I'm a newbie to horses. In fact, I don't own one yet but decided to proceed with a saddle purchase. I plan on purchasing 3 or 4 geldings by May of next year. I am specifically looking at "bombproof" Appy's, QH's and or Paints. The majority of riding will be pleasure/trail with my wife and daughters, in the foothills and mountains. I also plan to use my horse for some ranch work.

I am close to 6'0" and approximatley 225 lbs. The used saddle I chose is a 15.5" Western type. It feels comfortable, but from reading it would appear that I should have looked at a 17" saddle. Do you think I would feel the difference out on the trail all day? I welcome your thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Mike

My suggestion would be to buy the horse first and make sure the saddle fits your mount. If you get sore, you can get off, but there's nothing more miserable than a horse wearing a saddle that rubs him in the wrong places. : If he get's miserable enough, you may find yourself sore on the ground, crawling. Better to buy a good used saddle than one of those Mexican jobs, Jack flogs in Innisfail.
Sounds like you wanna buy a whole remuda. If you're smart, you'll stay away from the auction markets and get somebody with a little experience to guide you in your purchases. You may get a deal, but there's usually a good reason, a horse ends up at a sale.
Grizz

Thanks for the reply Grizzly. I probably did get a bit ahead of myself but I had some guidance from a couple friends, that are very familiar with horses. They suggested the same as you - that I purchase a good used saddle. One of them told me the F.Eamor story and suggested buying one of his saddles if I had the opportunity. The opportunity did come and that is what I purchased. It's a great looking saddle and feels very comfortable.

Both my friends have offered to purchase the horses with me. Ironically, I did think that I was going to go the auction route... they set me straight.

Are there pretty dramatic differences between Western pleasure/trail saddles, roping saddles, cutting saddles, etc.? I want a saddle primarily for the trails, hunting and chasing cattle through the hills (probably a couple times a year).

I thought quads were expensive!

Thanks for the help. Cheers, Mike

Eamors are a story in themselves. There are good ones and bad ones, depending when and by which one of the Eamors they were made by. there's quite a family history that goes with the name.
I went through a bunch of shit saddles before I bought one by Experience leather. I think they are a small production company, in North Battleford. Not a heavy roping saddle [ I don't make it a habit of lassoing furry things], but well made and comfortable for me and my horse. cost around 1200, 5 or 6 years ago. If you do buy a used one, make sure it doesn't have a broken tree.
Grizz

If you are anywhere near High River Alberta, there are a couple or three good saddle makers there. One guy (I can't remember his name) is high end. The others are more moderate priced. YOu want a tree with semi quarter horse bars - that will fit most horses. Get one with a wood/rawhide covered tree (or fiberglass/wood) strong and durable. Wood rawhide trees have been known to last for 100 years. Eamors I believe have made some good rigs. Buy horses with some withers. If you don't know what I mean, get your friends to help. You don't want a mutton withered horse. Do NOT buy a seat too short. You will live to regret it on long rides. I have a weatherly, a Will james, and a modified association tree. All are ok. A Wade tree also make good general purpose saddles. Better too stout than crappy - you don't want your riggin pulling out in a tight spot. As Grizz mentioned, better to buy horses first, saddles to fit, but semi quarter horse bars will fit most ok - you can always put an extra blanket on, but you can't make a narrow saddle fit a wide horse. Gullet width is a good measure - about 6 3/4 - 7 will fit a lot of them. Get some cantle behind you - 4 inches is a good height. A big horn will help spread the blow if you take it in the stomach riding out a storm.

Good luck.

Paul's advice is good. I don't want nothing to do with a synthetic tree,rawhide covered wood is the way to go and will last longer than you and I. there are always a lot of good saddle makers, many we have never heard of are very good and pretty much sell locally. I would be amazed if a 15.5 in. seat fits you well, I ride a 16.5 in. saddle and a 17 in. is better on a cutting saddle that I need to move around on a bit. Of course overall size of the human isn't the critical saddle measurement, a little guy with big sprinter's thighs will need a big seat, as you run out of room for your thighs, not your butt. A 250 pounder with no butt and skinny legs will use a smaller seat and there are a lot of men built like this that are over 40. Get yourself an older horse and learn to ride. Don't be afraid to use a professional trainer and ask questions. Also, in my experience a bombproof Appy seems to be quite rare!

