# What is a good Trail riding saddle?



## Rollyourownman (Oct 22, 2008)

I am looking for a not to exspensive trail saddle what do Ya'll recommend?


----------



## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

A lot of people like treeless saddles- I've heard they're very comfy for trailriding!


----------



## Rollyourownman (Oct 22, 2008)

I need somthing to hang on to.


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

What price range are you in, is weight a consideration, and do you mind used or must it be new?


----------



## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

I'd look around. My trainer said he purchased one of those treeless flexible saddles and hated it. He took it back to the store immediately and then purchased a used saddle. I just got two used ones; one from Craig's list and the other one from ebay. I'd think you could find a nice used saddle from either of these sources. Let's just say the more expesive saddle was less than $150 with shipping. The other was less than half that. 

I'd chose only name brand saddles like Simco, Tex Tan, etc. I've seen some pics of a Red Ranger that looks kind of neat. My Simco is leather, comfy, pretty, and light weight.


----------



## Rollyourownman (Oct 22, 2008)

Around $200.00 and under i want a sturdy hefty saddle leather of course i would love a Billy Cook but i doubt i get one for that price.I dont mind used.


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Rolly, under $200 is pretty tough and definitely used. There are new saddle packages out there that I would never put on a horse selling in that range but don't do it. 

Save a little more and once you can get ~$350 and above you will find a much better quality saddle. There are some bargains out there but they are few and far between for a named brand. 

Your saddle may last longer then your horse so buy a good one. I've seen OLD Billy Cooks (from OK not from TX) selling for over $350 at auctions. There was a great buy of a Circle Y pleasure saddle that sold for only $300 at the last auction I went to that should have been in the $500 range anywhere else.

What I always tell my kids is if you buy it right, you will only need to buy it once.


----------



## Rollyourownman (Oct 22, 2008)

I found this one,they say it is a custom made jobber looks pretty stout but i dont know about saddles they want $150.00 for it and it is used


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

The word "custom" gets thrown around way too much. A good maker has his name on the saddle or at least the name of the shop that has it contracted. Anytime there is no name or brand on the saddle, I suspect the quality.

Judging only from the picture, the leather looks stiff, the hardware looks so-so, and the rear cinch is cheap. What is the tree made of, what kind of buckles are used on the stirrups, and what is the padding like? Frankly it doesn't look very used. The fenders aren't turned and the front billet has no cinch marks on it.


----------



## Rollyourownman (Oct 22, 2008)

iridehorses said:


> the word "custom" gets thrown around way too much. A good maker has his name on the saddle or at least the name of the shop that has it contracted. Anytime there is no name or brand on the saddle, i suspect the quality.
> 
> Judging only from the picture, the leather looks stiff, the hardware looks so-so, and the rear cinch is cheap. What is the tree made of, what kind of buckles are used on the stirrups, and what is the padding like? Frankly it doesn't look very used. The fenders aren't turned and the front billet has no cinch marks on it.


*horn : 3" *
*gullet : 7*
*fiberglass tree*
*skirt : Wide skirt *
*color :light tan *
*design : Quality leather *
*weight : 28 lbs*


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

There are a few things about the description that you need to consider. Fiberglass trees are cheap, 28 lb is a light saddle - not stout, and the term "Quality Leather" really doesn't say a lot- who would say "leather like cardboard".

$150 is very inexpensive but it just may work for you for a while and you should be able to resell it for what you paid when the time comes. Just be sure it fits you and your horse or it isn't worth anything.

I'm not trying to sound discouraging but just point you in the right direction. Never buy a saddle because the price is right, buy because it's a good saddle and it fits.


----------



## Rollyourownman (Oct 22, 2008)

Thanks for all your help i may consider this saddle but i am still looking for now i need one pretty quik but i can wait alittle longer.Thanks for the info.What is a good tree made of ?


----------



## Joshie (Aug 26, 2008)

I was able to find an inexpensive Simco on our local Craig's list. The guy didn't know the name brand and the picture made it look horrible. It's not a bad little saddle. Perfect size for me and pretty to boot! Have you looked at your classifieds? What about something like Tradin' Post, your newspaper, or something similar?


----------



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

A good tree is made of hardwood and covered in either rawhide or fiberglass (that means covered in fiberglass not made of it) and should weigh about 35 to 40 lb. For a stout saddle, stay away from a product called Ralide which is a molded plastic.


----------



## summerswave101 (Oct 20, 2008)

i would go with a used saddle, aussies are comfy, if you want a western, look around at local tack stores, but if its used, then its kinda like a broken in pair of jeans, it'll already be broken into...  also smaller local tack stores my do trade ins for old leather, so you might be able to get out of payin a hefty price for a good saddle if you have old leather that you could trade in to offset the price of the saddle, just some advice, good luck on findin what you need


----------



## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

I took a gander and found a few close to your price range that are good saddles. Names like Crates, Herford/Textan, Simco, Billy Cook, etc should help you find a good saddle for the money. These are all 16" seats, didn't know what size you needed so I just picked one. 

crates
Herford/textan
billy cook

I didn't look too far thru here.. You can do a more specific search for your size and the tree size you need.


