Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 16″ Genuine Billy Cook Wade Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:

Last week’s pick, a very good saddle, was left unsold. The 16″ Dakota Trail Saddle is solidly built and would make someone a good ride for a lifetime.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:

This week we go back to a classic brand – Billy Cook; or more specifically, Genuine Billy Cook. The “Genuine” label is used to distinguish the saddles being  produced in Sulphur, Oklahoma (the “Genuine” article) from the Billy Cooks being made by Longhorn in Greenville, Texas.  A while back Billy Cook needed to raise some cash and sold the Billy Cook name to Longhorn, but is somehow still able to make saddles under the Billy Cook brand. So Longhorn Billy Cooks carry a “Greenville, Texas” mark and the Genuine Billy Cooks carry a Sulphur, Oklahoma mark.

Now, which ones are worth your while? Definitely the Genuine version. Better quality materials. Better craftsmanship. Always look for the “Sulphur, OK” mark.

This week’s saddle is a 16″ Genuine Billy Cook Wade Saddle. Billy Cook describes these saddles as a “Hard Seat,” but don’t let that scare you away. It’s just a way to distinguish it from a padded seat. You won’t find a padded seat on a “real” Wade saddle. Uh uh. Just not done. If you’re a regular reader, you know that the Wade tree saddle is our favorite riding saddle.

The seller has this listed as a used saddle but I’ll be darned if I could tell the difference from a new one. This saddle brand new lists at about $1500.  So the Buy it Now price of  $799 for a saddle that looks like it hasn’t even been on a horse is a good buy. But the seller also has a “Make an Offer” option, so if you’re interested, you may try to get him to bite for less.

We Present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
16″ Genuine Billy Cook Wade Saddle

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

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 16″ Dakota Trail Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:

Surprisingly, last week’s “Pick,” a really nice 14″ Vintage Schoellkopf “Jumbo” Trail Saddle, is still waiting for a bid. With a ”Buy It Now” price of just $325, you might want to take another look.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:

This week we chose a production brand that we’ve been a fan of for some time. Dakota has a record of building solid, if rarely flashy, saddles.  That’s the kind of saddle we happen to like …. long on substance, short on sparkle. Unfortunately, it seems that “flashy saddles” are winning out over “good saddles” more and more. It’s a shame.

This week’s saddle is a 16″ Dakota Trail Saddle. It’s a used saddle, but certainly not used very much, as it’s in great condition. And this Dakota actually has a bit of flash, at least, for a Dakota, with some basket weave tooling.

This is a substantial, solidly built saddle that will deliver a nice ride for many, many years. In our book, that’s much more important than sparkle.

We Present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
16″ Dakota Trail Saddle

Check out other Trail Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 14″ Vintage Schoellkopf “Jumbo” Trail Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:

Last week’s “Pick” was a handsome 15″ Coats Roping Saddle. With a starting bid price of $2150, it didn’t receive any takers and the listing has now expired. A nice saddle that didn’t find a new home.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:

This week we chose a classic saddle brand of the 2oth century, Schoellkopf of Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1869, by the early 1900′s the company was the largest harness and saddlery maker in the world and produced saddles into the 1970′s. They were most well known for their “Famous Jumbo Brand.”

This week’s saddle is a 14″ Vintage Schoellkopf “Jumbo” Saddle that has quite a few miles on it. Schoellkopf saddles are well built saddles with good bones and this particular saddle has had quite a bit work put into restoration. As a result, it’s a solid choice for a rider looking for a classic trail saddle with some historic character.

The price on this listing has been reduced to a Buy it Now price of $325. If you have a youth or small adult on your holiday list who’s looking for a nice riding saddle, this is one worth taking a look at.

