The "Used Saddle Pick of the Week"
Every week we scour the Internet searching for a particularly juicy bargain on a high quality used western saddle and feature it here on the WSG Saddle Blog. The saddles featured are listed for sale on ebay as of the date of the post.
The Western Saddle Guide is not the seller of the saddles featured and does not make any representations about them. We encourage all potential buyers to do their own due diligence on the seller and the saddle before purchasing.
Last week's Pick, a solid Tex Tan Hereford cutting saddle, sold for a respectable $377. Not a steal, but a fair price for a solid saddle.
This week you have a chance at a used saddle from a very high quality maker - Bob's Custom Saddles. Bob's saddles retail new for over $3000 and some, for quite a ways over $3000. They are made from the highest quality materials and craftsmanship.
This week we've found a used Bob's Custom roper saddle for sale that's a bit plainer than most of Bob's saddles, but the construction is still Bob's quality.
This is a roping saddle with a 16" padded seat. It's what's known as a half-breed as it's half rough out (jockeys, seat, fenders) and half stamped (basket weave). The saddle is fully rigged and comes with front and back cinch and breast collar. No gullet width is mentioned so you'll want to check with the seller before bidding. The saddle looks brand new and is in great shape.
We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:
16" Bob's Custom Reining Saddle
Check out other Bob's Custom Saddles for sale in our tack shop.
The tough economic times we're experiencing has all of us looking for ways to cut back and be more frugal. When shopping for saddles it can seem that the best buy is a new, cheaper saddle. But that's a decision that can end up being a costly mistake.
Cheap saddles are cheap for a reason. They have lower quality materials and craftsmanship, and, as a result they won't last long and they'll cause problems for you and your horse. A low quality saddle is no bargain.
But how do you afford a higher quality saddle? Buy used! High quality saddles last a long, long time if well cared for. And there are many, many of them for sale.
If you're lucky to have a good western tack shop in your area, you'll probably find a selection of used saddles for sale. But the best selection can be found on ebay. There are many great sellers listing used saddles for sale who have high ratings and provide extensive photos and descriptions of their saddles. There's a wide range of types, brands, sizes, and prices for sale.
The Western Saddle Guide's online Tack Shop takes all of the saddles for sale on ebay and organizes them in a horse knowledgeable way (ever tried shopping on ebay? they don't know a draft saddle from a reining saddle). You can browse used saddles for sale by each of these categories:
Now, more than ever, it's important to make sure you get a lot for your money. With western saddles, the way to do that is to buy used.
The "Used Saddle Pick of the Week"
Every week we scour the Internet searching for a particularly juicy bargain on a high quality used western saddle and feature it here on the WSG Saddle Blog. The saddles featured are listed for sale on ebay as of the date of the post.
The Western Saddle Guide is not the seller of the saddles featured and does not make any representations about them. We encourage all potential buyers to do their own due diligence on the seller and the saddle before purchasing.
Last week's Pick, an interesting vintage Simco, was snatched up for only $100. You have another chance at a real bargain on a nice solid brand of yesteryear - Tex Tan Hereford.
This Hereford saddle is listed as a cutting saddle but it is such a solid saddle that it would be a nice trail riding saddle too. It's had lots of use but is still very solid and has many years left.
The seller claims it's a semi-QH tree with a gullet width of 6 3/4 inches. That's too wide for Semi-QH. More like Full-QH bars. It has a 16" smooth seat and roughout fenders, skirts, and front and seat jockeys, and floral tooling on the rear jockeys, fork and cantle.
As of this writing, there is only one bid for $0.99. Are you going to let someone steal it from right under your nose?
We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:
16" Tex Tan Hereford Cutting Saddle
Check out other Tex Tan Saddles for sale in our tack shop.
Can you name the three most important parts of the western saddle? If each of these three parts are correctly designed then you'll have a solid saddle. Get just one wrong and the saddle can never be "right."
The answer? The saddle tree, the seat, and the rigging. While every western saddle part has a role to play, these three are the most critical. Defects and poor design in these parts will result in discomfort for horse and rider and instability in the saddle.
The saddle tree is the foundation of the saddle. Early western saddles consisted of only a wooden tree with stiruups attached. The rest - skirts, fenders, etc. - can be considered fluff.
It is absolutely crucial to have a high quality tree. Don't be fooled with a pretty exterior. If the tree is inferior than it can never be a quality saddle.
The design of the seat will determine the comfort of the rider. If you've ridden in a fair share of saddles, then you know how much the comfort of a saddle seat can vary. Creating a balanced and comfortable ground seat is a real art that many saddlemakers have not mastered. You can add all the padding you want, saddles with poorly designed seats will never be suited for more than looking pretty on a saddle rack.
The rigging is the safety belt of the saddle. It needs to be well designed and built and must also be attached completely symmetrically. If the left and right side rigging rings are not in the exact same location, you're saddle will be unbalanced and your horse will be uncomfortable.
Today there's too much attention paid to the non-essential parts of the saddle and too little paid to the three parts that really matter. I love a good looking saddle as much as anyone, but if the foundation under those good looks is faulty than the good looks are meaningless.
