Latest Posts
Western Saddle BrandsThrough the years there have been thousands and thousands of saddle makers. Some are individual craftsman creating saddles one-by-one by hand. Others are sizeable companies producing great numbers of saddles using sophisticated machinery. A few of these companies have been in business for over 100 years. Some are very new to the market. Some companies... [Read more ...]
The Western Saddle: A Cowboy’s Most Prized PossessionFor a working cowboy in the old American West, a saddle was his most prized possession. Without it, he couldn’t work. So a cowboy might wager away his gun, his spurs, or even his boots, but never his saddle. In the old west, horses were plentiful and cheap. A good saddle was neither. The song, “The Old Chisholm Trail,” establishes... [Read more ...]
Saddle Tips
What Your Stirrup Length Might Be Saying About You
Personal preference and riding activity both definitely have an impact on stirrup...
Leather Dry Rot Blues
I get quite a few questions about how to reclaim leather that is in sad shape. Unfortunately,...
Saddle Pad Storage: The Right Way
Does this sound familiar? You come in from a ride and unsaddle your horse. Your saddle...
Know Your Silver
Silver is the metal of tradition and choice for saddle decoration and to draw the...
Read More Posts From This CategoryFeatured Posts
Saddle Patina
Do you angst over every scrape, stain, and wear pattern on your saddle? There’s...
Custom Saddle Pricing
If you’ve ever pined for a quality custom saddle made just for you, to your...
Our Fave Western Riding Books For Your Holiday Gift List
I love books. I love to receive them as gifts, and I love to give them as gifts. I...
What’s an All Around Saddle?
We see folks misunderstanding this saddle type quite a bit. To many people, an All...
Read More Posts From This CategorySaddle Fit
Quarter Horse Bars?The tree is the foundation of the saddle and it’s job is to distribute the rider’s weight over the horse’s back, making it more efficient and comfortable for the horse. A tree consists of five basic parts – the two bars that run parallel, the fork that holds the bars together at the front, the cantle that holds the bars together... [Read more of this review]
Saddle Fit QuizThe folks over at Horses.About.com have posted a Saddle Fit Quiz that is a good test of your saddle savvy. I took the test and was quite relieved to have gotten all the questions correct. It sure would have been embarrassing to have the editor of the Western Saddle Guide flunk the test or get even one wrong. Luckily for me, Katherine Blocksdorf,... [Read more of this review]
Saddle Fit And Horse AnatomyThere are four critical points of the horse’s anatomy that impact saddle fit. Withers Shoulders Spine/Back Point of Hip/Loins Withers. Ideally, the withers of the horse are level with, or a little above, the highest point of the rump (or croup). Withers that are higher or lower than this would need special consideration when choosing a saddle. To... [Read more of this review]
The Western Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle Fit BookVeterinarian, 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... [Read more of this review]
The Impact of Saddle Position on Saddle FitSome saddle fit problems aren’t caused by a poorly fitting saddle, but rather by a saddle positioned poorly. Saddles are designed to match the horse’s anatomy when in their proper position. If the saddle is positioned in front of, or behind this position, it can cause physical problems for both the horse and rider. Proper saddle position... [Read more of this review]
The Very Best Resource for Western Saddle FitI would estimate that well over half of the emails and questions I receive are about saddle fit. So, while I believe it’s not as complicated as some folks make it out to be, it’s obvious people are looking for answers. There’s quite a bit of saddle fit information on the Western Saddle Guide site, but there’s always more to know. Western... [Read more of this review]
Saddle Fit Isn’t Really That DifficultI’m one of those people who believes that the issue of saddle fit is often made much more difficult than it needs to be. Don’t get me wrong, I think good saddle fit is extremely important. I just believe that with the majority of horses (probaly as much as 80 or 90% of horses) you can achieve good saddle fit with saddles with semi... [Read more of this review]
Saddles With Structural Defects Won’t Fit Any HorseWhen we talk about saddle fit, we’re usually referring to whether a particular type and size (i.e. gullet height and width) of saddle fits the dimensions of a particular horse. But some saddles will cause problems for any horse, regardless of their conformation. These are saddles with structural defects. Read how unsoundness and asymmetry will... [Read more of this review]
Read More Posts From This Category
