What Size and What kind of Saddle (English or Western)??

[zwilso56]

[R Severe]

I ride a 15 1/2" norton roper, homemade outfit

[Big Horn Posse]

[zwilso56]

[Mike Leonard]

I have a shed full of saddles and sometimes I switch around a bit depending on just which horse I cut out of the cavvy that day to ride. Horses like people are built different and not every saddle fir every horse the same way.

Mostly I ride a 15 1/2 Leuallen custom with a 7/8 flat plate rigging, or a 16" Custom Olin Young Steer roper w/ Arizona Bars.

Ofcourse I ride western saddles but I will tell you a funny story. Back when I was going to college I trained horses on the side to have a little spending money. Well I hired on with the undertaker that raised Arabian horses. Now I was raised a quarter horse man and will die the same way but I sure learned a lot of respect for them tough little ground covering sone of a bees. But he had these 3 daughters that showed in the Arab shows around the country and they competed in all kinds of events. From Western Pleasure to reining to English, Park, and show jumping. Well he got this tall Polish bay stud that he figured would make a jumper, so he wanted me to get him started over the barriers. Well I had him riding ok and he wouldn't pitch but he did get a little balky from time to time so I had rolled the wrinkles out of his belly a time or two with my old Crockett hooks.I had him going over short barriers ok and I was still riding him in a stock saddle. Well he saw me one day and said well thats ok but your form isn't correct and you really need to be in a jumping saddle to set them correctly. Well he brought this little hunk of leather with a pair of irons and girth hanging off it out there and said try this. Oh Damn! do I ever respect those professional jumpers after that. I looked like a pig on ice out there floundering around in that thing, and then old El Shallamar whatever an the hell his name was decided he was going to hit the brakes on me at that critical moment. Well I flew off there and crashed thru those white rails and when I got up to dust off and catch that rattle headed crow bait a chorus of laughter came from the barn as all three of those girls were just cracking up seeing that.Well only my pride was hurt, but I made up my mind I was going to learn to ride that thing when nobody was around watching.They had an old gray allmost white mare that was dead broke and I would saddle her up with that thing and head out into the sage and jump logs, rocks and washouts everything I could find. Well after about a week of this I am getting pretty good and confident of my seat in that rig. I was helling across a flat one day on that old plug and I really had her rocking and rolling and we came to a big washout and she just lifted off pretty as you please and I rose up in those irons floated across the came down hands forward along her neck smooth. Well I reined her in and was mighty pleased with my progress. Again I hear laughter but this time I look up and here is an old cowboy setting on a dun cowpony grinning ear to ear. He had been out cutting country and had watched my little show. I knew him and I was blushing I am sure. What's up Frank? He said , what's up? Ha! Ha! you tell me? I looked down there and saw old whitey coming across there and I thought for a minute Sitting Bull had been rezerected and was back on the warpath! And then that outfit you are setting on and where in the heck is you hat? I hated to admit I had shed my usual Resistol for one of them show bumpcap helmets with a chin strap cus I figured I wasn't getting taking a chance on getting my head busted.Well he had a good laugh but that was ok I had it coming. Anyway next time they all gathered around I took that Polack bay back out there and did three in a row right smooth, and then rode up there and and told them a lie. I said I guess it works better when you have your stirrups adjusted right. LOL!

[zwilso56]

haha great story!!

[Cowboyvon]

Anyone ever ride one of those Australian stock saddles? I mean a good one not one of those cheap imitations. I've always wanted to but have never had the chance.

I have a bunch of saddles I ride depending on what I'm doing.. my favorite roping saddle is hand made Yarbourouh..(sp) and I have a hand made Bobby Long that I like also. its a trophy saddle that I won but unlike most trophy saddles it fits a horse well and rides well.. I have 3 ustrc martin saddles sitting in the living room that I have never rode 4 corriente saddles and one of those Master saddles thats made out of water buffalo its all tooled up and looks real fancy but I sure don't like the way it rides..and I have a double J thats all tooled up and has silver all over it with a red seat.. its nice to look at but thats all.

I have a school saddle that a guy got in trade from the kid that made it and he gave it to me for riding a horse for him.. James Morris did some work to it and I have taps on it and a britchen and I ride my mules with it. I also have some Marrs saddles and 2 of his pack saddles...

You know I took a circle y saddle in for payment for riding a horse for a kid and it was just one of those cheap assembly line saddles but it sure rode nice and fit my horses well.. I sold it to a guy who was just starting to rope I wish I would have kept it..

[zwilso56]

Well guys looks like my riding days are over.. My horse bucked me off.. and i got thrown in to a metal pole.. dad made me get rid of her.. sure wish he didnt..

[frs123]

oh hell that sucks. cant imagine not having a horse around. hope your allright and someday get back into it. just have an old stock saddle i use for everything from starting colts to hunting and trail riding. would like to get a new custom made one soon.

[OB.284]

"

[sheimer]

I have a Swanke custom made on a 9" wade tree. It's plain jain with nothing more than a border scuff. I start all my colts in it and it's about the only thing that I'll ride now. I've had it since the mid '90's. In a story similar to Mike's and to answere a question from CowboyVon, I went to work on a PasoFino outfit during the summer one year in high school and had to ride English and Australian. I actually kinda enjoyed the Aussie, it was confortable and a whole lot easier on the back to throw it up on a horse. Being born and bred with mutt horses that were good at trailing a cow and holding a rope, those Paso's were definately something different. Not that I didn't like them or the different riding styles, but I prefer what I know best, western.

Scott

[J.C. Call]

I just ride trophy saddles, because my best buddy Cold Track still hasn't finished building my slick fork. hint hint

[Kevin D]

The saddle in this photo is still the primary one I use today. This is my grandfather as a 14 year old from Star Valley, Wyoming in the fall of 1922 posing in his bear skin coat. He had worked all summer long punching cows to earn this horse and saddle and the saddle remained one of his most prized possesions throughout his life.

A well made, well maintained saddle can last for generations.

[Machias]

Awesome photo!

[Waterway]

Kevin that is quite a saddle! I'm not sure I would trust myself not to mess it up....
My favorite saddle hhas been my Martin Ranch Cutter saddle. Its been a good durable saddle. However any more I have another saddle I really like. I had won this saddle team penning and as it hadn't been ordered yet the lady asked me if there was any characteristics I would like. That sort of turned me loose! The saddle is a Corriente saddle, not an expensive saddle by any means. I don't know how the rest of you feel about rough out leather saddles but I don't really care for them much. This one I ordered with smooth leather and I have enough leather strings hanging on it to tie down just about anything! Like Mike was saying about having a saddle for each particular horse . I do that to and this Corriente saddle is fit to my favorite little cowpony.

Mel