One can never have enough ___________________.
Apparently I would have to insert the word 'saddles', as I now have saddle # 4!
Last year I stopped by a large saddle shop and tried saddles that were appropriate for Haflingers. There were three options. Sad, but true. One was a hugely expensive, very heavy, beautifully tooled, hand-made western saddle. I immediately struck that off my list due to the weight and price. The next was a Tucker, with a 'gel cush' seat. A little bit of heaven, but a bit pricey. The third was a Fabtron. This was a pleasant mix of leather and synthetic and was light and comfy. But, would the saddle stand the test of time? I left without a saddle.
Through Craig's List I found a used Tucker about six months ago. I was thrilled. My dream saddle at a good discount. Sadly, the saddle did not fit the boys. The tree was too narrow and pinched my guys' withers/shoulders.
Then, I won the bid for my funky military police saddle at an auction. The saddle was a great fit for the boys and a good fit for me. The price was great. It was light. I was in love. I rode in the saddle, a lot. I was happy.
I was content, that is, until a friend told me of a Tucker saddle at a local tack resale shop. Oh no! I resisted stopping in to check on the saddle for 3 days. Well, OK, it really was only 2 days. The saddle looked perfect. It was the right size for me. The serial number was followed by a "W", as in 'wide tree'. The price was high...a bit over half the retail price. I came home and consulted with my hubby. What a great guy! He told me to go get the saddle and try it out. So, of course I wouldn't disregard what my hubby had to say! I plunked down a blank check and brought the saddle home for a 4-day trial. After spending close to 3 hours in the saddle a few days ago I knew this was the saddle for me. My knees didn't ache. My posterior was only mildly discomforted, and most importantly, the sweat marks on the horse showed even pressure across all areas. Sold! So, once again, I have purchased a new (to me) saddle.
So, it seems that I collect saddles. I guess there are worse things!
What do you collect?
Good for you! Hope the Tucker works out for you.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my world!!!! I currently have 5 --oh my gosh 5 saddles!!! 4 are ride-able. The 5th is my show saddle from when I was a kid. I don't use it as it has been rolled in -- a little reminder that will always be with me from my Arabian "Alotta Sass" ! She rolled me during our last Western Horsemanship class.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess you could say... I have 5 .. and I'm going to look at another this afternoon for husband.
Looks great on your beautiful horse! I only have two saddles rights now (one of which I don't use as it fits neither of my horses - it did fit Lily and Noble) but I have lots, and lots and lots of other horse equipment/supplies of all types, some of which I use and some of which I don't. I really need to clean things out - having a horse trailer with a large tack room doesn't help!
ReplyDelete