Tack Finds

So guys, I was contacted by Schneider's Saddlery to do some product reviews and features here on the blog. They have great prices and a wide variety of products. This week I am featuring a product that they carry and I own.

I had been looking for a new western saddle for some time. The one I used to show last year was one I bought when I was 11 years old. Needless to say, I have outgrown it. I could still fit the seat, but the stirrups were hung WAY too far back. It killed my knees to ride it. I decided to get a Wintec western saddle to replace it. I went with their square skirt model in black. I have had a Wintec English All Purpose with the interchangeable gullets for a couple of years, and before that I had an early model Wintec 2000 that I rode for YEARS. I loved that saddle, so needless to say I had complete faith in the Wintec brand.

When the saddle came in, I was pleased with the quality and the weight. My old saddle had been a heavy roping saddle, and I wanted something easier to lift and carry. My only complaint was the plastic stirrups and that was easily remedied. Since I planned to use it to show, I decided to dress it up a bit with some conchos from Tandy Leather and some new blackened, etched aluminum stirrups. I also got a cheapo plain leather bridle off of eBay, an undyed leather buckaroo style breastcollar. I already had a set of reins I could use as well as a pretty bit. I dyed the bridle and breastcollar and added silver to them as well. Here is the result. Pretty nice, eh?