What
is the Difference in Saddles?
By Todd Martin
I
love horse tack. I could spend every extra dime that I have on
good quality tack and saddles.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, my wife does not share the same
passion for tack as me. Much like tack, there is a difference
in saddles, not only in the quality of craftsmanship but also
in the design and function. I thought that this month I would
share what I look for in a saddle and the difference in design
of saddles that are made for different disciplines.
First off lets get out of the way that I do know more about certain
saddles than others. For example, I do not know diddle about English
saddles. So lets start with what I do know best, of course reining
saddles. When looking for a reining saddle I want a couple of
things that are very important in the design. First is the freedom
of movement in the fenders. This is very important for the basic
function of stopping. Some saddles restrict movement with your
legs forward. You will find this very common in your roping and
barrel racing saddles. You can check the freedom of movement by
just moving the fenders or by lifting the fender up and checking
to see to see how the saddle is made. You will want to look at
where the cinch attaches to the saddle and make sure that this
rigging will not interfere with the movement of the fender. Along
with freedom of movement you also want to make sure that the leather
that is used for the fenders is of good quality. You want a lot
of movement, but along with movement comes places that rub and
cause weak spots in the leather. If you have to have a pair of
fenders replaced it will cost you around $250 last I checked.
I like to see a saddle with double rigging or two D rings. One
for the front cinch and one in the back for a rear cinch. These
two D rings being connected by another piece of leather keep the
fender from hanging on either rigging, or better yet a similar
piece of leather that is just attached to the front rigging which
wears better. This insures better freedom of movement and adds
longevity to your fenders, not to mention your off and cinch straps.
Lastly, I want to have the fenders hung forward on the saddle.
This helps with better posture and keeps your feet further forward.
I
look for a seat that is built with the pocket for your seat in
the middle of the saddle. Unlike your roping saddles which are
built to push your butt forward and out of the saddle, a reining
saddle should have a pocket that keeps your butt in the seat.
I also like to see the seat built up in the front which will help
you use the inside of your thighs more when working fast circles
or when working cattle down the fence like in working cowhorse.
I do not like a saddle that has a lot of dish cut out in the cantle.
I have found that if I ride in a saddle like this for long they
tend to rub on me in places I do not want a lot of rubbing. Likewise
I do not care for a saddle that feels bulky on my thigh area because
it will tend to rub there too. Especially if you are wearing starched
jeans while riding, the seam of the jeans will take the hide of
your legs. By the way you can tell if someone rides horses a lot
if they are wearing shorts. They have no hair on the inside of
their legs. I know, I am a wealth of information. As for padding,
it is not much of a concern. A well built saddle that fits well
is twice as comfortable than a bad fit with tons of padding.
Next, and probably the most important, is the quality of craftsmanship
and leather. It takes a lot of leather to make a saddle and the
best leather is part of the hide closest to the back of the bovine.
The closer to the belly the softer and thinner the leather. This
is also the cheaper leather and it doesn’t last as long.
To help you tell a little about the quality of the leather of
the saddle, lift the fender and look at the back side. See if
the leather is as durable as the top side. There will be a difference
because one side is rough and the other is smooth. Leather that
is closer to the belly, the rough side will be soft and kind of
flaky or hairy. Almost like you can pull hairy pieces off. For
those of you who think cattle should not be used for eating or
making saddles, they have synthetic saddles, but good luck finding
one of those made with quality and craftsmanship in mind.
Lastly, is the tree itself. This is the skeleton of the saddle.
There are a lot of different kinds out there and a good one is
not cheap. This is where it matters to your horse because if the
fit is not good your horse will suffer. I like a tree that gives
good contact to the horses back, in fact as much contact as possible.
The more contact there is, the more area that your weight and
the weight of the saddle can be dispersed. If you have a small
amount of contact area then all of your weight is put into a smaller
area on the horses back. It is also important to look at how narrow
or wide the saddle is at the swells and make sure that it matches
your horses withers and shoulders. Example; if you have a horse
that is thick and wide at the withers and you purchase a saddle
that is narrow at the swells, then when you cinch down that saddle
it will be pulled down on the muscles around the withers and eventually
make the horse sore.
When purchasing a saddle remember you get what you pay for. A
good, quality saddle will not depreciate much, which is why it
is hard to find a nice used saddle.
Back
to top
