The Perfect Horse Saddle Useful Information
28 Jun 2009
The adjective ‘Inexpensive’ cannot be tagged before the word ‘horse saddle’. The reason for this is that buying a discounted horse saddle is one of the worst decisions that you can take. It’s not just that you will be uncomfortable, but it will not make your horse all that happy either, and, it may actually injury him. Ok you’ve tried cheap and figured out that isn’t the way to go and you’ve tried costly too and that worked, but are the costs ever high, so here are some tips on how to shop for your next saddle.
You can purchase a saddle within a wide range of price beginning from a few hundred bucks to about 00, but the speciality or some antique horse saddles could cost you thousands of dollars. Such costly things may not be your cup of tea, but all the same you want to buy something which is low-priced and fits your horse well. Remember, the most important thing to look for is of course the value, but more importantly the fit. Think about a situation where you are made to wear underwear that is either too tight or too loose and would you not feel uncomfortable with it? The same thing applies when you saddle your horse with some thing which just does not fit him.
Before you go shopping, know the sort of saddle you want, don’t just have a vague idea of what may work, have in the back of your mind a picture of exactly what you need. Make sure that you are not focusing on your saddle while sitting on horseback, as it should fit you as naturally as possible. There is no point in paying any price for this, when the horse does not feel comfortable with it. Try any stock horse saddle which might have caught your fancy, before you make any purchase decision. If you are unable to try it, do not bother too much about it as riding your horse for a few minutes can tell you whether this is the right thing for you and if you put a pad underneath, you would not even damage it in any way.
Saddle manufacturers want to know your horse measurements, in case you are going for a custom-built saddle, so that the right tree, length of skirt, gullet can be made the right way. This is where you will be paying out good money and the emphasis on the good, because what you get will be precisely what you and your horse needs. While you too have a budget to spend, but a low budget does not mean that you are unable to find the right fit, it is just a question of spending more time on the job.
Try this: if you are buying a made-to-order saddle, tell the horse saddle manufacturer the highest amount you’ll pay, and then let him design to fit the budget because saddle makers can be very creative and stay within the budget when they know what it is. Yet another viable option you have is to buy a previously used saddle with good fitting and looks as this could be good value for money than a new one. If you are a silver freak, then go for the sterling than the silver-plated ones, since they fade quickly and all your money would have gone down the drain. Just remember the horse saddle you want needs to FIT. Period!
