Questions about saddles

[Deleted]

I've got these saddles my mother-in-law gave me and they're all different.  I want to sell the ones that don't fit Ona.  I found one that is 7" across the gullet so I'm assuming that has full quarter horse bars and I'll bring it over and see if it fits her.  Then there are two that are 5" across the gullet and one that looks like it's around 6.5" or so.  So the 6.5" one is semi quarter horse bars, probably, right?  What would the 5" ones be?  She used them on her Tennessee Walkers, I think.  Would those work for foxtrotters?  I'm thinking about selling them on a Facebook livestock group but don't know what to call them.  If the 5" ones will work for foxtrotters maybe I'll keep one.  I might end up with a Foxtrotter one day since we're moving to foxtrotter country.

[wolfmom]

www.western-saddle-guide.com/saddle-gullet.html

Here's the gullet sizes and what they mean.

www.horsesaddleshop.com/western-saddle-fitting-tree-sizes.html#.VUqTd_lViko

This site goes into more depth and has some Q & A that you might not have thought of. 

Remember, the saddle has to fit not only the horse, but you. If you're not comfortable, you will either not ride or end up with another saddle.

[Deleted]

Thank you!

[mollymckee]

As you probably know, there is a huge difference in the quality of saddles. Who made the saddle has a big impact on the value of the saddle. A well made older leather saddle can be worth much more than a newer saddle. The bar size of a saddle is important, but there other things that will make a saddle fit poorly. There are a lot of cheap Mexican made saddles around and they do not fit most horses or riders. Let your trainer look at the saddles and she should have an idea what they are worth in your area. You might also check ebay to see what they are selling for there.

[Deleted]

Thanks, Molly. Two of them look like good brands (Big Horn and Saddle King of TX) and one looks high quality and feels real nice but has the brand "Hereford". The others don't have brands. I talked to a neighbor I'd not met yet, just nodded to in passing. She lives down the road and she's an equine massage therapist and seems to know what she's talking about when it comes to saddles. She measured them all for me and checked the trees. I love my trainer dearly but in her eyes if something isn't top of the line it's crap - no in between with that lady LOL. I'm sure she'd suggest I just donate them to charity. The neighbor that came to look at them recommended 2 that I might want to keep - an old Mexican roping saddle that she says is high quality, and a Big Horn with full quarter horse bars. The rest, she recommended selling prices for. I hope one of those two saddles fits Ona but if not I should get enough for them to buy one that fits.