We Present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:

14″ Vintage Schoellkopf ”Jumbo” Trail Saddle

Check out other Trail Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 15″ Larry Coats Roping Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:
Last week’s “Pick” was a vintage, but still solid, 15″ Hereford Trail Saddle. As with most older Herefords that are in good condition, this one was snapped up. It went for the “Buy it Now” price of $350.  The older Herefords have a well-deserved reputation for being a solid riding saddle.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:
For this week’s pick we’re highlighting a maker we haven’t featured before. Definitely an oversight. Larry Coats has been making quality custom saddles out of his shop in Wall, Texas for over 30 years. Coats Saddlery is best known for competition saddles (team roping, barrel racing, steer wrestling, etc.), and Larry knows that market well because he is a competitive team roper himself.

This week’s saddle is a 15″ Coats Roping Saddle that has barely been broken in. Definitely ridden by a cowboy who knew how to take care of a saddle.

This is a handsome saddle with basket weave tooling pattern and barbwire trim. The requisite roughout fenders, seat and front jockeys keep you anchored while roping. The gullet measures in at 7 inches.

The listing has a starting bid price of $2150 with no bids yet as of this writing. That may seem steep, but that’s a fair value for a used custom Coats saddle of this condition.  This is a great chance to get a custom quality saddle from a top maker at quite a discount. The seller is throwing in free shipping to sweeten the deal.

We Present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
15″ Coats Roping Saddle

Check out other Roping Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 15″ Hereford Trail Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:
Last week’s “Pick” was a very nice 16″ McCall Lady Wade saddle. That listing is still live and has yet to receive a bid. I suspect that the seller’s starting bid price of $2200 is scaring folks away. A bit steep, but this saddle is a high quality saddle, and if you’re interested, I’d reach out to the seller to see if they’d entertain a lower bid. I’d recommend a bid in the $1800 rang.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:
The past two Picks have been at the higher end of the price scale, so this week we searched for a more affordable, but still quality, saddle to showcase. We found it with one of our go-to production brands – Textan’s Hereford brand. This quality brand has been around a long time, and the older models are the best models.

This week’s saddle is a 15″ Hereford Trail Saddle with some age to it. I’d guess it’s from around the 1960′s-70′s. It’s well broken in but still has a lot of riding hours left in it.

The saddle has full acorn tooling with a darker oil finish and probably semi-quarter horse bars. The saddle has been well cared for and probably has had less use than its age might suggest. The fleece is in good shape and there are no major wear marks.

The listing is a “Buy it Now”/ “Make an Offer” listing with a Buy it Now price of $350. The saddle is probably worth close to that price, but if you’re interested in this nice riding saddle, I’d try making an offer in the $275-$350 range and see if the seller will bite.

We Present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
15″ Textan Hereford Trail Saddle

Check out other Textan Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 16″ McCall Lady Wade Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:
Our “Pick” from last week was a 16″ Trail Saddle from Martin Saddlery that is in great condition.  The listing is a “Buy it Now” listing  rather than an auction, and is still active as of this writing with a price of $1500. As I stated last week, this is a solid saddle that will last a long time. If you’re interested, see if the seller will take a lesser price

THIS WEEK’S PICK:
This week we’re really excited to have found a McCall saddle, our favorite production saddle brand. McCall saddles are very well made, and as close as you can get to the quality of a custom saddle maker from a production maker. Their specialty are Wade saddles, which we’re huge fans of.

McCall is a quality maker, not a quantity maker, so you don’t find many used McCalls for sale. And you find even fewer of their “Lady Wades” for sale. So when you find one, you need to be all over it.

This week’s saddle is a 16″ McCall Lady Wade with very few rides on it, and a real gem. Their Lady models are sized to female proportions (i.e. no ten feet long stirrup leathers!) and are a bit lighter than their regular Wades. McCall Wades, however, are substantial ranch saddles, so even the Lady Wades aren’t light saddles. But if you’re a gal looking for a saddle that will deliver an incredible ride, will position you in the correct riding position, and will last for generations, this is your saddle.

Now, let’s talk price. The McCall Lady Wade model is currently selling for $2800 new. The seller of this saddle has a starting bid of $2000 and a “Buy it Now” price of $2500. She’s dreaming. Just like new cars that lose a big chunk of value the minute you drive them off the lot, a used saddle will sell at a significant discount off the “new’ price. Because used McCalls are hard to come buy and have such a strong reputation, they’ll sell for a smaller discount then most other brands, but this seller is trying to recover almost all of the price she paid for it new. That’s unlikely to happen.

