A look at some of the most horrible examples of horse equipment on the market today.
Please remember, this blog is simply MY opinions. Everyone has some and like armpits, some stink! It is all subjective anyway. I am not telling anyone what to use at all. I am just making observations and stating my own likes and dislikes. If you do not agree, fine, you are entitled. THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY.
Please, read and enjoy and try not to be ugly to others. Everyone has a right to their opinions.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Another Quality Saddle
Wow, there seems to be no shortage of these crappily constructed, fugly, cheapo saddles out there. I THINK this is a synthetic, but not entirely sure. Bleh. What a hunk of junk.
What is your opinion on someone who buys a decent but still somewhat cheapish quality saddle just for training/trail riding purposes provided that the saddle fits the horse and rider will enough? Especially when said person has a number of quality saddles, but just happens to need an extra junk saddle to play around in?
I have no issue with it so long as it fits the horse, and above all, is safe. The thing with most of the ones I post here is, that they look so cheaply made as to be dangerous. Also many are made with narrow, warped, or twisted trees. Hey, I have purchased a decent, but somewhat cheap saddle to start sidesaddle in, it fits my horse, has a good sound tree and I have replaced the rigging with sturdier rigging to be safe.
haha good... I had to go out and buy a cheapie... it has the orange colour leather but actually is very comfortable... fits my mare well... the leather is super supple and it's fairly well made for a no name brand saddle... the colour and build is a bit weird but not too bad...I have a really nice billy cook saddle but my other filly went and tore the stitching out of that one... and in an unsupervised moment, pulled the rawhide wrapping from the horn. She also chewed the fenders and the rawhide stirrups on my other billy cook... figured it was time to stop using the good saddles and save them for shows...LOL!
I always say...If you want to buy a cheaper saddle, please see it in person before deciding to buy it. I want to put my hands on it. Feel the leather. Pull the tree. Check out a lot of things that you can't tell from a simple picture (or bad things that are hidden with good picture taking). You can normally get a good name brand used saddle for the same price as these cheapie new ones. Horse people are innovative people. If we could rig up a saddle from bale twine and duct tape, we would (and I'd have one)!
And as for the picture: Please tell me that's for a Breyer horse!
banagade- getting a good deal on a great saddle at a cheap price is always a bonus!
A lot of people who ride and train professionally may have their old saddles hanging around, just to start the greenies with. If it all goes south and the horse flips over on it, well it's not so bad if they take out the old 'beater' saddle than your good everyday work saddle.
We have an old Simco that has seen better days, but if we get in a horse who may go berserk, we won't mind if it gets destroyed in the process of fixing the horses' problem.
There is a time and place for everything.
Back to the saddle in the OP- Not as bad as some, but still not looking like quality either. I'm just not into the two tones, extra amounts of tooling, fancy stitching, rigging dee's fastened to the skirts, cardboard leather or nylon for anything but halters.
I don't understand how the saddle makers producing this stuff can look at it and call it good. Not exactly anything I would be proud of putting my name on.
I am so not a fan of shit-brown, that is all I can see. If I saw this at a tack sale, I never would even stop to check it out. Too many nice leather saddles to even give crap the time of day. I also do not like tooling--my saddle is a plain brown leather. It is what I like.
That's the only reason I've kept my older-than-dirt Crosby PdN. The leather is still awesome, although I do have to clean it quarterly to keep the mold in check. The saddle is sound just doesn't fit me too well. If I need to ride in the rain, ride something that might damage a saddle, etc I'll use that one so I don't damage my everday saddle.
Hey I have a question,
ReplyDeleteWhat is your opinion on someone who buys a decent but still somewhat cheapish quality saddle just for training/trail riding purposes provided that the saddle fits the horse and rider will enough? Especially when said person has a number of quality saddles, but just happens to need an extra junk saddle to play around in?
I have no issue with it so long as it fits the horse, and above all, is safe. The thing with most of the ones I post here is, that they look so cheaply made as to be dangerous. Also many are made with narrow, warped, or twisted trees. Hey, I have purchased a decent, but somewhat cheap saddle to start sidesaddle in, it fits my horse, has a good sound tree and I have replaced the rigging with sturdier rigging to be safe.
ReplyDeletehaha good... I had to go out and buy a cheapie... it has the orange colour leather but actually is very comfortable... fits my mare well... the leather is super supple and it's fairly well made for a no name brand saddle... the colour and build is a bit weird but not too bad...I have a really nice billy cook saddle but my other filly went and tore the stitching out of that one... and in an unsupervised moment, pulled the rawhide wrapping from the horn. She also chewed the fenders and the rawhide stirrups on my other billy cook... figured it was time to stop using the good saddles and save them for shows...LOL!
ReplyDeleteI always say...If you want to buy a cheaper saddle, please see it in person before deciding to buy it. I want to put my hands on it. Feel the leather. Pull the tree. Check out a lot of things that you can't tell from a simple picture (or bad things that are hidden with good picture taking). You can normally get a good name brand used saddle for the same price as these cheapie new ones. Horse people are innovative people. If we could rig up a saddle from bale twine and duct tape, we would (and I'd have one)!
ReplyDeleteAnd as for the picture: Please tell me that's for a Breyer horse!
banagade- getting a good deal on a great saddle at a cheap price is always a bonus!
ReplyDeleteA lot of people who ride and train professionally may have their old saddles hanging around, just to start the greenies with. If it all goes south and the horse flips over on it, well it's not so bad if they take out the old 'beater' saddle than your good everyday work saddle.
We have an old Simco that has seen better days, but if we get in a horse who may go berserk, we won't mind if it gets destroyed in the process of fixing the horses' problem.
There is a time and place for everything.
Back to the saddle in the OP- Not as bad as some, but still not looking like quality either. I'm just not into the two tones, extra amounts of tooling, fancy stitching, rigging dee's fastened to the skirts, cardboard leather or nylon for anything but halters.
I don't understand how the saddle makers producing this stuff can look at it and call it good. Not exactly anything I would be proud of putting my name on.
I am so not a fan of shit-brown, that is all I can see. If I saw this at a tack sale, I never would even stop to check it out. Too many nice leather saddles to even give crap the time of day. I also do not like tooling--my saddle is a plain brown leather. It is what I like.
ReplyDeleteThat's the only reason I've kept my older-than-dirt Crosby PdN. The leather is still awesome, although I do have to clean it quarterly to keep the mold in check. The saddle is sound just doesn't fit me too well. If I need to ride in the rain, ride something that might damage a saddle, etc I'll use that one so I don't damage my everday saddle.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, that western saddle looks horrendous.
This pic to me looks like its a miniature replica! If it is it blooming brilliant. If its a real saddle, shame on them!
ReplyDelete