heard, but it makes me think twice about a rebuilt/replaced tree |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| So what year did they stop making the old tree? |
|
| |
|
I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | cheryl makofka - 2014-09-29 3:35 PM barrelracer1983 - 2014-09-29 10:57 AM Had one with a broken tree and never stepped into those saddles again. I know I'm being close minded but after that experience, I don't trust those saddles. I have also heard that a broken tree is not replaced, they apply another piece of the plastic over the broken piece. I am not sure if this is true, just what I heard, but it makes me think twice about a rebuilt/replaced tree
I don't believe this as the people that have Merrill's would have mentioned this and they wouldn't have the loyalty in their customer base if they were a shoddy company. |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Nevertooold - 2014-09-29 3:50 PM
cheryl makofka - 2014-09-29 3:35 PM barrelracer1983 - 2014-09-29 10:57 AM Had one with a broken tree and never stepped into those saddles again. I know I'm being close minded but after that experience, I don't trust those saddles. I have also heard that a broken tree is not replaced, they apply another piece of the plastic over the broken piece. I am not sure if this is true, just what I heard, but it makes me think twice about a rebuilt/replaced tree
The lady I heard this from supposedly heard it from a Merrill saddle maker.
How would anyone know the difference unless they took the saddle apart, and has anyone took the saddle apart after it has been returned.
As I said I have no direct knowledge |
|
| |
|
Mrs. Troy
Location: western Nebraska | I have three Merrills and I would rather ride them then any other saddles. THey don't hurt my back but they don't fit very wide horses. I have one for sale because I need to buy another wider saddle. I also bought one off of this site that the lady guaranteed the tree. When I got it -it measured bigger than she said. I sent a pic to Joe at THree Forks and he said it was probably broken. I called the lady and she actually was terribly rude and said very bad things to me! She said I must have dropped it or maybe my horse flipped over on it-I only rode it for 10 minutes and could tell it was too big. We took it apart and could see the tree was broken. I sent it in and I am getting a new tree put in. I will keep it and one of my others-they are super nice saddles. The new tree is a good, strong tree and should last quite a while. |
|
| |
|
I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
Location: In the Hills of Texas | doglady - 2014-09-29 4:04 PM I have three Merrills and I would rather ride them then any other saddles. THey don't hurt my back but they don't fit very wide horses. I have one for sale because I need to buy another wider saddle. I also bought one off of this site that the lady guaranteed the tree. When I got it -it measured bigger than she said. I sent a pic to Joe at THree Forks and he said it was probably broken. I called the lady and she actually was terribly rude and said very bad things to me! She said I must have dropped it or maybe my horse flipped over on it-I only rode it for 10 minutes and could tell it was too big. We took it apart and could see the tree was broken. I sent it in and I am getting a new tree put in. I will keep it and one of my others-they are super nice saddles. The new tree is a good, strong tree and should last quite a while.
What do they charge to put a new tree in?
|
|
| |
|
Mrs. Troy
Location: western Nebraska | Around 350
|
|
| |
Folks on-line