# Cheap Tough 1 saddle too good to be true?



## Golden Horse

First lesson, any thing new that is a package for Western is not worth it. They are poor quality, the best that will happen is that they will fall apart. The worst is that they will hurt your horse, your horse will freak and kill you!

Seriously these are cheap, and not value for money. The best thing to do is to buy an older recognized brand, rather than a cheap package. 

Their are lots of brands out there, if you know your size, the type you want, and your budget, then we would be happy to show you some examples of good buys.


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## connemarapaint

Golden Horse said:


> First lesson, any thing new that is a package for Western is not worth it. They are poor quality, the best that will happen is that they will fall apart. The worst is that they will hurt your horse, your horse will freak and kill you!
> 
> Seriously these are cheap, and not value for money. The best thing to do is to buy an older recognized brand, rather than a cheap package.
> 
> Their are lots of brands out there, if you know your size, the type you want, and your budget, then we would be happy to show you some examples of good buys.


 In your opinion is it best not to have a budget and to just get the best possible saddle for you and your horse?


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## gingerscout

look everyone always says go with the best.. spend a ton on the saddle.. I have a king series saddle, it was cheap, it had a 5 year warranty on it, and I decided if I stuck with it I would buy better.. the saddle has held up super well, is lightweight, and my horse has never had back pain or soreness/ white patches etc. I did invest in a quality pad though. I had my custom headstall and breast collar made to match it, my downfall is in the 5 years ive been riding in it, the cushon on my seat is flat so its not super comfy for me anymore. If your starting off you could go that route, but if it doesn't fit your horse well it won't be worth it in the long run, quality wise nothing has broken or worse out, even the felt on the bottom looks good


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## aequine

Hi! So I've never had any experience with that particular saddle, but i will say that yes most people will tell you to buy a good brand, spend tons etc. But I did buy a cheaper saddle that everyone says is a piece of trash. It's a THSL saddle, and most people say they are junk. They may be cheaper, but this saddle has held up for the 6 years that I've had it, zero problems. Plus I ride 3+ hours in it everyday, and it is still great. My thing with buying a cheaper saddle, is make sure it's not synthetic leather, get real leather that makes a big difference and helps them last better. If you're looking for a nice looking cheaper saddle that comes with everything (headstall, cinch, breast color, ) you might wanna check out the THSL.


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## ApuetsoT

You don't need an expensive saddle, you need a quality saddle. Those package saddles usually are cheaply made, don't fit any horse, and some can have screws or bolts that stick out and dig into the horse's back. I've bought a $1100 new saddle. Never really fit that great. Wasn't super happy with it. My current saddle was bought for $75 off Ebay. It fits great and is good quality, if not a little hard to look at. It was built in the 80's.

You don't need to disregard your budget, it means you might need to look a little longer. Lots of quality, older, used saddles fall into the $500 range.


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## ChieTheRider

That looked like a synthetic saddle, and I hate all of them except some Wintec ones. Even though the Wintec English saddle I have only fits my gelding and rubs my legs really badly. I have this piece of garbage saddle that I picked up cheap from somewhere and it's falling apart. I'll just cut what small amount of leather that's on there off and use it to repair other things.


Cheap saddles vary. I have two saddles that I got for $50 each. Both don't have a brand stamp on them or anything. Now, one of them is the best adult-sized saddle my gelding can use. The other, though it's beat up and ugly, fits my mare like a glove. Sometimes you get lucky, but more often than not you don't, especially if it's a sight unseen. Now, if you can go to a tack swap and take your horse and try on some cheaper saddles, you might find something good. But it's a general rule of thumb to stay away from cheap synthetics. They rot, break, change shape and fit over time, and just aren't worth it.


I hear Abetta makes synthetic stuff which will be cheaper than leather. Might be worth looking into. Still, unless you can find a used leather one (I got one for $200 from a friend) that'll probably always be better. I'd still expect to spend at least $500 on a decent synthetic saddle.


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## SilverMaple

You do not want a King/Tough 1 saddle. It won't fit you and won't fit the horse. Spend your money on a quality older used saddle and you will have much better luck.


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## Golden Horse

connemarapaint said:


> In your opinion is it best not to have a budget and to just get the best possible saddle for you and your horse?


Well no, we all have our own budget, then we have to do the best that we can within that budget.

One way to save is to look at good quality synthetic, Wintec comes to mind, decent range of well made saddles, and for various shapes of horse.

The way most of us do it is just to scour all the second hand places, close by if needed, so you can actually check the fit, or online, if you don’t mind the hassle of possibly buying and selling a few until you do get one that fits both horse and rider.