There’s a chance someone might jump at that price, but if you’re interested in this saddle, I’d try finding out if the seller might be interested at the $1800 price range. The listing doesn’t end until November 30th, so you may want to wait until closer to the close when she starts realizing she’s over priced her saddle.

Now, there just happens to be several other Lady McCalls listed for sale on ebay right now – Wades and Pendeltons (a Wade has a slick fork tree and a Pendelton has a  swell fork tree) and they’re all priced about the same.  Each one is in good shape and is a top notch saddle. So check out all of the  Used Lady McCall Saddles for Sale. You won’t typically see so many listed at one time.

We Present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
16″ McCall Lady Wade Saddle

Check out other Wade Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 16″ Martin Trail Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:
We chose a tried-and-true brand last week – a 16″ Hereford Trail Saddle  – that generated six bids. Unfortunately, the highest bid price of $275 didn’t meet the seller’s reserve price and the saddle went unsold. That’s two weeks in a row that the “Pick” didn’t meet the seller’s reserve. Seems sellers and buyers aren’t on the same page these days. ebay doesn’t show you what the reserve price is, so I don’t know how much the $275 was short, but I think this saddle would have been worth in the $350 range.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:
This week we’ve chosen another trail saddle. Trail saddles are a very popular choice for many recreational riders.

This week’s saddle is a <>16″ Martin Trail Saddle. Martin Saddlery makes quality production saddles with high quality materials and construction methods. Martin saddles will have very long lives if well cared for. They’re best known for their competition saddles, but all of their saddles are solid.

This week’s saddle is a very well cared for saddle with few miles on it. The seller has done a great job of posting quite a few photos to really show off the saddle.

The listing for this saddle is set up as a “Buy it Now” or “Best Offer” auction, with a “Buy it Now” price of $1500. Now, this saddle is well over $2000 new, so I understand the seller’s reasoning, but I think he’s being a bit unrealistic as to what you can get on the used market these days.

So, if you’re looking for a quality trail saddle that will take care of you the rest of your riding days, I’d definitely look seriously at this saddle. But, use the “Make Offer” option and see if you can reach a deal with the seller at a bit more reasonable price.

We present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
<>16″ Martin Trail Saddle

Check out other Trail Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

Used Saddle Pick of the Week: 16″ Hereford Trail Saddle

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.

Checking out our Picks each week will give you some great insight into buying used saddles. Make sure to click through to the actual listing to see all of the photos and description from the seller.

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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LAST WEEK’S PICK:
Last week’s pick – a 15″ Price McLaughlin Reining Saddle – was a hard-to-find gem, but it seems to have gone undiscovered. The starting bid price of $580 seems to have scared folks off, but the saddle is worth that price. With no bids the seller withdrew his listing.

THIS WEEK’S PICK:

This week we’ve chosen a newer Hereford saddle as our Pick. While we prefer the construction of the older Herefords, the new ones are still solid saddles. Herefords are a longtime brand produced by  Tex Tan of Yoakum, Texas.

This week’s saddle is a 16″ Hereford Trail Saddle. The saddle is a relatively new saddle that has had excellent care. Close to “like new” condition.

Herefords are known for being big, substantial saddles and this one fits the bill. The seller believes the saddle has full QH bars. The saddle has a suede seat and a small sections of floral tooling on the fork, fenders, and jockeys.

This saddle is obviously going to get some interest. Herefords always do. As of this writing there are two bids with a top bid of $255. That’s not going to take this saddle home, though. It’s worth more than that and, at the price, it doesn’t meet the seller’s reserve.

If you’re looking for a high quality, solid production saddle that you can ride for many years to come, this one is definitely worth a look. But you’re not going to be able to steal it. The seller knows its value.

We present the Saddle Blog’s Used Saddle of the Week:
16″ Hereford Trail Saddle

Check out other Trail Saddles for sale in our tack shop.

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