The Quest - a Used Western Saddle
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With so many expenses in just beginning my horse
experiences, I’m going to look for a used western saddle
as opposed to a new one.
I know it’s important to have a saddle designed
for the size and shape of horse as well as the rider, so
I’ll have to be selective.
The Carl Ammerman saddles are intriguing, but it
seems they sort of specialize for barrel racers.
They’re made in Texas (as many things “horsey”
are!) and are hand tooled by Mr. Ammerman’s mother and
another older lady.
I liked the Barnsbys.
They’ve been making them in England since1793, so
they surely know what they’re doing.
They’ve been the custom choice of professionals
and not really budget-priced until lately.
They’re all handmade by craftsmen, especially
designed with your horse in mind at a fraction of their
former prices.
If I can find a used one of those designed for my
size, weight of horse, that would be ideal.
The ultimate cowboy saddle is the Dakota Martin, made
for the real hard working cattleman.
They have a punchy look and style.
Since I’m not going to be rounding up cattle,
I’ll pass on this brand.
I went to
www.saddleonline.com and found some very affordable
used Bob Marshalls.
They’re U.S. made for endurance and are in the
western style.
The outstanding aspect of the western saddle is
the horn which was put on for roping.
The Marshalls have a formed pommel and cantle for
stability.
On that same website, but doing an advanced search I
saw some used western Brooks saddles that are worth
looking into.
Some of the used western saddles I saw on line don’t
have the horn, for instance those used for bronc riding,
endurance riding and the European market.
The saddles designed for the European market
don’t have padding between the tree and external leather
and fleece skirting.
Of everything I’ve looked at, I think I’m going to
look into Vinton used western saddles first.
They’re designed for the working cow-horse, ranch
cutting, training, all day riding and roping.
It sounds like that would be a very versatile
style, and made for a sturdier horse, which my Palomino
is. I’ll be
using my horse mostly for recreational riding, but it’s
in the mountains, so everything, horse breed, saddle,
tack, will have to be sturdy.
I was pretty impressed with most of the used western
style saddles on-line, as far a price goes.
Hopefully one day I’ll upgrade to something
specifically designed for me and my horse.
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