Again, the cheap imports are usually made of inferior leather, the trees can crack, investors seen them with bolt heads potruding. The metal work is of poor quality and many reports of it breaking under stress, the last thing you need is a horse bucking and something breaking on you. Last thing, fit....these cheap saddles can vary in fit, and can easily make a horse sore. Yes there are those who will tell you that they “got away with it” ask yourself do you want to take the risk?




ETA. Found it read this https://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-equipment/so-you-want-buy-cheap-saddle-152113/#post1874829


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## Boo Walker

Another important thing is to buy the horse FIRST, then buy a saddle that fits the two of you. Once you get the horse, feel free to post some conformation pictures and we can help guide you towards certain brands or styles of Western saddles that may help direct your shopping. Be prepared for lots of saddle trying! It's often the hardest and most frustrating part of new horse ownership. It's also the reason most of us have multiple saddles. The saddle you find may not fit once the horse gains muscle, mature, ages, loses topline, etc.


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## SteadyOn

I've heard Abetta saddles are decent, especially for the price point. I've ridden in one once and quite liked it, though that was a few years ago and I might feel differently about it now that I've had a lot more experience.

Agree with others that buying a good quality one, used, is probably your best bet. But IF you want to buy new, and are after a lightweight synthetic one, Abettas have a pretty good reputation.


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## loosie

You can indeed get a cheap saddle that is decent IMHO, though of course, it's not likely to last as long, be made of as quality materials... but it takes some care to find one. No. 1 consideration is, be it exxy or cheap, is that it fits your horse comfortably - a huge amount of saddles are still made to make the human comfortable, without enough consideration for the horse.

And I want to say, I LOOOVE your pic @aequine !!


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## connemarapaint

Boo Walker said:


> Another important thing is to buy the horse FIRST, then buy a saddle that fits the two of you. Once you get the horse, feel free to post some conformation pictures and we can help guide you towards certain brands or styles of Western saddles that may help direct your shopping. Be prepared for lots of saddle trying! It's often the hardest and most frustrating part of new horse ownership. It's also the reason most of us have multiple saddles. The saddle you find may not fit once the horse gains muscle, mature, ages, loses topline, etc.


Yes this does make more sense. Once I get the horse, (Probably in a couple months) I will post some pictures and you guys can tell me what you think.


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## beau159

connemarapaint said:


> Does this seem like a good thing for me to buy or would it make more sense for me to buy a more expensive saddle that would last me longer?


That's a cheap piece of junk. Don't buy it. 



connemarapaint said:


> In your opinion is it best not to have a budget and to just get the best possible saddle for you and your horse?


If you want to, of course you can, but you do NOT have to spends thousands and thousands of dollars on the "best" saddle for your future horse. The most important thing is that it FITS. That is what makes a saddle "best" for your horse. 

There are plenty of used good-quality saddles out there. 

As a general rule of thumb, if a saddle is $500 or less brand new, it's junk and you shouldn't waste your time. 

And yes, buy the horse first before you buy a saddle.


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## aequine

loosie said:


> And I want to say, I LOOOVE your pic @aequine !!


 awe! Thanks!


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## PoptartShop

Get the horse first, then the saddle...really. 

That saddle is cheap for a reason, & I don't think it would be a good fit for most horses...even a synthetic saddle would suffice if you are looking for something on the less expensive side, but still good quality.


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## loosie

And we can give you some broad ideas about saddle fit from pics Connemara, but even the best set of pics won't allow us to know whether the saddle you get Fitz the horse. For that you need to measure, feel, see in the flesh... I'd advise you to learn about saddle fit & the important principles that apply, and get a good saddle fitter, or body worker out to evaluate.

Ed to add... haha! Corrective txt so good... Fitz!


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## humanartrebel1020

Do your research on a a few of these!! Im no saddle expert but I found this site for you, it might have something here. Make sure they're real leather too or whatever you think will fit you best and worth your money. Maybe something not so heavy for light riding. https://www.saddleonline.com/17-pleasure-trail-saddles


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## Golden Horse

humanartrebel1020 said:


> Do your research on a a few of these!! Im no saddle expert but I found this site for you, it might have something here. Make sure they're real leather too or whatever you think will fit you best and worth your money. Maybe something not so heavy for light riding. https://www.saddleonline.com/17-pleasure-trail-saddles



Not a site I would recommend, to be honest.

Real leather....thing is not all leather was born equal, tanned equally or crafted equally. There is nothing like actually going to a tack store and touching everything to start learning how much of a difference there is. A good synthetic would be better than a poor leather.

Now the weight issue...being a big girl myself when I first started rid8ng Western I thought that looking for a light saddle would be best...now I know better...and again going into a store and hefting a few saddles around gives you a feel. There are heavy old clunkers of saddles around, built to work, and last, if the fit you and your horse then great. My preference is a slightly newer saddle, not so heavy, but with decent leather and a good tree it feels substantial to lift. Then there are the lightweights, no substance, you have to look at them and ask, is their enough weight here for what it’s claiming to be.


