Riding And Work Saddles For Sale: English or Western?
There are two main types of saddles for sale, english and western saddles. With so many different saddles for sale, it is helpful to know a quick way to distinguish between english and western saddles, the horn that is found on western saddles. Another easily noticeable and distinguishing feature is that western saddles are usually more robust and rugged than english saddles.
What type of saddle is ideal for riding?
Western saddles are built to be comfortable for the horse and its owner. Western saddles are built bigger to spread the weight more evenly across the animal\’s back. These saddles are usually constructed out of rawhide to ensure longer-lasting comfort on long and arduous cattle drives. Although many modern saddles for sale are built from synthetic and lighter materials other than leather, sheepskin and wool.
If you look at all the available horse saddles for sale, you will find there is also a difference in Western saddles that are made for pleasure or work. The balance of the saddle and the horn may be different depending upon the purpose for which you are buying the saddle. Jumping saddles allow the rider closer contact with the horse. Providing a better seating for the rider during jumps, the English saddle is not as deep as the Western saddle.
The Differences
The English saddle is lighter than the Western saddle and has steel stirrups. The cinch is elastic and is designed to allow the saddle to stay on the horse but still allow the horse enough give to breathe. There are no fenders to keep the straps from pinching your legs but wearing tall boots will take care of this problem.
The Western saddle has fenders to help keep your legs from being pinched. In addition the stirrups are wrapped in raw hide and are wider at the bottom where your foot goes. The Western saddle has a surrounding support called scurrying. This should not be turned up at any of the corners. Keep a watch for this when you are looking at saddles for sale, because it affects the support.
Show saddles are different from pleasure or trail saddles.
A lot of english saddles are intended for lighter riding. An all purpose saddle works for show riding and pleasure riding. You will discover that most saddles for sale are a bit expensive, so it is a good idea to know what you will be using your saddle for before you buy one.
Trail saddles and show saddles also have different constructions. Wooden trees covered in fiberglass or ralide are generally used for western saddles. These may also be crafted with rawhide. Synthetic lighter saddles are covered in leather or other skin. Show saddles also come with detailed embellishments including silver and other precious metal lacing.
Synthetic or steel trees are used to construct english saddles. These saddles are then covered in leather and are often less embellished than western saddles. Today, english saddles are filled with foam instead of the traditional horse hair filling.
Shopping for Saddles
Buying a cheap saddle is not usually a great idea. Remember that you get what you pay for. And you may have to replace a cheaper saddle as many times as it would have cost to buy a better one. Cheaper saddles can also fit your horse improperly and sour its attitude during performance. If you save money on the saddle but irritate your horse, you haven\’t done yourself any favors.
Not only does the saddle have to fit correctly but the materials should be quality so they can last longer than a year or two. The stitching should remain intact and the fit on the horse should be another consideration. The saddle that does not fit well will make the horse\’s back sore and this can be another cause of crankiness your horse will feel.
Both english and western saddles for sale come in a wide spectrum of quality. It is very important not to skimp on quality. If you think of your horse saddle as a long term investment, you and your horse will have much more healthy and comfortable riding experiences together.
About the author: Jodie Daisy is happy to share everything there is to learn about saddles for sale with everyone online who may have questions about buying a new saddle.
