For Sale Friday- Saddles

I am going to start labeling things and giving them categories. I really am, as soon as I get a chance to. Hopefully this will help when someone wants to go back and look for something. Easy look up.

Fern Valley is also posting For Sale Fridays on her blog. Fern Valley Appaloosas listing horses she has, knows about or otherwise, that are looking for a new home and new owner. Maybe between us we can get everyone out there tacked up, harnessed up, mounted up, in their cart, carriage, sleigh or behind their plow and enjoying their horses.

Johnie Rotten also has a Trading Post for classified ads on his website. He needs to put a lot more stuff up there and everyone is welcome to send in their ad and pictures. For $10 he will list it there until sold as well.


I feel both saddles are certainly worth what they are being offered at.

First up will be Cattypex's saddle:


I have a mid-1980s vintage Silver Royal for sale...
15" seat, fits most average Quarter Horses and larger Arabs.
Used very few times. Mint condition, SOLID, sturdy, just enough silver.
Beautiful deep chestnut color - tooled in an oak leaf & acorn design.
Freshly cleaned & oiled. Very little wear on the seat.
Made back when Silver Royal was a much more respected name in the industry.
Perfect "starter" show saddle.

Included is a classic one-eared headstall with flashy silver buckles, silver bit hangers. Flatters many head shapes. Not sure of the brand, but the leather is quite nice. Includes decent reins and fairly generic bit. All it needs is a curb strap, and you're ready for the first show of the year!

Asking $500 for the set.

(CNJ back in) In the original post, she had put in parenthesis (OBO to you guys.) Let me just say, a good saddle like this, certainly holds it's value over time. Accepting any less would be a shame. Offering any less? I know I wouldn't do it!

For the English riders we have a saddle being offered by Crazy 3 Dayer:


I paid $300 for it and that's all I'll ask..extremely comfortable! It really is an all purpose..longer flaps for flat/Dressage and nice knee rolls (removable) for Jumping/Eventing.

There is no brand name on it and it does not come with leathers or irons. 19" seat with a Med-wide tree. It has fit a few different horses comfortably. Irish Draughts, QH, Grade, etc. It's currently in TX, buyer pays shipping.



(CNJ in again) Another nice looking saddle that again, holds it's value over time.

For anyone interested, if Cattypex or C3D would like to post their contact info in the comments, that works or email me and I will pass your info along to them. Either way, I will help put everyone in touch.

Anyone else have any saddles they would like to see go to a new home? I know BEC was looking for one:

I am looking for a specific saddle...

A used Billy Cook All-Around saddle-15", FQH bars with a minimum gullet of 7-1/2", but prefer 7-3/4". Good condition, but doesn't have to look like "new".

In the absence of such a find, I am looking for;

A similar quality barrel type saddle-15", same criteria for the bars and gullet(FQH-7-3/4" gullet), square skirt, with back cinch latigos(I don't mind replacing the back cinch though).

I am not particular about tooling/silver(or absence of)...the most important part to me is the FQH bars and 7-3/4" gullet.

If anyone knows of something along those lines, you can email me *edited* through the blogs. Thanks

*If anyone needs the email addy, I know she posted it in the comments on the last FSF post, or again- email me and I will put you in touch.

More on Saddle Fitting

I found another interesting link on saddle fitting when looking for a Silver Royal saddle, like the one Cattypex had mentioned. This one offers a couple of different ways to look at and check for good saddle fit.

Four Winds Saddle Tack Store in Fort Collins Colorado has a page online listed as Withers Tracing and another one of Saddle Fitting. I realize a lot of the information is based on or shows english saddles- all purpose, close contact and a lot of dressage saddles. I haven't found one yet showing anything more for western, so I will either have to keep digging or get some pictures taken of the boys out back.