Same as everything when you are starting out it is overwhelming and you really don’t know what is good and bad. Definitely an area where handling a lot of items helps you to ‘feel’ what is good.


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## humanartrebel1020

Golden Horse said:


> Not a site I would recommend, to be honest.
> 
> Real leather....thing is not all leather was born equal, tanned equally or crafted equally. There is nothing like actually going to a tack store and touching everything to start learning how much of a difference there is. A good synthetic would be better than a poor leather.
> 
> Now the weight issue...being a big girl myself when I first started rid8ng Western I thought that looking for a light saddle would be best...now I know better...and again going into a store and hefting a few saddles around gives you a feel. There are heavy old clunkers of saddles around, built to work, and last, if the fit you and your horse then great. My preference is a slightly newer saddle, not so heavy, but with decent leather and a good tree it feels substantial to lift. Then there are the lightweights, no substance, you have to look at them and ask, is their enough weight here for what it’s claiming to be.
> 
> 
> Same as everything when you are starting out it is overwhelming and you really don’t know what is good and bad. Definitely an area where handling a lot of items helps you to ‘feel’ what is good.


 Really why wouldn't you recommend it??? 100 percent true but its just my opinion whatever she feels it worth her money. There are a lot of plasticy western saddles out there and in my opinion aren't mailable or can be manipulated the way a real leather one can. I wouldn't want to risk leaving my horse with a sore back due to crappy crafting you know? Also depends on what you think your horse would be most comfortable in. It really depends what kind of riding your doing, your own weight as well.


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## Golden Horse

humanartrebel1020 said:


> Really why wouldn't you recommend it??? 100 percent true but its just my opinion whatever she feels it worth her money. There are a lot of plasticy western saddles out there and in my opinion aren't mailable or can be manipulated the way a real leather one can. I wouldn't want to risk leaving my horse with a sore back due to crappy crafting you know? Also depends on what you think your horse would be most comfortable in. It really depends what kind of riding your doing, your own weight as well.


Which is why I say someone starting out should get out and about and get their hands on as many different saddles that they can..

As to Saddles on line....again look at the price, figure out how many hours labour go into a saddle, then the cost of quality materials, then ask yourself, are they really being made in the US, and if so where are they saving their money?

You are quite right, no one wants to hurt their horse, which is why we have to balance so many things while shopping. 

Why am I passionate about this? Well 9 years ago or so, I was going through the same learning curve, arguing with people online that surely a new saddle would be better than an old one....Now I know that is a very risky gamble. For a few years I bought and sold old saddles, did them up and sold them. Bought online using what skill I had, then made the best of what arrived...taught me to get my eye in a little better.


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## SilverMaple

Considering that the cost of the leather alone for a well-made saddle will run at least $500 and likely far higher these days, that should tell you if a new saddle is decent. Add in labor, fittings, tree, sheepskin, and other materials and $1200 is your base cost for even a mass-produced saddle of reasonable quality.


Far better to spend $700 on a 20 or 30 y.o. saddle that will last a lifetime and hold its value if you need to sell it than $600 on a cheap saddle of sub-par leather and a synthetic tree that won't hold up over time, and be worth next to nothing if you have to sell it. These made in Pakistan/India/Mexico saddles should be steered clear of. Some may even look nice, but your horse will know the difference. Once you have handled and ridden in a good saddle with Hermann Oak leather, sheepskin underside, and a good tree you won't ever go back to anything else. A good saddle even smells different than a cheap one.


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## AtokaGhosthorse

Nothing to add about the Tough 1 saddle. It is indeed trash. And yes, once you've handled a good saddle (Not even a super NICE saddle) you'll find the cheap ones to feel gross, fit horribly, and you'll want to set them on fire in the back yard.

Also keep in mind, if wisely bought, a good used saddle, even a mid-range quality, will hold its value, or even sell for MORE than you paid if you take care of it. Make a wise first purchase AFTER you've bought your horse and you can trade up or outright sell it and make money and reinvest it in a nicer saddle, rinse, repeat, until you're up in the really, really nice saddles.

MOST western saddles with FQHB will fit MOST quarter horses just fine. 

But get your horse first - because you might find the perfect TWH or Arabian cross and a FQHB saddle won't fit them at all, or they might be a quarter horse that's built like a bulldozer... and you need a wide-tree saddle instead.

Be prepared to not go cheap on the pad either and for the same reason. A good pad is a life saver for you AND your horse, lasts years, and should have decent resale/trade off value if taken care of. You can start with a pro choice or classic equine and work your way up if you feel you need something even better.

I'd say for about $500.00 you could get a good USED set up from an individual and it would last you many long years and still have good trade value and be of good quality.


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