Cheap Saddles Aren’t Cheap

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:

• Western saddles by saddle type
• Western saddles by saddle brand
• Western saddles by seat size

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.