# Barrel saddle for trail riding and cow work?



## StreakersCowgurl (Sep 6, 2011)

I think the trail saddle will be a better option for what you do. Most barrel saddles (the good ones anyway) have the stirrups set more forward to help keep the leg from swinging back while barrel racing. It makes it harder for your leg to just "hang down" like you would probably like while trail riding. 
Good luck saddle shopping! There are so many choices out there aren't there??? I have been looking for another saddle and my mind just gets all boggled down with the choices.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Are you sure you're not putting more weight in one stirrup as you ride? This is common and that is why one hears the term "balanced riding". If you take your feet out of the stirrups you will quickly learn if your pelvis is centered over the horse. One way to tell if you are unbalanced is when circling in one direction you feel like your saddle is slipping to the outside yet it's fine the other way. If you are balanced then you will need to take your saddle with you when shopping so you don't buy the same tree.


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## Fancy14 (Sep 6, 2011)

StreakersCowgurl said:


> I think the trail saddle will be a better option for what you do. Most barrel saddles (the good ones anyway) have the stirrups set more forward to help keep the leg from swinging back while barrel racing. It makes it harder for your leg to just "hang down" like you would probably like while trail riding.
> Good luck saddle shopping! There are so many choices out there aren't there??? I have been looking for another saddle and my mind just gets all boggled down with the choices.


Thanks for your thoughts! I'm leaning toward the trail option as well. The amount of choice is overwhelming--and everyone has an opinion.  I'm lucky to have a lot of knowledgeable saddle people around me, but I'll ultimately still have to make the decision. Too many choices!


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## Fancy14 (Sep 6, 2011)

Saddlebag said:


> Are you sure you're not putting more weight in one stirrup as you ride? This is common and that is why one hears the term "balanced riding". If you take your feet out of the stirrups you will quickly learn if your pelvis is centered over the horse. One way to tell if you are unbalanced is when circling in one direction you feel like your saddle is slipping to the outside yet it's fine the other way. If you are balanced then you will need to take your saddle with you when shopping so you don't buy the same tree.


Good point, but nope--not a balance issue. A friend of mine is a saddle-fitter and I had her look at my current saddle. She noticed the tree is actually slightly lopsided. It's almost negligible unless you're really looking for it, and I hadn't been looking for any problems with my current saddle until my trainer suggested checking equipment to try and sort out the loping issues my horse and I are having We confirmed with a Port Lewis impression pad (my friend a certified fitter).

I wish I were the problem instead of the saddle--that would make for a cheaper solution!


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## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

Love trail riding in a barrel saddle  Most of my friends use them...


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## Fancy14 (Sep 6, 2011)

WickedNag said:


> Love trail riding in a barrel saddle  Most of my friends use them...


Have you found any downsides? How long are the trail rides you go on?

Thanks!


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## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I don't actually barrel race, but I have a barrel saddle because I prefer them. 

One plus I've found fantastic: Since the horn is meant be used while racing, it makes an awesome "Oh crap!" handle during a giant spook or a quick turn.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

I use my Hereford barrel saddle for everything. I did an endurance ride in it. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous! Comfortable, and I feel so much more secure and seated when my horse decides to do something stupid.


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## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

Fancy14 said:


> Have you found any downsides? How long are the trail rides you go on?
> 
> Thanks!



No I haven't found any downsides. I have been on 8 hours a day for three days and less. Guess if you ride more than that you will need to get more opinions :lol: 

I love the way a barrel saddle holds you in. Has a high enough cantle and they are just plain comfortable to me. They do have a forward swing but that is a great thing for hills. But the keyword here is swing. They are not permanently forward. Or at least mine aren't. I ride a Cowboy Tack saddle (no longer made so very hard to come by) and my daughter rides in a Double J Lynn McKenzie Special.

Hope that helps


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## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

That saddle is actually very close to my saddle. I got a BC for my horse and I LOVE it. It looks brand new and it's about 2 years old. It works very well for all kinds of western riding and you can barrel race and do cow work in it quite well if you did barrels occasionally.


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

I have four barrel saddles, and I use them all the time. I also have an old work saddle, but I don't like it as much because the twist is very wide. My mom has a Tucker that she loves, but I prefer my barrel saddles. That goes for trail riding, running barrels, or moving cattle. (Because I'm SO not a roper, LOL.)


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## BarrelRacer23 (Aug 17, 2011)

Just. Try to get one from a tack store is my only advice. I can't ride on long trail rides in my saddle, it has a hard seat. Was also bought used and doesn't have any padding left its just not comfortable after a few hours. If I did alot of trail riding I wouuld buy a trail saddle. My saddle is an older billy cook.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Fancy14 (Sep 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the feedback so far!

