Western saddles...?

Question

my mom grew up riding western but decided to take english lessons for a while. we all fell in love with the horse she was taking lessons on and ended up buying him. he's a 15 year old 16hh Thoroughbred gelding. so, we bought a dressage saddle and english bridle and saddle pad. but we've ridden him western while he was still at his former owner's house ('cause he wouldn't get in the trailer). he's trained both ways and mom wants a western saddle for him. but we don't know how to measure for a western saddle. the lady we bought him from told us but we can't remember and mom hasn't talked to her for a long time. please! How do you measure a horse for a western saddle?

not for the seat. but thanks for trying westerngamergirl. we know what size seat we need. we just need to know if he needs full quarter horse bars, semi, or whatever else there is.

that's a HUGE help biscuit_n_bailey 1982!! thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Here you go

http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/howtomeaswes.html

Answer 2

I;m not exactly sur ehow you measure for english but in western you want to make sure that it fits properly (as you do with any saddle) I talked with Dale Martin , the founder of Martin Saddlery (the brand you se ein Smith Brothers catalog and now of Reinsman leather goods about this issue a few weeks ago and here is what he told me.......

It's the bars or swell of the saddle that makes a difference as far as fitting the horse is concerned, Depending on your horse's withers you may need a semi-qh bars , a qh bars a full qh bar ...etc. He feels the best way to find a saddle that fits is to )if you can) bring the horse in to a tack shop and put a dress sheet on him (this will protect the saddle and not get it dirty) and try a number of different saddles until you find one that fits him in the wither area correctly. A general rule of thumb is 3 fingers between the gullett (the area under the horn) and the withers. If you cannont actually take your horse to a tack store he suggests finding somehting flexiable that will hold it's shape like a pipe cleaner or contractors have this type of metal bar that is super soft and flexiable/malable but holds it's shape to whatever you bend it to well. Get one of these and shape it to your horse's wither's , carry this with you to look at saddles and fit it to the bars of the saddle until you have what appears to be a correct fit. most tack stores have a great exchange or return policy so long as the saddle is not dirty when you bring it back.... this is where putting a dress sheet on him comes in handy:) But anyway when it comes to the person getting fitted it is a matter of comfort. I can ride comfortably in a 15'' saddle but I prefer a 14 or 14.5 inc seat b/c i feel more secure running a barrel pattern in it. 15'' is about the average seat size for the average woman ...ie..... 5'4'' height 115-140lbs weight. Hope this helps if you would like to talk to Dale directly you can reach him at reinsman at 1-800-548-2487

Answer 3

i admire my english saddles, and that i think of using english has given me a plenty extra acceptable seat and place, whether, while i'm path using or only messing around, i'm plenty extra probable to seize my western saddle. My western saddle is a little extra gentle, and that i too like having the horn to seize if something occurs on the direction (like the snow financial organisation that replaced into hiding a a million.5' deep ditch). I additionally like being waiting to attach stuff (halters, water bottles, snacks, cameras, etc) plenty extra truthfully to my western saddle than my english. Edit to characteristic: one situation approximately western saddles, rather coming from an english historic past, you somewhat ought to locate one which suits. There a many sorts of seats in western saddles, and your convenience in each and each relies upon on your meant use and private decision. I rode in approximately 25 diverse western saddles formerly i stumbled on one which I enjoyed. i individually like ranch roping saddles via fact they have a deeper seat and better cantle that feels extra like my dressage saddle. some people want reducing saddles for the reason that they have extra area to head themselves around the saddle. each and all of the team roping saddles i've got tried have too extensive a seat, yet one in each of my stable pals loves my team roping saddle. Reining saddles tend to have a closer touch sense with the pony. As with english saddles, it incredibly is properly worth taking the time to shop around and detect a saddle you're gentle in. procuring used is a great thank you to circulate, as maximum used saddle shops allow you to to take the saddle out on a tribulation era. additionally, if the stirrups are too long, any good saddle restore man or woman can shorten the fenders quite inexpensively.

Answer 4

if you already know the seat size, the only other measurement is whether it is for a full grown horse or a small pony. In western saddles, you don't go by anything except seat size and what size of horse it will be on.

Answer 5

well, do they have different sddles at the place he is that you could try. usually a tb can take a semi-quarterhorse bar saddle. but every horse is different, i dont think anyone online can tell you. you need to try different ones on him.

Answer 6

probably the same way you do it for english. try a 16" saddle

Answer 7

dunno i just wanted 2 points....thnx