I am 6'2 and 230, I ride in a 15 inch saddle, the saddle before was 17 ,every one fits different so try them out first and MAKE SURE the saddle properly fits the horse, My 17 inch saddle went down the road when I hit the road as it was hurting my horse, as far as bombproof, if you are a green rider there is no bombproof horse, put hours on the trail with you and your horse, confidence will be built between the two of you and then you may be a "bombproof" team

I agree with Gatho re the term "Bombproof" it is a term usually used by dealers (not good ones) or owners that have got to know there horses and are able to deal with there horses issues (which all equines have unless it is stuffed). I am not firmiliar with what American saddle dealers can offer but here in the UK we have treeless saddles which are truley great. Comfortable for you and your horse. Its like sitting on your sofa. Lovely soft leather and plenty of padding high backed with a look of a Western. And it's a saddle for life as they will fit any of your potential horses.

Hello Im sure Im gonna make a bunch of folks mad at me, But, Im not sure of your choice of breeds for a first horse. Quarters are fine , but most Paints and Appys are tempermental and require a knowlegable hand. this is a generalization to be sure and there are horses of this breeding that are quite safe and willing, however would not be my first choice. I like Missouri Foxtrotters, Morgans, grade horses of mixed breeding. pure bred anything could prove challenging. stay away from X-race horse stuff. Iknow you didn't ask about horses, sorry. as for saddles, bigger is better than too small. you ain't gonna get skinnyer as you get older. just make sure it fits the horse.

www.crestridgesaddlery.com shows how to fit your horse, mule, pony, to saddle !

Many thanks for the replies. Some interesting and very useful information. Perhaps my information is incorrect or maybe I misunderstood, but I was led to believe that Appaloosas were generally less "spirited" than Quarter Horses? I was told they had big hearts and would make a good horse for a relatively inexperienced rider. Any thoughts? Cheers, Mike

My experience has been that they are more obstinant rather than spirited, whatever that means. We used one for a pack horse a couple of years ago, and he just quit a quarter mile from the truck on the way home. Others may have varying experiences, of course. I can't remember a horse with a lot of heart that was slow and steady, most will be spirited or at least energetic. An energetic fast horse can be bombproof, these are not mutually exclusive. I have a quarter horse mare who is very fast and loads of endurance and I rode her on elk hunts as a 3-year old in the Church Wilderness in Idaho. That should tell you what kind of trail horse she is. You can ride her all day and barely have to kick her, spurring one all day long will wear me out physically and mentally, so I want nothing to do with a dead headed horse. Everyone is different, and I'm not an inexperienced rider as I ride cutters about 40 hours a month, rode till 11 pm. last night.

please don't get me wrong either. I have a 32 year old leppord app. he was born here. we use him for a third wheel and kids horse. most times he is good, but in the winter or sping he can still scare ya as he still has his health and spirit. i was just generalizing, which I know better than to do. however, we all heard the old joke... ya know why idians rode appaloosas into battle?... cause they wanted to be good and pissed off when they got there! they are good horses and will go all day, even our old boy he'll lay down on you before he'll turn round for home.

Canuck45....I'll give you some advice, find someone around you that you can trust and has a very good knowledge of horses and horse buying OK.

Next step is to figure out what kind of horse you want for trail riding. I myself like a Foxtrotter because they are a gaited horse and smooth verses a 1/4 horse that is not a smooth to ride.

I would buy one horse at a time! Not 3 or 4 horses because chances are you are going to take it on the chin. You will need to ride that horse around the ring first before you take it any place else for a test drive.

You will get stung hard if you don't have that person or persons with lots of knowledge when time to buy understand. It is just like sending out Grandma to buy her first used car off of Old Honest Abe's used car lot. Buyer be ware of the nightmares. You must ride the horse to see if it is sound of foot. Not some 5 minute jog around the arena either, get that horse to good and warm.

I agree 100% with the others, buy the horse first and then go get the saddle to fit him. Your size tells me right you need at least a 16 inch saddle and with winter clothes a 17 will fit you better, not to mention if you put on 20 pounds or so in the next 3 or 4 years. Horse size and your body size, I would go with a horse that stands around 15.2, with lots of bone and muscle. A nice big wide rearend get my drift! I would not buy anything under 6 years old either.

Mountain riding I like a Quarter/Morgan horse mix. A GRADE HORSE in other words....NO Reg. Papers etc. Now out on roads an trails those gaited horses will be easyier on your backside. Plantation type riding or field trials with dogs, I go with the Walking Horse in open country.

In the mean time, read all you can about horsemanship and handling horses, do's & don'ts etc.

Many thanks to all for the valuable information and shared experiences! I thought I would provide a bit of an update… it may provide some insight to others who are in my position.