One of the main things that I find interesting in the links here for wither tracing is the flexible curve available at the office supply store. I may be a bit brain dead on this one, but what would an office use those for? At least they are useful in helping you establish a drawing of how your horses back is shaped, but like Kitt had posted the pictures on the saddle fitting blog, with time and exercise or time off, the shape will change and saddle fitting requirements will too. Muscles change as the horse is brought back into shape, change more as you continue to train and develop different things and deteriorate when the horse has had an extended lay up following an illness or injury.

Saddles are an investment like a lot of other things. But spending money on a nice saddle and finding out it doesn't fit you, your horse or both is a bit disheartening to say the least. But if it doesn't fit, you can always resell it and recover some of the money to put towards one that does.

How things fit

Part of saddle fit is the saddle fitting the rider. If the seat is too small or in some cases too large, you can't get into position where you need to. If the stirrups are too long or too short, your overall position can easily go right out the window as you try to keep you feet in the stirrups at all costs. Sometimes it is easier and better to just drop them and ride without. Your muscles may tell you otherwise later on, but other muscles will rant and ache from trying to keep them. The choice is yours.


When I was getting started in team roping, I rode without stirrups. Why? The horse I was riding belonged to a guy with long legs. The first time he let me ride he asked me how high to put them? I told him without even checking first, "All the way up." So we raised them as high as they would go and they were still too long. My first few runs, just hazing the cows- I was trying like hell to keep the stirrups and not paying attention to much else.

If I was going to even try throwing a rope, I had to find my balance and forget about the stirrups. Which I did and I soon began swinging the rope at least. I felt bad for Ron for having raised the stirrups and me not use them. A few nights we raised them and dropped them when swapping out on the horse and before long when he would hand over the horse to me, we just left them where they were.

As a lot of people know, team roping seems to be a guys sport. Believe me, there were plenty of guys around and soon they all started hassling poor Ron for not raising the stirrups. They gave him a lot of what for and were poking fun, but questioned him being a gentleman and not at least trying... When I proved not to need the stirrups, they left him alone.

I had ridden quite a bit at that point. Every and any horse I could throw a leg over, saddled or not, in fact. I had found my balance through bareback riding and stirrups or not, I could stay on. And coming out of the box is a hell of a rush! Doesn't matter which end of the cow you are on. Just like diving into the turns around barrels and shooting up out of the pocket as you leave them.

I eventually did start throwing the rope. I had hazed cattle out of the headers and heelers box. My first throw- I caught the cow. Wasn't pretty, wasn't fancy and certainly wouldn't have put me in the money if there was any that night, but I had caught him. In doing so, it pissed off one of the other guys who rode Ron's other horse. See this guy had been coming out 3 times a week to rope. He had grown up in feed lot ranching, he just hadn't ever thrown a rope. He kept trying to head a cow and for about four months had tried to catch one with no luck. Me, first time I throw the rope I caught the steer. Not exactly talent, sure wasn't skill- more like dumb luck really, but he was ticked.

He didn't like me much and told Ron not to let me ride his horses anymore... Thankfully Ron didn't listen. I got to ride his horses, was able to catch several more cows, roped myself a couple times, hazed the slow pokes, tried heeling and had a great time all the way around. All without stirrups.


I also learned that a saddle too big for you can sometimes be a blessing. You can move forward more, back a bit and position yourself where you are out of the horses way and make things easier for them. One of the best things about riding in someone else's saddle? You find out what you like and don't before you spend the money.

**Edited to add photo's. Yes that is me riding hubby's mare Johnie. The stirrups are a bit too long and my leg has come out of position in my efforts to jam my foot in the stirrup and keep them from banging her sides. We may have only been walking around, cooling her out after a workout, but still. You can see what a difference only a few holes up or down makes in your leg position. Worrying about the stirrups can distract you from a lot of other things you may need to be fixing instead. Not only are my lower legs too far forward, they are also sticking out- another bad habit of mine, left over from the Arabian horse world days.**

Below are two pictures of me on Psyndi in her first few rides. From back in March of 2007. Notice the difference inmy leg position in my saddle as compared to hubbys.





And how is breeches and ropers for the fashion statement? lol