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Consider what you are doing with the saddle. You would never rope steers with a 25lb saddle. And a treeless or a saddle built on a light weight tree would not hold up to the stress of steer hitting the end of the rope. But for a trail saddle they will do the job. I have a "Specialized Saddle" that weighs 28lbs. It has pads and shims made of rubber that are very easy to change to fit what ever horse I put it on. It has held up great for 10 years of use and my daughters love to use it since it's so light to lift up and put on the horse. But it's a lousy saddle for me to throw a saddle pannier over the top and try to pack anything.

If you are roping you want something that's easy to get out of. When they get the calf roped those cowboys want to hit the dirt running to get it tied up. As a trail rider, I like a little more security. I want the saddle to hold me in, if the horse I'm riding spooks and jumps away from what ever spooked him. A saddle with a little higher cantle and pomel will help hold you in. If you are breaking young horses that have a tendency to buck, then you really want a bear trap of a saddle to keep you in place.

Do you plan to carry a lot of stuff with you on trail rides? A bigger skirt helps to support and spread the weight of saddle bags. If you rarely carry much weight while on a trail ride, the smaller rounded skirts give the horse more freedom of movement. Is your horse gaited. Some of the gaited breeds need more shoulder movement than the stock breed horses do. The gaited horse saddles usually cut the front skirt back some to allow more shoulder movement.

Do you want a padded seat or a slick seat? I prefer a slick seat, but there are a lot of folks who want to sit on a soft padded seat.

Tucker Saddles are probably best known as a trail saddle, Look at their website and see what features they stress for their trail saddles and use that as a guideline for what you consider. New quality built american saddles will sell for $1400 to $2000 with custom saddles going for more than that. I see Mexican saddles at the tack auctions going for $300 new. You know that their is something missing if they can sell them that cheap. The quality saddles have chrome tanned leather, the mexican saddles have who know what kind of tanning in the leather. The thickness of the leather is half as thick in the mexican built. The quality of the tooling, how many stitches per inch and the type of thread used on the sewing. A good quality saddle will last your lifetime, a cheap saddle will last 2-3 years.

You can find quality saddles selling as used saddles and would be better off than buying a cheap new saddle. As mentioned Crates, Colorado Saddlery, Heford are production saddles built in mass quanities that use good materials and will last a long time.

And understand that not every saddle will fit every horse. Saddles come with Quarter horse bars, Semi Quarter horse bars, Arab bars etc. Buying the wrong saddle can make you horse very sore. I would be hesiteant to buy a saddle mail order and just expect it to fit my horse. I like to set the saddle on the horse and see how it fits his back. I've been known to buy a good saddle in a pawn shop at a great price and when I got home and set it on the horses back, saw that it wouldn't fit and that saddle has often sat in my tack room waiting for a horse whose back it would fit.


----------



## Curly_Horse_CMT (Jun 8, 2008)

*Aussies rule, baby!*

All I can say is "aussie, aussie, aussie". If you want a good trail riding saddle, that is what they are meant for: a day in the brush. They have the pollys on the front that keep you in (they are similar to the bucking rolls) and it has a seat that you can ride in ALL day and not get sore. Just my two cents  I would own no other trail saddle. Plus, it comes with or without a horn...


----------



## cloudy18 (Apr 29, 2008)

I'll second the Aussie vote! No sore knees or bum, for me, after a five hour ride. Beware of the cheapie ones, but mine is a cheapie and it's great! You can probably find better used ones for a decent price. CHek out Down Under saddles.


----------



## Curly_Horse_CMT (Jun 8, 2008)

cloudy18 said:


> I'll second the Aussie vote! No sore knees or bum, for me, after a five hour ride. Beware of the cheapie ones, but mine is a cheapie and it's great! You can probably find better used ones for a decent price. CHek out Down Under saddles.


Glad to know that are some other Aussie fans out there! lol Yeah, I like my Aussie (its not a cheapie and doesnt have the western stirrups; it has the traditional ones) They are just comfy period...and they fit my mare good. The only thing is is that you have to have really good balence riding in a Aussie, they can be tipsy if you dont balence your weight right. Other then that, go for one!


----------



## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Stay away from the saddle pictured above. You can see that the saddle is not made to fit a horses back and your horse WILL be sore if you use that saddle. Those cheap saddles are not made to fit rider or horse.


----------



## kim_angel (Oct 16, 2007)

PoptartShop said:


> A lot of people like treeless saddles- I've heard they're very comfy for trailriding!


Treeless.

They do make treeless saddles with horns.
And trust me, you will be less likely to need something to hang on to when you ride in these. My husband has one and it actually helps you stay in the saddle so much easier. I hope to afford one someday.

For now, this is my trail saddle:


----------



## PG'sGal4ever (Sep 25, 2008)

this Christmas I think im gonna get A tucker Saddle with the gel seat in it, Since I plan on doing alot more trailriding and my butt always hurts after riding in the saddle I have now lol


----------

