Western Saddle Shopping

I have been riding Margo in an older western saddle I borrowed from my friend Susan until I could get one of my own. Let me tell you, they are not cheap! Lucky for me, I found my dream saddle on craigslist.org. I emailed the lady that had it, a Bob Loomis Reining saddle (sells new for $1,250), for $895, and asked her if she would be willing to trade for it. She said yes, so Daniel and I went up near Kansas City with my english saddle, a bridle, a martingale, a girth and pad to trade. Here is a photo of the same saddle (new).

The saddle fit me and Margo like a dream, but weighed a whopping 36 pounds! It was way too heavy for me to comfortably handle. So, I took it in to my favorite tack shack, Warren's, in Springfield, and he was nice enough to trade me out on it. I traded for a brand new barrel saddle similar to this one.

I brought it home and put it on Margo to try it. It pinched her withers (shoulders) a bit. I got on and it pinched them worse. Errr!! It was atleast lighter weight than the Bob Loomis, but still, not "The One".
So, back to Warren's I went. Lucky for me, Warren believes that the saddle should fit the horse, so he let me try another one. This one is a Dakota Saddlery model 305.

It is used, but in great shape, nicely broke in, with buttery soft leather. I brought it home, caught up Margo and tried it on her. It fit like a glove! I am so happy! It looks just like the one in the picture, but has a black suede seat, instead of brown. Margo is happy, I am happy (it is a much more managable 28 lbs), so we are going trail riding at Busiek this weekend to try it out. Yeah! So I am at a good place, for now...
Of course, now my dream saddle has changed again! The new 'dream saddle' is a Barefoot Arizona.

It looks a little strange because it is a treeless model. My great trail riding friend Tara currently ownes one, it is super light weight and comfortable for horse and rider (according to Tara). I have looked and looked for a used one, but they are hard to come by. A new one runs about $900, requiring a special saddle pad that is an extra $200... tsk tsk. However, they are super light weight, weighing only about 12-15 lbs.
Oh well, I am happy to have a light-er saddle that fits my fat girl Margo. But, part of the fun of horses is all the accessories that go with them!
Happy Trails!