Firstly, with the help of a very good friend and horseman, I did purchase an excellent Quarter horse. In fact, I purchased it off his brother-in-law with a money-back guarantee if I was either not satisfied or decided that I might prefer something else. The seller was a real gentleman. My new horse is a 6 year old, 15.3 hh, very well broke gelding. I have had him for about 4 weeks now, and he is everything I could have hoped for.

My first lesson learned, these types of horses are not cheap. I spent 50% more than I had originally budgeted. I have no regrets or buyer’s remorse whatsoever, I just did not realize the money and time already invested into this fine animal.

The F. Eamor saddle I had purchased fit the horse very well. It was also very comfortable for me… until I had the experience of stopping very suddenly. I flew out of the saddle and on to the frozen ground. A slick seat, roping saddle with a smaller swell is not a good choice for a beginner rider. Lesson learned. I have spent the last three weeks looking for a better choice and I have it narrowed down to two different saddles. Both are 16†and have wide swells, deep seats and a 5†cantle. One saddle is from Experience Leather out of North Battleford and the other is a Don Loewen “Will James†ranch saddle out of Merritt, B.C. I am taking the horse out to the riding arena to fit and ride in both saddles and see which one best meets both our requirements.

Instead of buying the whole remuda, I am only going to pick up one more horse this year and that will give me a better opportunity to evaluate our needs. I am ashamed to admit this, but there is way more to this whole “horse thing†than simply finding a horse, buying a saddle and riding off into the sunset. I’m glad I learned this before it was too late. Again, I have some good friends that spent some time with me and gave me some valuable advice. They also made me familiar with the Western Horseman books which provide a great deal of valuable information and insight.

Again, thanks to you all for your help and observations!

quote:

Originally posted by girlfriday:
I agree with Gatho re the term "Bombproof" it is a term usually used by dealers (not good ones) or owners that have got to know there horses and are able to deal with there horses issues (which all equines have unless it is stuffed). I am not firmiliar with what American saddle dealers can offer but here in the UK we have treeless saddles which are truley great. Comfortable for you and your horse. Its like sitting on your sofa. Lovely soft leather and plenty of padding high backed with a look of a Western. And it's a saddle for life as they will fit any of your potential horses.

Whenever I'd have someone come looking for a "bombproof" horse or mule, I'd direct them to the ATV & Bicycle shop ).
RE: "Treeless saddles" I hate them. They are very uncomfortable to me & I've seen a lot of horses sored using them. The endurance folks tried them & have pretty much given up on them.
I've designed a few saddles and you can pretty much design your own to your taste & fit the tree to your horse (5+ years old) & have a maker build a saddle on it to your liking.
As for breed, Apps & paints are all pretty much quarter horses these days. There are good & bad ones. I raised and showed QH's but have been into mules for the past 20 years and would never have anything else though I still love horses. http://members.aol.com/brayhaven/bj.htm
I've published some articles on buying a "used mule" with advice that applies to horses as well, I'd be glad to send to you if you PM or e-mail me.
Greg

Hello Guys

Canuk - I see you got a horse, but I'd like to add this to the thread for other folk looking later on.

Folks a lot more experienced than I put to me this way, "you wouldn't say that all xxxx men are smarter than xxxxxx folks" so why would you say "quarterhorses are more spririted (or whatever) than xxxx's or Appys".

As with people, its far more useful to look at a horses lineage and find someone knowledgable with that bloodline to tell you what sort of horses they are likey to be. A bit like when you're employing someone you can usually say " those MacDonald folk over in XX are good folk, their son Jay looks like a chip off the old block". This probably seems like a lot of homework, but a knowledgable hunter will spend a lot of time researching a rifle purchase, so why not do the same when buying a horse (or saddle).

Cheers - Foster

There is no such thing as a bombproof horse,some just have exceptionally long fuses. One of the first things any rider better learn.
Grizz

Nobody needs or even should ride a 16 inch tree unless your a total liposuction case.....

Long saddles are hard on the horses kidneys. I am 6-2 200 lbs and I ride a 14.5 roping saddle and a 15 inch ranch saddle..I might ride a 16 inch Wade tree, but probably not. I can put some long hard miles on a horse and I don't want that long saddle gouging him all the way.

Use a quality saddle and spend some money on it, it will serve most folks 3 or 4 lifetimes and never loose its original value. Good Saddles start at about $1800.00...

A real boon to the horse industry is the "Corrector Pad" It will almost make any saddle fit any horse..

I take exception, there are many bomb proof horses, we have a number of them...There are just not enough bomb proof riders...

Any problems a horse has is the nut in the middle of the saddle.