Western Saddles

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eahotson

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Any advice? I rode in one the other week.Horse loved it and so did I.Only two probs really.The weight,heaving it up on his back, and the horn which made dismounting difficult for me.Seen some trecking/endurance style western which I think might just suit.Any comments?
 
Their are synthetic westerns which are considerably lighter, wintec do one, big horn do a nice half and half one too.
I personally prefer leather ones but their are different styles which aren't as heavy I have a round single skirted trail saddle by circle Y which is considerably lighter than my wade roper was which my trainer now has as I could barely lift it!
There are also many types of hybrid saddles with out horns endurance saddles and Australian stock saddle comes with and without horns.
Have a look around theirs some interesting saddles out there I love quirky ones lol as I don't show and can't ride English well due to bad leg and I love finding strange saddles to try out
 
Iv been riding western for about a year and I love it!. I have just evolved from a couple of low end starter saddles to a stunning ozark saddle king of Texas reining saddle (which weighs a TON!). The horn was a problem to me for a while too but I have managed to work out how to dismount without getting stuck!.
I had a wintec and it was a nice light starter saddle but iv never met a horse that they fit 100% so I only used it to get a feel of western riding as it was a bit tight for my horse. Have heard excellent things about the big horn synthetics though.
The Australian stock saddles are like a hybrid English / western saddle so are a nice compromise if you don't want a horn :).
 
eahotson said:
Any advice? I rode in one the other week.Horse loved it and so did I.Only two probs really.The weight,heaving it up on his back, and the horn which made dismounting difficult for me.Seen some trecking/endurance style western which I think might just suit.Any comments?
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I'm told the correct way to dismount from a western saddle is to leave your left foot in the stirrup so that you can lift yourself over the horn and lower yourself down (watch western films they do it this way!)
 
kezz86 said:
I'm told the correct way to dismount from a western saddle is to leave your left foot in the stirrup so that you can lift yourself over the horn and lower yourself down (watch western films they do it this way!)
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It is! But my horse is 16.3 and I'd break my ankle if I left my foot in on level ground! At the yard I have a 3ft mounting block to mount and dismount from but if I'm out I've perfected a flying cossack style dismount to avoid the horn!
 
There are a number of half and half saddles out there with leather seats and skirts but with cordura fenders and lightweight stirrups. Don't go for a low quality saddle is my advice otherwise you will find it doesn't fit you or the horse well. Wintecs are not good in western saddle format, and there are lots of others which are not good. Stick to one of the big western saddle manufacturers (American made) and if you can't bring yourself to buy new then better to look for a good used one from a good make rather than a brand new rubbish one.

Big Horn used to make a lightweight with no horn, as do some of the other big name saddlers. To dismount keep your left foot in the stirrup until your right leg is over the back of the saddle and once your feet are both at the same point slip your left foot out of the saddle therefore both feet will land on the ground at the same time.
 
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