Western saddle help needed!

[mylittlezoo]

OK, I will start by saying that I know NOTHING about Western tack. I ride English and have never done anything else. But my husbands refuses to ride English and insists on being bought a Western saddle for the new horse I just got him. I know that he takes a medium wide gullet in English speak, and he needs an 18" saddle.... what 'bars' or width or whatever saddle do I need to be looking for? I am baffled!

Thanks guys

 

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

depends on the type/size of your horse. look for someting with full QH bars (quarter horse) most places will let you try the saddle for a while.
Its more about how it fits the house,otherwise you end up with all kinds of trouble down the road.

here's an example of how things might read:

Seat Sizes 17"
Gullet 7" Full quarter horse bars.
Cantle 4.5" (deep)
Swell 12"
Weight 17 Pounds
Stirrups longest 39” shortest 32”
Skirt Length 26.5

they are all made differently so get some help if you need it to find the best fit for your horse.

 

[chickenzoo]

Bars go with the size of the horse, seat size is for the size of the rider. TH's often have semi QH bars, as it is narrower above the withers, then their are QH bars for wider horses, then full QH bars for the wide, barrel like no wither like topline horses and draft. Their are also gaited saddles that are cut in a way to allow full extension of the forequarters for gaited breeds.

 

[()relics]

depends on the horse....full qhorse bars semi ,qhorse bars refer to the width of the saddle at the withers in relation to the horse...Western saddles need to be fitted specifically to the horse...Really the only size for the rider is the seat size. Granted the cantle height and depth of the seat can vary from saddle to saddle but it is a "personal" feel thing...and you just can't be sure until you ride in it for a few hours...Maybe you can go to a tack shop and ask if you can "try out" one of the saddles before you buy it, both for horse fit and for rider comfort...I like a good barrel saddle with a tall cantle and 15" seat. Barrel saddle s are really close fitting, like an english saddle, and they are very light...Sometimes not the most comfortable to ride in for long periods of time though. A good fitting saddle is a must if you plan on putting alot of time in the saddle.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Most men prefer roping or trail saddles. How big is your husband? He'll probably need a 16" or 17" seat depending on his physqiue.

Bars are for horse size.

What will he need the saddle for? Short trail rides? Long trail rides? Ranch work? Roping?

 

[lorieMN]

get the saddle from a real tack shop..most around here let you bring the horse and rider and try them out before you buy them,,they have roundpens set up for this reason.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

I have a 17" Australian ranch saddle, & I can ride from sun-up to sundown with no effects. Nice saddles!

 

[The Yakima Kid]

Quote:
Good for your husband! Folks have already explained how bars deal with the shape of the horse and seat length with the rider. Take him and the horse in and fit them both. I personally like old style high cantle saddles without the Cheyenne roll - I am still ticked that Fred Mueller went out of business since they made what I consider the last real useful working mountain and rough country saddle.

I've ridden English; I've ridden Western. The philosophies behind them are entirely different. English you assume the horse needs help with where to put its feet, how to carry itself, etc. Western you assume that the horse and you are working as a team and your job is to pick the trail, find the herd, rope the cow - and the horse's job is to cut the cow, set the rope, and negotiate the trail. This is my viewpoint and I'm sticking to it.

Oh, and everyone who rides Western should consider teaching their horse to singlefoot. Nothing like riding a cloud cross country - although if you do a lot of up and down the slopes it doesn't work very well - then you want a Fox Trotter, if there are still any real ones left.

ME? OPINIONATED? Now why would you think that?

 

[geebs]

Go to a western shop and get educated...they will have likely forms that you can take home and properly fit your horse... You can always bring your horse for a fitting.

 

[EweSheep]

Yakima Kid, there ARE plenty of foxtrotters around but singlefoots are harder to find but they are OUT there!