Horse club

[Oncoming Storm]

Oh wait I haven’t been here in forever! Happy birthday Komet!

 

[Skye'sDucks]

Hey horse people! I figured since I've seen some of ya'll active on the horse threads I'd give this a go.

So, this isn't necessarily animal-related (about a horse), but I do have a question about a saddle. Has anyone ever heard of the brand of western saddles called Texas Saddlery? Or a Texas Classic Saddle?

Maybe no one has...I don't really expect anyone to but who knows. I'm currently looking at a saddle for sale near me, and it's called a Texas Classic Saddle. I'm going to see the saddle this week and maybe find out some more info.
It looks pretty nice and well made from pictures, but it's really hard to tell. It's a small, newer company so I can't really find any reviews about their saddles. They seem nice, and I'm not looking for a high end saddle, so it looks promising, but I'm trying to see if I can't figure out more about this brand before making the big purchase.

Hope ya'll don't mind me asking a question like this! If no one knows the brand, what's your opinion on buying a saddle from a small, US company like that? Is it worth the chance?
I'm really only looking for a decently made saddle that'll hold up for a few years at minimum. Nothing fancy (at least for now ).

(and here's a picture of Ginger showing off my new/ish bridle and some pretty braids to keep it somewhat horse related! lol)

 

[littledog]

I've heard of that brand, but can tell you nothing about quality, since I don't know a lot about Western saddles. The most important thing about buying any saddle is how it fits the horse, so you should measure Ginger from the side, from the end of her shoulder blade to her last rib to make sure the length is comfortable for her. Too short will concentrate the weight in too small an area, and too long will either put weight on her loins at the back or interfere with her shoulder movement at the front.
Then measure her width from side to side at the top of her shoulder blade - an easy way to do this is take a coat hanger and bend it over her withers and down along her sides, then take the coat hanger with you when you look at the saddle, to make sure it's not too wide or too narrow.
Next, measure the gullet - the space down the middle in between the padded areas of the saddle. The padded areas that bear weight should rest on the muscles along her spine. Too narrow will interfere with the movement of her spine and make her sore, too wide will rest on bony ribs instead of muscle and also make her sore.
Sorry if I made this sound too complicated - the one thing I do know about Western saddles is they tend to distribute weight around a larger area than English saddles, so you don't need to be quite as exact.

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I've heard of that brand, but can tell you nothing about quality, since I don't know a lot about Western saddles. The most important thing about buying any saddle is how it fits the horse, so you should measure Ginger from the side, from the end of her shoulder blade to her last rib to make sure the length is comfortable for her. Too short will concentrate the weight in too small an area, and too long will either put weight on her loins at the back or interfere with her shoulder movement at the front.
Then measure her width from side to side at the top of her shoulder blade - an easy way to do this is take a coat hanger and bend it over her withers and down along her sides, then take the coat hanger with you when you look at the saddle, to make sure it's not too wide or too narrow.
Next, measure the gullet - the space down the middle in between the padded areas of the saddle. The padded areas that bear weight should rest on the muscles along her spine. Too narrow will interfere with the movement of her spine and make her sore, too wide will rest on bony ribs instead of muscle and also make her sore.
Sorry if I made this sound too complicated - the one thing I do know about Western saddles is they tend to distribute weight around a larger area than English saddles, so you don't need to be quite as exact.

Thanks for the reply! Hey, at least it's good that maybe other people have at least heard of the brand...? I don't know lol.

I didn't actually end up measuring Ginger, but thank you for letting me know how! The thing is, while yes I want my saddle to fit her, I'm largely looking for a saddle that will in general fit most horses (and be my seat size!) My trainer told me that'd be around a 7 inch gullet, which this saddle has.
Because also, Ginger isn't mine nor is she the only horse I ride, so I wasn't looking specifically for something that would fit her really well. On top of that, we do have a saddle that fits her just fine, so I figured if I get a saddle that fits our other horses, but not her, it wouldn't be the end of the world for me.

