Oreos Girl
10-12-2008, 02:10 PM
I remember when I think it was Cloedoll wrote about trying a bunch of different saddles on Chloe and having a hard time because not any of them were fitting. I felt for her as someone who had never been through that before can. Not really.
Yesterday I took Oreo up to Horsetown near Atlanta. They told me that they could help me with saddle fitting if I brought the horse. So for months I have been waiting for a Saturday that I could drive over 2 hours up there to find a new saddle. I was really feeling guilty about riding him in my saddle because I knew it didn't fit him. So I go with the saddle that I want in my mind. I wanted the Big Horn Cordura saddle. It came in normal western, draft, and gaited. Well they didn't have a big a selection in that brand as normal. We put no less than 20 saddles on the horse trying to find one that fit right. The first one we found that fit was a cactus saddlery barrel saddle that was $3k and wrong seat size (we had much earlier given up on looking at seat size but just trying to find a tree that would fit). The saddle that I wanted was in the $800 range not 3,000. And I don't really want a saddle over 25 lbs because I have to lift it over my head to get it on him. So we were looking at the catalog to see what the cost of a no thrills no barrel racing saddle from Cactus would be. I forgot how we found the Tucker Mule, (I think I was trying out some seat sizes). The sales girl (very patient and very nice) said we should have tried that one also, but Oreo is back on the trailer. I said we would get him back off. It fit really well. I have to add a riser pad(?) under it because he has no withers. So now I am trying to decide if I really want to spend 1500 on a saddle. I figure he has never had a properly fitting saddle on him before.
It turns on my horse likes trying on clothes about as much as I do. (Not much). I will have to say that he was very good boy standing relatively still the whole time we were throwing saddles on his back and cinching some of them.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Yesterday I took Oreo up to Horsetown near Atlanta. They told me that they could help me with saddle fitting if I brought the horse. So for months I have been waiting for a Saturday that I could drive over 2 hours up there to find a new saddle. I was really feeling guilty about riding him in my saddle because I knew it didn't fit him. So I go with the saddle that I want in my mind. I wanted the Big Horn Cordura saddle. It came in normal western, draft, and gaited. Well they didn't have a big a selection in that brand as normal. We put no less than 20 saddles on the horse trying to find one that fit right. The first one we found that fit was a cactus saddlery barrel saddle that was $3k and wrong seat size (we had much earlier given up on looking at seat size but just trying to find a tree that would fit). The saddle that I wanted was in the $800 range not 3,000. And I don't really want a saddle over 25 lbs because I have to lift it over my head to get it on him. So we were looking at the catalog to see what the cost of a no thrills no barrel racing saddle from Cactus would be. I forgot how we found the Tucker Mule, (I think I was trying out some seat sizes). The sales girl (very patient and very nice) said we should have tried that one also, but Oreo is back on the trailer. I said we would get him back off. It fit really well. I have to add a riser pad(?) under it because he has no withers. So now I am trying to decide if I really want to spend 1500 on a saddle. I figure he has never had a properly fitting saddle on him before.
It turns on my horse likes trying on clothes about as much as I do. (Not much). I will have to say that he was very good boy standing relatively still the whole time we were throwing saddles on his back and cinching some of them.
Anyone have any suggestions?