Veterinarian, Joyce Harman's much-delayed book on saddle fit for the western horse was officially released today, July 2nd.

The Western Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book

Dr. Harman's earlier books and DVDs have clearly established her as the preeminent expert in saddle fit, but, more importantly, as someone who can make the subject understandable and accessible. Dr. Harman doesn't unnecessarily complicate this important topic.

Dr. Harman's newest book is the definitive reference guide on saddle fit for the western horse. From the press release:

"In this most thorough, comprehensive book Dr. Harman, veterinarian and respected saddle-fitting expert, educates the reader about the horse’s conformation—particularly the shape of the back, withers, ribs, and shoulders; saddle construction—the tree, bars, seat, skirts, fleece, gullet, and stirrups; and the rider’s physical build. She explains how all these variables must be considered in order to keep the horse comfortable. In addition, read about correct use of saddle pads; fitting saddles for different sports such as reining, cutting, pleasure, and trail; and how to care for your horse’s back, both over the short and long term."

This is a book that should be in your library.

The Western Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book

You may want to also pick Dr. Harman's other books and DVD.

- Western Saddles: Pain-Free Fit[DVD]

- The Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book

- The Western Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book

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.

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When you're shopping the Billy Cook saddle brand, make sure you're getting a Genuine Billy Cook saddle. Genuine Billy Cooks will have "Sulphur, OK" on the maker's mark.

This week's saddle is a gently used Genuine Billy Cook 15" Barrel saddle. Like all Genuine Billy Cooks, this is a solid, well-crafted saddle. It's also a very nice looking saddle with oak leaf tooling on the skirts and fork, suede seat, and rough out fenders and jockeys, for extra grip. The saddle has Quarter Horse bars and 7/8 in-skirt rigging.

With their deep seats, many folks find barrel saddles to be comfortable trail saddles. This one is worth taking a look at. With six bids, as of this writing, a number of folks agree.

We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:

15" Genuine Billy Cook Barrel Saddle

Check out other Billy Cook saddles for sale in our tack shop.

The other day I went on a ride where we went through plenty of water and a good bit of mud. Today I was cleaning that crud from my saddle and was reminded of how important it is to clean the back side of your saddle.

Cleaning the top side of your saddle is for you. Cleaning the back side is for your horse. All the mud, sweat, and grime on the back side of your flank cinch and billets, off billet, breast collar, cinch, fenders and latigo is what will be next to your horse on your next ride, causing irritation and sores.

A good habit to get into is to check the back side of your saddle after (or before) every ride and to clean when you see crud. Too often, folks will clean off the top side of their saddle and ignore the back side. Dirt on any surface is bad for a saddle. But dirt on the back side is bad for your partner.

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.

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I'm a real fan of the Crates brand. They have been making some very solid, quality production saddles for some time now. My group of personal saddles includes a Crates.

So I was happy to find this nice Crates pleasure saddle for this week's "pick."

This flashy saddle is definitely in-style with a light oil finish, full basket weave tooling, suede seat, and loads of silver. There's no mention of what kind of bars it has, but I'd bet they're Semi-QH. Make sure you verify with the seller before bidding.

We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:

15" Crates Pleasure Saddle

Check out other Crates saddles for sale in our tack shop.