From: Sarah Zmuda
Hi, its Sarah again, with another question. I am looking for the right saddle, and I am planning on buying it used. What are the best brands, hazards i should look out for and what kind of use should i look for? and what are some saftey things i should look out for? So far I understand to look at the saddle flap, to make sure their are no billet wear, or a hole forming, and also to make sure its padded and such, what else? I am looking for a used all-purpose saddle. what would a used saddle cost also?
Sarah Zmuda
There are a lot of good saddles out there, but if you're looking for a good used all-purpose saddle here in the USA, you might keep an eye out for these brands:
Courbette
Steubben
These are high-quality, durable, comfortable saddles, and they last just about forever. But you can often find them used -- some riders begin with an all-purpose model, and after a few years find that they want to specialize in dressage or jumping, and they look for new saddles and put their all-purpose saddles up for sale. That's where someone like you can find a good bargain.
The first thing you'll want to know is that the saddle tree is sound -- a saddle with a cracked or broken tree, or a twisted tree, is not worth ANYTHING, and will injure your horse's back.
Check for balance
Safety check:
The stirrup bars should be solid and smooth, not covered with rust, and they should be OPEN -- the safety catch at the end should not be folded up, but left down. If it's rusted into the "up" position, you'll want to know that you can get it down again before you buy that saddle.
Billets are important, but if the billets are the worst thing about the saddle, that's not a big problem because you can have billets REPLACED. Any saddle that has seen years of constant use is likely to have worn billet straps -- that wouldn't be a reason to avoid the saddle. It WOULD be a good reason to have the billets replaced, though! If the billets are dry and cracked through, you'd better look very carefully at the REST of the saddle leather.
Look for wear on the underside of the saddle flaps. Most saddles come with buckle guards -- flat pieces of leather with slots for the billets to thread through. These are meant to be pulled down to cover the girth buckles, and to protect the underside of the saddle flaps from becoming worn or holed by the buckles. But some riders take them off their saddles, or don't understand how to use them, and their buckles can eventually rub right through the flaps. Flaps CAN be patched, but they won't look good, and you can usually feel a patch under your leg.
Be sure that the saddle FITS YOUR HORSE, and then be sure that it FITS YOU. Look through the horse-sense archives for more information about saddle fit.
Cost:
This can vary widely. You may find the saddle of your dreams, without too much wear on it, for $500(US) or less. Or, if it's in "like-new" condition, you may pay more. Saddle prices are constantly climbing, so remember that the NEW version of the saddle you want might cost somewhere between $1200 and $2000. But the price increase can work FOR you if you're looking for a used saddle; if someone sells you a ten-year-old or fifteen-year-old saddle in good condition, that person can ask for $400 or $600 or whatever he or she paid for it new, ten or fifteen years ago. The seller will be happy, and so will you -- that price will be a bargain compared to the cost of that same saddle NEW today.
Jessica
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