# Best Barrel/Trail Saddles?



## goatcrazyhorsegirl13 (Apr 23, 2017)

When I first got my gelding, he did not have much muscle anywhere on his body. My western saddle fit him very well for most of the summer with no dry spots. As he built up a little more muscle, and the more I rode him, I noticed dry spots just behind his withers. They gradually got bigger in size, and they were on either side of him. His confirmation is not easy to fit at all. He has a very narrow chest and a long back. He doesn't have much withers, and they start very low on his back. I ride on a hayfield almost every time I ride, and we do a lot of tough trails too. I also would like to get morse serious in barrel racing and gymkhanas. What western saddles are the best for barrels and trails? How could I measure my horse and myself for a well fitting saddle? Is there a brand that could make custom made saddles? Thanks!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Can you post pictures of your current saddle? Just the bare saddle on his back, with no pad and without cinching it. Get side views and rear views, and also show how it relates to the shoulder (so a front angle view). 

At least it might give you some guidance if your current saddle is too wide, narrow, etc, or which way you need to go.



goatcrazyhorsegirl13 said:


> I also would like to get morse serious in barrel racing and gymkhanas.* What western saddles are the best for barrels and trails?*


Well, if you are wanting to be more competitive for speed events, most likely you are going to want a barrel racing saddle. 

As far as riding trails, I do a lot of trail riding myself too (that's how I keep my barrel horses legged up) and I do everything in my barrel saddle. It feels perfectly comfortable to me. 



goatcrazyhorsegirl13 said:


> How could I measure my horse and myself for a well fitting saddle?


Short answer - you can't.

I will say that fitting a western saddle is very frustrating! Even the same brand of tree will have very slight variations in the fit. 

And just because one brand says they are a full QH bar tree, that doesn't mean anything because your horse may fit a semi QH bar tree in a different brand. 

There is just no standard in the western industry at all, so it's very much trial-and-error (and a lot of headache!).

Here's a couple good educational websites here and also here to help you start learning about saddle fit. 

If you have a tack shop in your area with numerous saddles to try, that is your best bet. Haul your horse in and have someone knowledgeable help you try them on.



goatcrazyhorsegirl13 said:


> Is there a brand that could make custom made saddles?


There's lots of brand out there that do custom saddles, but it's actually not too often that people need to go that route. Sure, you might try on 15 saddles before you find "the one" but you don't necessarily have to think "custom" right off the bat.


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