The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread

[HairOfTheDog]

Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?

A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. We may not ~always~ have a lot of activity, but when we do, it will be fun. I will put a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I will also develop a ping list for horse threads that are of interest. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

I am hoping this thread will be a fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

[HairOfTheDog]

I haven't been riding since Monday.... and I really should. No good excuses!

[AnAmericanMother]

Kincaid is a bargain brand. If you're going to ride a lot, and you want a saddle that will last, I would buy a used saddle so that you can get better quality for the same money (once you ride in it a couple of times your stirrup leathers will mark the flap and skirt, and it will then be a "used" saddle, so why not start with one?) Be sure to inspect the stitching and padding - better yet, take the saddle "on approval" and have your trainer/instructor vet it for you. Don't forget to make sure that it's a good fit for your horse as well.

Most communities have a consignment shop where you can buy used tack - many tack shops will have a used tack section. I would look around and see what you can find. I bought my Courbette used - it's not the top of their line (I can't afford that kind of money) but it's a good mid range saddle. New, it costs around $1300. I paid $750, minus the $300 I got in trade for my Beval close contact, so I was only out of pocket 4. That's probably too much saddle for you . . . (I'm hunting and competing and needed more durability) but I think you'll be happier if you buy a used saddle of better quality. I would think Caprilli, Crosby, Courbette, Pariani, or Stuebben (although I don't care for Stuebben - they don't happen to fit me or my horse well - they are a quality saddle).

Ask for a general purpose forward seat saddle with a deep seat, or a "hunting saddle". You don't want a dressage saddle, it's very much a special purpose saddle and places you too far back for trail riding (you want to be able to get up off your horse's back for creek crossings, popping over fallen logs, etc.) If you're not jumping, you can let your stirrups down in a forward seat saddle and get the same effect, especially if the saddle has a deep seat.

Another good point about buying used tack is that you can get used stirrups, stirrup leathers, and girths DIRT CHEAP. That stuff depreciates like mad. At our local consignment shop, I bought an elastic-end girth, leathers, and some nice stainless steel stirrups, and came in under $100. It would be worth driving some distance to take advantage of that kind of bargain! The consignment shop here is in Alpharetta and an hour away from my house. It's worth the drive. I buy all my kids' riding clothes there - children's stuff is really cheap. Fortunately there's a girl somewhere who's just a little older and bigger than my daughter, who has VERY expensive taste! My daughter has had custom boots that fit like they were made for her (she outgrew them and we turned around and sold them for what we paid, less the shop's ten percent), Melton wool hunting coat (she still has that one), and a really nice Australian drover's coat that cost $20 because it was turned in to the shop dirty. It WAS really dirty (caked with mud) but nothing that elbow grease and Murphy's Oil Soap couldn't fix.

[HairOfTheDog]

I would tend to agree that the really quality saddles will last a lifetime if she went that way... My Stuebben was a lifetime saddle but it didn't fit when I moved to Bay.

But I think for her purpose, it doesn't hurt to get a cheaper starter saddle for $400 or less and find out, in the life of that saddle, whether she wants to ride english or not. Right now she doesn't know... it isn't going to hurt to try a cheaper saddle as long as it fits her horse.

I don't know the brand Kincaid... I bought a Wintech, which is entirely synthetic, for about the same price. If it only lasts a short number of years, it still only cost $400. At that price you can afford to replace it in 5 years, or on my next horse, if this one is not right for my next situation.

[AnAmericanMother]

Absolutely agree that she should start with a low price saddle.

My point is that if you go to used, you can get a better saddle for the same money - I found this Stuebben Siegfried on line in Pennsylvania (Bucks County Saddlery - I've actually been there!) for $350. It's well worn but it looks like there's a lot of life left in it.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Yeah, that looks like the one I was looking at.

I noticed the description said "medium deep seat" Does that mean there are deeper seats?

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah, a good deal on a good used one shouldn't be passed up. That looks like my old one!

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't know if it means they make that saddle in a deeper seat. That seat looks nice and comfy enough. Did they have saddles you could sit in?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Thanks for the time you took to send me that info. Appreciate it. I'll note the brands and check with the tack store here for a used one. Where the lady told me to get a dressage, they carry used ones. The day I looked I didn't care for the ones I saw there. But I'm not really in a hurry, probably not till my birthday in July. I figure my 50th deserves something special:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I didn't ask or try at pet smart. At the tack store I did. but the one I sat in was a cheap generic all purpose one, that the lady said she would not reccomend. I'm not sure how much I trust the info this lady is giving me.

Next time I'm at Pet Smart I'll ask them if I can sit in one.

I think right now tho, I'd rather spend 400 on a new even if it's not the best quality, then 750. I thought I paid alot for my custom made western saddle and it was 1500.

