Contents
What Is A Wade Tree Saddle?
A wade tree saddle is a specifically built work saddle that has a slick fork buckaroo style. If you are looking for comfort while working on handling livestock during long hours, this is what this saddle is designed for.
The popularity of wade saddles stared in the Rocky Mountain region but lately they have become more popular in other areas as well.
Features Of A Wade Tree Saddle
- It sits low and gives the horse better leverage for holding livestock by a rope.
- A short horn which is nice for dallying. They are also usually made of laminated layers of wood to make the fork. This gives the scooped gullet area a lot of strength.
- Better weight distribution thanks to the design of the bars. These tree bars contact more surface area on the horse.
- Deep comfortable seat. You’ll be able to ride for hours.
- Your riding position is balanced in these saddles because the stirrups hang directly under the rider.
- Double rigging. Some use the traditional flat plate rigging but you can sometimes see in-skirt rigging on some.
- Higher cantle.
What Makes A Wade Tree Saddle So Popular?
There are a few reasons for the rise in popularity in wade trees:
- They make you a better rider because you are almost forced to sit in the proper riding position when using one.
- The promotion through master horsemen, like Ray Hunt. Ray’s influence on the industry steered a lot of others to the wade tree.
Who Invented Wade Tree Saddles?
The saddle maker took inspiration from this saddle to create a modified version which Dorrance was know to use for the rest of his time on a horse.
But what about the name, Wade? What’s interesting is that Dorrance did not want it named after him and suggest to name it after Wade.
Final Notes
These saddles help you ride in a natural position, distributing your weight over a larger area and giving better balance for your horse. They are an excellent choice for all types of riders.