So I ended up buying a Billy Cook team roping saddle today, which was completely not on my radar: 15", 16", 16.5", 17", 18" Genuine Billy Cook Team Roper Saddle 10-2082.

I went saddle shopping at a store a few hours from me, the largest saddle shop in the province, so I could sit on a number of different styles and brands. Of everything I tried, this one was easily the most comfortable, which surprised me. It just feels like it puts me in the proper position as soon as I sit down, right over my seat bones. I'll be able to try it out on my horse this weekend, along with a few other saddles I've got friends bringing for me. I have sat on a few barrel saddles over the past week, and haven't found one that I feel totally comfortable in yet. So we'll see how this roping saddle goes. I'll also be trying a new Billy Cook 1784, a new Billy Cook ranch saddle (it's SO heavy I likely won't buy it, but it's very comfortable), a friend's Vic Bennett, and possibly another friend's Circle Y barrel saddle. 

Best case scenario, one of the new BCs I'm trying will fit both me and my horse perfectly, and we're done shopping. Worst case, nothing fits quite right, and I keep shopping until I can come home again next month.


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## qtrpalomino (Sep 1, 2011)

I have two Circle Y barrels and a Martin all around. I prefer the barrel and use these for all of my everyday riding - the Martin while comfortable - is just too heavy to lug around and mess with. Circle Y's are light, easy to pack, I feel secure in the seat and are always comfortable for any event. My daughter (age 12) also rides in my first Circle Y barrel. It's all about what feels most comfortable for you and your horse. Good luck


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I hope you like that BC roper. I grew up riding older BC ropers and I never knew what a comfortable saddle was until I quit riding them. I'll never buy another saddle with a roper tree in it, they just aren't comfortable for me, it only took me 20 years to figure that out LOL.

Another option that you may want to consider is a ranch type saddle with a Modified Association tree. Because they were originally designed as bronc saddles, the seat is really deep with a fairly high cantle and they have nice big swells on them. I got one a little over a year ago and have been riding in it for 4-15 hours a day since and I love it. It's secure, comfortable, and dang durable.


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## Fancy14 (Sep 6, 2011)

Well, the trial run with the roper this weekend went really well. Smrobs--different styles for different body types, I guess; I really love the fit of the roper tree (and that's a great-looking saddle you've got there as well!). It seems to fit my horse very well, and I love the position it puts me in, particularly the way my legs hang better below me. In my old saddle, one stirrup length was too long, while the next shortest was more comfortable, but pushed my legs too far forward--something I just realized while riding in the roper this weekend. The roper is actually 5 pounds lighter than my old saddle, which is a huge bonus. 5 pounds didn't sound like a lot to me, but it's exponentially easier to swing the saddle up without the added weight! 

I tried out the BC trail saddle (1784) as well. I was expecting the fit would be similar to the roper (just based on the brand, and what I'd heard about BC saddles being easy to fit a variety of horses) but it wasn't even close. As soon as I saddled my horse, I could tell the 1784 wasn't going to work. It was built with a ladies seat, which seems to have made the whole saddle narrower. The fit across the withers wasn't bad (though it wasn't as good as the roper), but the cantle was pointing to the sky, even with the flank cinch tight. I circled her a few times, saddled, from the ground, and her movement wasn't nearly as free as with the roper. As soon as I got on, I could tell the saddle wasn't for us. It clearly wasn't fitting her properly, and my seat didn't feel anywhere close to as comfortable as the roper did. When I got on her in the roper, I felt immediately comfortable and correct, and the trail saddle felt narrow, small, and just ill-fitting in general. 

I spent less than 3 minutes in the trail saddle, and I probably didn't even need that long. It wasn't the one for us. I switched back to the roper for the rest of the afternoon (I was at a working cow clinic) and was very happy with it. She's so relaxed in it, for ground work, walk, and trot. Her roll backs were great--they've been improving anyway, but they were the best they'd ever been this weekend in the roper. We didn't have a chance to lope, but we need some work there in an arena--she's developed some bad habits loping CW on account of the ill-fitting saddle, and doing ranch work in an open pasture wasn't the place to try it! My friend is coming to fit the saddle with her impression pad tomorrow--if she gives it the stamp of approval, I'll cut the price tag off, and start oiling!


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## Fancy14 (Sep 6, 2011)

We have a winner! Had the roper tested on an impression pad today, and the verdict was...perfect fit. My friend who tested it said she's only seen one other saddle that's fit a horse so well (that wasn't custom) and so it won't require a correction pad. Needless to say, we were both quite happy with the result. Woo! 

Thanks again to those of you who provided feedback for me!


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