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.
Trophy saddles can be a great source of bargains when shopping for used saddles. If you don't mind a saddle that proclaims you're a champion barrel racer or a top earning team roper, than you can often find a very nice saddle for a great price.
Competitors often win more saddles than they can use, so many trophy saddles are sold. Trophy saddles are often made by quality saddle manufacturers and can be great values.
This week's saddle pick is one of those deals. Courts is a real solid manufacturer that makes quite a few trophy saddles. This 15" roping saddle has some nice gentle use to wear it in, but it's still in great shape.
It has a 6 3/4 inch gullet, floral tooling, suede seat, and oxbox stirrups. On the seat jockeys and fenders is: "AMERICAN STATE BANK" "BADLANDS CIRCUIT CHAMPION BAREBACK RIDER".
There's no reserve on this saddle and the current bid, as of this wriiting, is only $150. Don't miss this one.
We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:
Courts 15" Trophy Roping Saddle
Check out other Western Trophy saddles and Courts saddles for sale in our tack shop.
The Equine Travelers of America have announced that the 2008 Nationwide Overnight Stabling Directory & Equestrian Vacation Guide is now available. Now in its 26th year of publication, the Directory is a valuable resource for traveling horse people, and gives them the option of planning ahead for trips. For retailers, the Directory could make a valuable addition to their stores, steering customers toward planning an equestrian vacation and helping them choose products that they will need to accompany them to boot.
The price of the Directory is $29.95 and major credit cards are accepted. To order or for more information, contact Janice J. Nelson at (620)442-8131 or eta@hit.net, or log on to www.overnightstabling.com.
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.
Billy Cook has long been a quality name in western saddles. However, today there are two separate Billy Cook saddle brands being marketed. One by Simco Longhorn out of Greenville, Texas. The original Billy Cook company sold the brand to Simco some years ago.
Unfortunately, these saddles haven't sustained the quality that Billy Cook is known for. After the sale to Simco, Billy Cook started a new Billy Cook brand, called Genuine Billy Cook out of Sulphur, Oklahoma. These saddles carry on the quality of the original Billy Cook brand. This distinction is important to know when you're considering a Billy Cook saddle.
This week we've found a very nice Genuine Billy Cook 16" Roping saddle. This big sturdy saddle (weighs 42lbs), has a 6 inch gullet, 27 inch skirts, suede seat and nice tooling. This is a nice looking , well-built saddle that is in great shape.
We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:
Genuine Billy Cook 16" Roping Saddle
Check out other Billy Cook saddles for sale in our tack shop.
Most manufacturers and saddle makers will place their mark on their saddles. While the mark can be placed anywhere, the most common locations are on the latigo holder, the seat, behind the cantle where the back jockeys meet, and on the fenders.
You can see examples of marks in each of these positions in the photos below.
Some makers will also include their mark on the saddle hardware or on a metal tag or plate attached to the saddle.
Manufacturers and saddle makers will often inlcude a serial number and/or a date of manufacture. The date is often configured in a way that needs a bit of deciphering - for instance, 9804 could represent April of 1998.
