Choosing a Western Saddle - What You Need to Watch Out For

If you're going to be riding Western and are beginner to the horse world, you can select just about any used western saddle that you can afford, that fits your horse, that fits you and is well made.

While it's nice to be able to buy brand-new saddles for your new enthusiastic hobby, at times it's just not quite economical. This means that you might be selecting a saddle which is not precisely what you want. In other meaning, instead of buying a brand-new saddle of inferior quality, look to a used saddle for your Western riding experience.

It may be difficult at first when you're looking at a saddle to determine exactly what type of Western riding it suited for. Many of them have separate modifications according to the type of sports that the saddles going to be used for. These will include modifications to the back, the leg position, the horn and even the cinching position.

There are barrel saddle, which are used to be super comfortable for the horse, lightweight and keep the rider in the saddle throughout quick turns and acceleration. It usually fits the rider very tightly from the back to the front, has a long horn, and often has a very high straight up back.

Roping saddles are altogether different; they'll have a shorter horn that is sturdily installed into the saddle itself in order to take the weight of the steer. Also, they have a much lower back, which allows the roper to get out of the saddle if needed. It's critical to be aware that there is not a lot of back support in this type of saddle, but if you're just learning to ride, it will turn out great. Also, if you're thinking of roping at all, ensure that you get a roping saddle, most of the horns that are installed in other types of Western event saddles are not meant to take the weight of the steer.

You'll then run into reigning saddles, which are a tight contact Western saddle. Cutting saddles, that are specifically suited for the quick diving movements of the cutting horse, Western pleasure saddles which are pretty and meant to keep the rider's leg in the proper position, and certainly, Western Trail saddles.