Need help on buying a western saddle...?
First, I would check as to the width that would be required at the pommel. This would be the difference between a wide to narrow at the withers of the horse. Too wide, and the saddle sits on the bony area of the withers; too narrow, and the saddle sits - again - too tight along bony areas along the withers. This is why it is good to go directly to a shop, and have your horse's back measured for a comfortable fit for you and your horse. I would go also to a saddle shop, or retailer with saddles and get an idea of the cost, styles, quality and general brands that keep coming up for sale. What is good about going to a small saddle shop is that the owner will have older saddles that show you which brands have held up to the test of time. You will see saddles that are 20+ years old that have been recycled, used, with replaced leathers that can make them good as new. Always make sure that the "tree" which holds up the rider from the horses back is not broken or fractured. The saddle is not worth a dime if the tree is broken. You should be able to place the saddle directly on the ground and stand on the seat area; there should be no give. The seller won't like to see you doing that, but you need that assurance that the tree of a used saddle is not broken. You can go with name brands, or you can go with your instinct of a well-made custom saddle that makes it's way in a used shop. That is what I did the first go-round. The saddle was made in the 1960's, and is still doing well today. My other saddle I bought thru ebay, but it was after I really really measured and knew what size of saddle I needed. That saddle was about 25 yrs old when I got it, and the quality was a little less, but it was well worn and softened from use. An older saddle will be more comfortable because most of the leathers will be more pliable from use and oilings. I would suggest that you teach yourself via the internet about the incredible choices out there in designs. There are some real saddle collectors out there, that are into nostalgia with Civil war saddles and such. It is great to learn all you can so that your buying decision will not be second-guessing what you are investing in. The saddle is the 2nd most important investment after your horse, so don't take it lightly. Best to ya! 080309 1:20
How to soften a new leather western saddle?
Presumably you have a saddle rack... Put your saddle on the rack. You will need a broom handle and some water, preferably in a spray bottle. ***Apply the water to the UNDERSIDE, NOT the top surface of the leather. Putting water on the treated top grain will waterspot and discolor the finish.*** Spray the backside of the fenders, turn the stirrups as they would be if you were riding and put the broom handle through them. Allow to dry. Alternatively, you could spray them wet, saddle your horse and ride them dry. That would be my preference.
How do I re-fleece/re-line a western saddle, and where do I buy the supplies to do so?
Use REAL sheepskin! BUT you are also going to have to restring the saddle I'll bet. The easiest way is to remove each bottom skirt, (That means not only removing the strings, but nails probably into the tree too!). Then get some needle nose pliers and remove ALL the stitching, Once all the holes are clean and free of the old thread, then insert NEW saddle strings, cut the sheepskin to fit each skirt glue down and start sewing! Once the sheepsking is sewn onto the bottom skirt, take the saddle strings and refeed them through the already drilled/punched holes through the other shirts and tree. Use the leather knife to cut the slots to feed each through. This is what you're going to need: 1 Sheepskin (the yellow/gold type, NOT the brushed type) 2. 5/8" latigo strings (6 of them) 3. 6 leather needles 4. Cotton WAXED thread (Nylon doesn't hold.) 5. Awl and one FLAT sharp blade and one round 6. Contact Cement 7. leather knife 8. Wet Stone for Leather knife. http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/
Which western saddle would you reccomend?
I know this is right at your price limit of $1k, but I adore my Dixieland saddle. They say gaited, but the saddles are great for any horse. It was recommended to me by a friend who spends a lot of time in the saddle riding serious trails. http://dixielandgaitedsaddles.com/PLANTA... This is what I have with the Supracor Seat Padding and Endurance stirrups. I can ride for 6 hours and my horse and I are not dead at the end of it. I've never owned anything as comfortable. They do have traditional Western saddles as well. The light riders are very nice. A sturdy saddle at 22-24 lbs. The other thing I like is that you can do fit forms. http://dixielandgaitedsaddles.com/FITFOR... You take a bunch of pics with the forms and email them over and they help you get the right tree. I was having a hard time finding a saddle that fit my pony and the Steele AW turned out to be the right size for him. You know when you spend $1k on a saddle that it is going to fit. I also bought their wool pad and like it just as much as my 5 Star pad. I feel incredibly safe and secure in the saddle, but not trapped. If you can afford it I think you'd be really happy with it. Of the two you posted I like the Corriente. In addition to the points that Gary made, here are my thoughts. I'm not a huge fan of the basket weave tooling on the American because it's a pain to clean once you've been in the mud or in a river on a trail. I like the more simple tooling on the Corriente. Looks nice, but not a pain to clean. I also like that the rear girth on the Corriente looks setup to V-rig/Enduro Rig. Since I switched to the Enduro Rigging my saddle is much more secure even if my guy spooks or we are going up/down very steep trails. This is mine http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5075/58853...
How do I stop my new Western saddle from squeaking?!?
Your saddle is squeeking because the dry leathers are producing friction over the bars of the saddle. Get a bottle of LEXOL. Put some in a spray bottle add a bit of water, shake it well. 70% Lexol,30% water is a good mix. Flip your saddle over on it's back. Follow the stirrup leathers up to where they cross the bars and spray all the parts of the leathers, above the bar and below. Be generous. Do this on both fenders. You can also spray the backs of the fenders to loosen them up. You must moisturize the leather where it folds back on the bars. Spraying (or wetting) from the backside allows you to add moisture to the leather without the water spotting that happens when the surface is wet. Oil does not soften leather, it makes it water resistant. Oil cannot penetrate leather the way water does. Combining water and Lexol carries the necessary emolients deep into leather, preserving the integrity of the fibers. Herrmann Oak is good leather but it has the same needs as any other leather and the same faults. It's not bullet proof or impervious to mistreatment. It's "A" grade sides without the scarring and range marks that most other leathers ("B" grade and below) have. FYI, carving leather was utilized to cover up the scars and blemishes on hides.
