Ok, So youre looking for a new saddle or maybe youre a first time buyer and wondering whats best for you...no worry, we have you covered.
Below you will find the most basic disciplins with a brief description of each type of saddle. For our more experienced customer, maybe you can add to this with your thoughts and opinions?
Western Saddles, by Event & Interest
Trail & pleasure: Wide selection, padded seat, large skirt, light tree (usually plastic or new “flex” trees), in-skirt rigging, high or low cantle, not designed for roping or ranch work.
All-around: Flat seat for versatility; often padded, suede seats; close-contact skirting to assist in “feel”; reinforced rigging, roping-style horn, and wooden tree for light roping.
Barrel racing: High cantle with deep seat pocket for security, short skirt, high horn, in-skirt rigging, often with suede seat or tooled seat back and jockeys for added grip.
Cutting: Low cantle, high pommel and horn; flat seat with low rise at pommel; back cinch and slim stirrups; jockeys and fenders of rough-out material for grip.
Endurance: Comfortable seat, lightweight, no saddle horn, minimal skirt, many saddle strings for securing equipment.
Ranch: Big, heavy; slick seat for all-day riding and easy care; sturdy tree for roping; high cantle and back cinch; typically with plate rigging, which is easy on the horse.
Reining: Close-contact saddle for rider feel and ease of providing leg, foot cues; low horn and pommel to facilitate rein handling; often highly decorated for show arena; flat seat for easy hip movement.
Roping: Strong, sturdy tree of wood wrapped in rawhide, bull hide, or fiberglass; reinforced rigging and back strap; “pocket” seat and suede material provide excellent grip and help strengthen rider’s position–standing or seated.
Show: Detailed tooling, often with silver work on skirts, cantle, pommel, horn and stirrups; equitation seats emphasize balance; deep pockets aide rider’s position; “turned” stirrups for easy foot placement; often close- contact.
Training: Reining-style saddle trees common; low pommels and cut-out skirts for close contact; padded, suede seats for grip; fenders and jockeys of rough-out leather for added grip.
Now that you have an idea of what the type of saddle choices you have, the choice is up to you! Keep in mind that Sundown can customize all Circle A saddles to fit various needs.