If I can get 5 years out of the 400 one, then after that I'll know I like it or not, and then buy the more expense one, if I can still get in a saddle by then:) If I land up never getting comforatable in it, I'll have an extra saddle to use in a pinch around here and not so much money in it.

But until I do buy, I'll look for used ones, maybe I'll find one compraable in price.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Our Petsmart here doesn't carry saddles or tack or anything horsey at all! I feel robbed!

I don't know the brand you looked at either way... If you see them and want a voucher... I do like my Wintec for the 'buy new fairly cheap' route, they actually hold up well, I have friends that have used theirs hard for several years now... and I think for trail there is some benefit in the synthetics... I can wash it with water if it gets muddy and it won't water spot if it gets wet in a river or a rainstorm.

With any used saddle, You'll want to have it inspected at least by the saddle guy at the store for broken tree or worn stitching that needs replaced.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Pet Smart carries WinTec too. I was wondering about the synthetic kind vs. leather. I'm a bit prejudice to leather, but will check they out more closely next time I go in. I looked just not close. Can't even remember the prices of them.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

We all like leather... and I wouldn't advise against it. If you like the workmanship you can see in that Kincaid and it is comfortable, then I'd say go for it.

I didn't want to have to buy a new one when I did. I thought English saddles would fit near anyone, and I had used that Stuebben on all my other horses, but I couldn't get around the fact that my Stuebben was soring Bay, and ~he~ needed something else. I chose the wintec for the price, and its adjustable gullet (he's really wide and high in the whither), and wide soft underpad that was right for the shape of Bay's back. I've been happy with it... and it sure is lightweight.

[AnAmericanMother]

No problem. No point in your making the same mistakes I did 20 years ago! :-D

In OK you probably don't have as much English riding gear hanging around, but there MUST be a consignment store somewhere near you (all that used stuff has to go SOMEwhere!)

And, happy 50th! I just turned 49 in March, my hubby passed that big milestone 3 years ago . . . You're right, 50 does deserve something special.

Do you have a trainer or a tack repairman you can get a second opinion on a used saddle from? Just make sure the saddle tree is not cracked or split - everything else can be repaired.

Hair, Stuebbens seem to be made for the more cobby and straight-backed type of horse. My mare is a very up-and-down build with very prominent withers, and the Siegried galls her withers. My Courbette has a cutback pommel and I use an oversize rectangular dressage pad with a liftback insert. That fits her very well, but when I show her in hunter and use a sheepskin, I have to make sure I pull the pad up into the throat of the saddle or she'll get a gall. Even her New Zealand rug wears her hair away at the withers (even with sheepskin on the edge).

[AnAmericanMother]

Becky, the only thing I would worry about your getting a cheap saddle is that it might prove to be uncomfortable and put you off English riding. I have NEVER felt comfortable in the cheap Argentine saddles that you get at rent-a-horse places and summer camps. They don't fit me anywhere and I slide all over. There's a fellow around the corner with polo ponies that I exercise from time to time. I rode in his saddles a couple of times, and it was just impossible, so now I haul my saddle and a couple of different pads down to his barn. I can almost always get a good fit, with the cutback head it's not a problem unless it's a VERY round sort of horse.

[HairOfTheDog]

Because of Bay's huge wither and sway back, with his new saddle I had a custom pad made to fill the hollow so it would never bridge... that was my problem with the stuebben, it bridged and sored him at the back of the saddle. Bay's spine would hit between the pads on the stuebeen because of his build. He would get a huge blood blister there after untacking that would stand up as big as a half-racquetball.

To fit the new one, the saddle guy shaved and shaped a cashell foam pad to fit him... For ecurbh's new western saddle, he used a regular hair pad, and added panels of foam to it where needed. I am lucky to have our Dan the Saddle Man that owns the tack shop here. He comes to the house, no extra charge. Can't beat that.

[AnAmericanMother]

Bay is just the cutest thing!

(My horse's back is more swayed than yours! Nyah nyah! ;-) )

[HairOfTheDog]

(My horse's back is more swayed than yours! Nyah nyah! ;-) )

Well, both pictures probably show them at their worst... When I relax and scratch or eat.... I prolly look all swayed and tubby too!

[AnAmericanMother]

Yeah, she was probably ready to kick me for taking a picture of her in her housecoat and slippers, dawdling over her supper . . .

I'll have to get some better pictures - have to get my Official Photographer out to the barn.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I have looked but can't find out, are Kincaid saddles Argentine made? I have been told to avoid Argentine saddles several times.

Becky

[AnAmericanMother]

I have looked around a little bit myself, but everyone who is offering them is NOT saying where they are made.

And you're right to avoid Argentine saddles. They are made on the ultra-cheap and fall apart if you look at them funny. There may be some good ones, but I've never met one, sorta like Gen. Crook and the "good Indians."