How do you stay on a bucking horse (western saddle)?
The key is to stay upright, put on hand on flat top of the horn, not around it, and let your body flex, using the free arm to help keep your balance. Push against the horn cap to force your butt back into the saddle so you stay as deep and connected as possible. Never pull against the horn as that would pull your upper body forward and out of the saddle.Your feet will be busy too. Heels should push down as deep as possible. Don't grip with your knees as your feet may well need to come behind the vertical to maintain balance. The grip is more in your inner thighs, and legs should remain parallel to the horse's sides. When your upper body flexes back, your feet follow and stay under your shoulders.The nice thing about the average Western pleasure or barrel racing saddle is that it's designed to be sat in rather than on, like an English saddle. I've ridden in both for 55 years--English pleasure, equitation, over fences, dressage, barrel racing, pole bending, roping, and trail riding, all competitive except roping— and find it much easier to ride out a bucking horse in a Western saddle. I must admit I didn't like the roping saddle with a flared swell that locked my upper legs into place, but that's a personal peeve, not generally shared by my calf roper friends. It wasn't my strong suit.
How heavy is a western saddle for horse riding?
The weight of a western saddle, of conventional design can vary from perhaps as light as 15 pounds, say 7 kg, to 50lbs, say 20kg.At the light end of the range are youth saddles, cheaply made saddles, and light use.In the middle of the weight range, around 25 to 35 pounds, we find the general use saddles. Light roping, trail, general purpose use.At the heavy end are the well made ranch saddles. Made for longevity under constant use and heavy roping, these can way from 45 to 50 pounds easily.The differences come down to the tree on which the saddle is built, the leather used in the saddle, and somewhat the design, shape of skirts etc.The lightest trees are fiberglass or ralide, a type of plastic. If you never rope, they are alright. The leather for skirts, fenders, etc. will be a thinner type. (side note leather thickness is referred to as weight.)The thin leather and lighter trees wear out. Heavier weight leather, liners on wear points, better hardware all add weight. Then, the tree in a good roping saddle is made of wood, which has been covered in rawhide while the rawhide is still wet. This makes a very strong saddle. But it adds weight.Ranch saddles will usually have a larger set of skirts to help distribute weight over a larger area. If you also carry a rope, hobbles, quirt, saddle or cantle bags, the weight increases even more. But a well made saddle can be ridden all day with out problems to the rider or horse.
Any brand western saddle that has short stirrups?
Hmm, well you're just going to have to poke around and see what's out there. You'll for sure want a saddle with a deep seat. Even if the stirrups are bit long, a deeper seat will help you stay more balanced and it will help support you. Barrel saddles have nice deep seats (when people run barrels or other speed event patterns, they really need to be able to sit deep in the saddle to push their horse to go faster plus they just need to be able to have the support since they're going so fast and taking such tight turns). I personally love Circle Y saddles and have had very good luck with them, especially their barrel saddles! They're a little more on the spendier side, but well worth it! A couple other good brands are Billy Cook and Tucker saddles. They are very nice also. Most sites should provide what the lengths of their stirrups are. Here are their sites- Circle Y: http://www.circley.com/ Billy Cook: http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/billy-coo... and Tuckers: http://www.tuckersaddles.com/ Now, as far as the lengths, you'll have to just experiment a bit with it. If you order it from a catalog or online, make sure you're able to try and then send it back if it doesn't work out. Or if you buy it from a tack shop or used from somebody else, be sure that you can, again, try it and send it back if it doesn't fit you right. That way, you aren't stuck with a saddle that you can't use therefore don't want! Try and find some tack shops near you too. Most tack shops allow you to actually sit in the saddle and adjust it to see if it works in the store so that you can try multiples if you can't find any the first few times. Tack swaps are another helpful thing in the horse world and especially for saddles! Most of the tack and supplies at tack swaps are used, but they are at such bargain prices! You never know, there could just be a saddle that fits you and is still in good shape that someone doesn't want anymore! Again, just keep looking and you'll find one!
How can I know what size of Wintec saddle I need?
The brand name is not the determining factor regarding saddle size. Go to any saddle shop and ask to try some saddles of various sizes. English saddles are measured from the nail head in front of the rider's leg, just down from the pommel, to the center of the cantle. Western saddles are measured in a straight line from below the horn to the cantle. There's some variation according to the saddle’s design, but generally an English saddle will add 2 inches to a western size, for the same rider. If you use a 14″ western, you'll probably want a 16″ English.If you're looking at English saddles, Wintec offers acceptable quality, light weight, and affordable price. If you want a western saddle, PLEASE avoid Wintec brand! I don't know why their English saddles are so much better than the western ones, but their westerns are absolute junk! I've done saddle repairs for 4 decades, and the worst saddles I've seen are Wintec western. They fall apart in a dozen ways, even with decent care. If subjected to any unusual stresses, they're likely to simply disintegrate right there on the horse's back.There are lots of low cost saddles that are safe to use. I personally prefer to look for a used leather saddle to please my budget. If you want a synthetic saddle, any other brand is better than Wintec.