My hope is that if this saddle is as good and promising as it seems in the pics, the lady will let me put a deposit down and I can go and see how it fits on Ginger and Phoenix, the main 2 horses I ride.
The other thing is...I just didn't get around to it I got to the barn late yesterday and barely had time to do chores before I got busy with my afternoon lessons.
But like I said, I'm hoping to be able to try it out before officially purchasing it. I'll just have to see what the lady is willing to do. I go to see the saddle today, and I'll be up at the barn tomorrow at the earliest so we will know by then if I do get to put a deposit on it!
Thanks so much for the help and sorry it sounds like I'm making excuses , but as I said I do have those things in mind at this time while looking at saddles.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Hi guys,
Wow, I can’t believe this thread is still going! I am actually about to get another horse. Last you guys probably heard was I
Have a mini pony and I still have Huddie. I am keeping both my others for now but if I’m selling one it’ll be the mini. My next horse will be a very expensive warmblood because that’s what I need to move up to elementary level dressage. We won’t have the horse / money till July ish but I’ll keep you guys updated on my horse hunt.
Also we have had an insane amount of rain her in Australia, I don’t think my paddock has been dry properly since spring last year. Months and months and months of rain that stops me from riding. Poor Huddie has greasy heel

 

[ButtonHoarder]

Hi guys,
Wow, I can’t believe this thread is still going! I am actually about to get another horse. Last you guys probably heard was I
Have a mini pony and I still have Huddie. I am keeping both my others for now but if I’m selling one it’ll be the mini. My next horse will be a very expensive warmblood because that’s what I need to move up to elementary level dressage. We won’t have the horse / money till July ish but I’ll keep you guys updated on my horse hunt.
Also we have had an insane amount of rain her in Australia, I don’t think my paddock has been dry properly since spring last year. Months and months and months of rain that stops me from riding. Poor Huddie has greasy heel
View attachment 3111636

Oooh, a very expensive warmblood, I'm jealous!

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Oooh, a very expensive warmblood, I'm jealous!

Lol I’m so excited! I’ve been trying to get one for a couple of years now

 

[TropicalBabies]

I did not get notified on new posts. Rats

I also have heard of Texas Saddlery but not the classic. Nothing wrong with an up and coming company IMO. Good for them. Just check the stitching and overall quality as I am sure you will.
Have you looked for a used "name brand" or established saddle co on craigslist or ebay? Ebay is a little risky cuz you can't check the fit directly but there are lots of really nice used saddles for a decent price. I have picked up a few saddles on ebay and am very happy them. Nice way to shop I chat with the seller until I feel comfortable with my purchase. Both me and dh a have flex tree saddle and they fit super nice on almost any horse. Down side is not great for a young horse and won't last as long as a fixed tree but they are super comfortable for both you and horse. Almost can't go wrong on a decent fit to some extent since you are switching up steeds.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Looking forward to hearing and seeing how the new pony pans out @Butterscotchbitesfinger .
Did not know you got a new tiny horse. Awe! Super cute. How's the care? Hudson must be happy for the company. ♡

Oh goodness, send rain this way!!! So glad you have some but wish you would share 🌦🌧🌧🌧

 

[Skye'sDucks]

I did not get notified on new posts. Rats

I also have heard of Texas Saddlery but not the classic. Nothing wrong with an up and coming company IMO. Good for them. Just check the stitching and overall quality as I am sure you will.
Have you looked for a used "name brand" or established saddle co on craigslist or ebay? Ebay is a little risky cuz you can't check the fit directly but there are lots of really nice used saddles for a decent price. I have picked up a few saddles on ebay and am very happy them. Nice way to shop I chat with the seller until I feel comfortable with my purchase. Both me and dh a have flex tree saddle and they fit super nice on almost any horse. Down side is not great for a young horse and won't last as long as a fixed tree but they are super comfortable for both you and horse. Almost can't go wrong on a decent fit to some extent since you are switching up steeds.

Thank you for the post!! I have looked on both those places, although I know you can find some good stuff on Ebay (I've found other tack on there before!) I wasn't seeing anything that really caught my eye, and I kept looking local since I really liked the idea of being able to see the saddle myself.

My patience to look local was paid off, though, because I did end up getting that saddle! (and it wasn't far from my house, too.) I looked at it and it seemed very nice, then went and talked to my trainer about it and showed her pictures. Once I made sure all the measurements were correct (Turns out I was terrible at figuring out how to measure the gullet on a saddle ) I went ahead and got it.

Anyways, I LOVE the saddle and it seems very well made! My trainer was very impressed by it too, so I have some reassurance I got a good find lol. Best of all it fit Ginger, and we've had a few rides in it already and I'm loving it!

And thanks for letting me know about the flex trees--I actually didn't really know much about them! They certainly sound interesting. For my saddle, my trainer told me what size gullet would fit most horses so I went off that, but I'll have to consider flex trees for the future then possibly!