Western Saddle Selection Guide

When purchasing a western saddle the first thing to remember is;
THE SADDLE IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE HORSE WHO WILL WEAR IT!
Although we all want a good looking saddle, form and function gee first. When a professional horsemen buys a horse, what does he look at first? It's not what color the horse is, or how shiny he is. It's correct confirmation, size and ability to perform the discipline the horse will be used for.
So it should be with saddles. My husband and I have been avid horse owners for many years. My husband trains and is a judge at local shows. Many, many horses and saddles have passed through our farm over the years and I'll try to pass some of our accumulated knowledge onto you.
The best saddles to be found anywhere are hand made. They are getting a little scarce, but if you're lucky enough to find one, it'll be one of the best investments you'll ever make. Handmade saddles will last forever. We have a few in our tack room that are at least 35 years old and are just as beautiful (if not more so from the rich, beautiful color ofhand rubbed leather) as they were when new. You'll also notice the older hand made saddles weigh significantly more than newer production line made saddles.Thats beacuse they have a wooden, leather covered tree underneath! Todays saddles mostly have a ralide tree (good production) or plastic tree(cheap production) undernath.
The best, older saddles to be found today are Bona Allen, short for Bonapart Allen ,Tom Taylor, Billy Royal and later versions of same, Billy Cook (sometimes also referred to as Billy Crooks!) Not sure why, but their quality is still excellant. Bona Allens' weigh a ton, but what a great seat. You'll never have a more gefortable ride! Tom Taylor was a very talented individual who taught others how to hand craft saddles well over 40 years ago. We were lucky to purchase one of these from an estate sale a few years ago. Look for serial numbers and tags on Billy Royals to prove they are authentic.
My husbands pride and joy is a hand crafted saddle by Dale Chavez! These saddles are widely availabe and are one of the highest quality, and the most beautiful to be found today. A Chavez is hand made start to finish by one pair of hands. All of the intricate carving is done by hand, never machine stamped like some of the production line saddles! They are classic. The silver is heavy, andgood quality. Not the cheap, thin silver found on alot of your cheaper production saddles. A wonderful investment, but you'll pay for it! A good chavez can run from 2 to 3 thousand used and as much as 8 or 10 thousand new!
Other newer saddles produced by Harris ( I believe a Virginia based gepany) are incredibly well made. Although relatively new to the saddle making world, they have made a big splash in the AQHA Western Pleasure Shows! I looked at one in Lexington Virginia(I have very good taste!)a few years back and almost fell over when I saw the price tag. Over 12,000 dollars! Too rich for my blood, but hey, when you own a 50,000 horse, who rides in a 100,000 truck and trailer! What the hay!
Lets get real. A good quality, used western saddle should run between 300 to 700 depending on what type riding you do. This price is just for a run of the mill trail riding saddle.Low end would bea Blue Ridge production saddle selling new for about 300.00 to 500.00.High end production could be a Tex Tanor Circle Y. Both produced in the U.S.A.(Used about 800.00 to1500.00. New3000.00 and up) depending what it will be used for. The fancier the carving in the leather and the amount ofsilver willhave alot to do with the price.Stay clear of the no name brands, most are made in Mexico, very cheaply made with leather thats more like card board, and silver like tin-foil!
The hand made name brands we discussed earlier will be a bit more expensive, but remember you are buying used, so they should still be reasonable priced and in good condition.By the way...used saddles are incredibly gefortable! Somebody else's butt was rubbed raw breaking it in! Lucky you!
Before you buy always contact the seller and find out as much as you can before you bid. Will it fit a quarter horse or was it made for an arab. Square skirts or round? How many inches from the horn to the back of the skirt? Is it too long for your horse? Whats the weight? Can you lift it? (don't worry about it being too heavy for the horse!) Will it rub? Is it too wide for your horse? How is the padding underneath?
NO NYLON WEB GIRTH STRAPS PLEASE!
HINT: If the saddle gees with anything nylon on it,(sorry, other than a synthetic saddle)please think twice about the quality and the intelligence and integrity of the person selling it! And here's the biggest question of all...Will they take it back if it doesn't fit your horse?
NOW PICK YOUR FAVORITE COLOR!!!
Happy Riding, Stay Safe, God Bless