Saddle Trees???

[Mandi]

This is kind of a stupid question...

I know there are QH bars and semi-QH bars....but are there any 'specific' tree names/brands that seem better than others or do you just look for quality in the work, how they're made and the guarantee/warranty on them?



For the most part, any saddle that I've gotten to pick, I've picked based on the fit it had for the particular horse I was shopping for so once I made sure it fit, I didn't really question anything.

I recently won a saddle and the person ordering the awards asked me about the tree I would like. I was thrown off and told her I would get back with her. I'm REALLY needing a saddle to fit my younger horse. He's more TB-ish built (high withers, narrow), but it seems like everything I put on him, raises slightly in the rear. I know I may come down to having to buy another one down the road, but if I can avoid it, I would love to. LOL!


Suggestions?

[Sherry May]

Your horse sounds like my new guy.  I tried an Ammerman at the NBHA state show in Waco and it seemed to fit. It was semi-quarter horse bars.   I bought a used Ammerman and it still pops up in the back.  Lucky has high withers and is narrow.  I think I am going to try to use a company that will let you make a cast of your horse and send it to them to make a custom saddle for the horse.  I think Ammerman will do this and I know Ortho Equine does it too.

[Dailyjld]

If you do not mind Bob Marshall saddle, they fit the high wither horses better, or my Lynn Mckenzie fit also...........

[Sherry May]

Laura, I tried to ride in a Bob Marshall and I just was not comfortable in it at all.  I will have to look into the Lynn McKenzie saddle.

[Mandi]

I'm not looking for a saddle...I'm trying to find a general idea of a tree or some spec's on a tree that I can give to the person that will be making my trophy saddle so that hopefully I can use it.

Anyone know the phone number to the new western store in Hamilton, Tx???

[Sherry May]

Do you know the name of it Mandi? I can call info free from here at work.

[Mandi]

Sherry - I am not sure what its called. I would assume Circle T Western Wear or something since that's the name of the ranch...but you never know.

Does anyone know the actual differences between QH and semi-QH bars (like the measurements)?

[TX_CN_CRSHR]

I just called my saddle maker (my husband) and here is the difference.

QH are wider 6 1/2, semi are 6 1/4, this is off the top of his head so the measurements may not be exact.

The width of the gullet is the difference.  If you have a high withered horse, you need the semi-QH

[Julie]

Mandi..a couple of years ago I had a hard to fit horse and tried just about every saddle.  I called the man at Courts and talked to him and he was nice enough to let me bring my horse and let him see what tree fit him.....which turned out to be a cutting horse saddle tree and then it didn't fit just right.  He told me that most of the trees are made in New Braunsfels (I think that is right).  I don't think Courts normally lets people bring their horse for a fitting...but I guess you could call and ask them.  Although if you are not interested in a Courts saddle you wouldn't have much of a chance.  If you would like I can find out the place that makes most of the trees and I think you can go there and have them fit your horse because it was suggested to me when we had such a hard time fitting my horse at Courts.  He said they have more trees than what Courts had.  I also think Larry Allen in Pasadena will let you bring your horse for a fitting as well....there again...they want you to buy their saddle.  The place in New Braunsfels would be your best bet.  Let me know if you are interested and I will try to get the name and/or number or maybe Pam can tell you since I think she lives fairly close to NB.

[Mandi]

Thanks Julie.

Pam and I talked about New Braunfels and tree fitting, but I don't think it would work in this situation.

I'm not actually going to be able to have a tree fit to him because I am not buying the saddle. I won a saddle and the person ordering awards actually gave me an option as to what tree I would prefer.

So far, what I have mostly found is that there are semi-QH bars, QH bars and full QH bars. There were nice little diagrams in the NRS catalog to help me understand the differences a little better. Luckily, Dale Martin does a lot of saddle work for NRS which works out for me because I finally placed my Martin saddle on this hard to fit horse the other day and it sat down on him perfect. Any normal person would probably just start using this saddle on him and never think twice about it, but I'm spoiled/lazy/chicken...whatever you want to call it and since that saddle was built for a certain horse of mine, I'm scared to use it on this more narrow horse in fear that something about its fit will change and it won't work on the other horse as well anymore.

From what I read in the NRS catalog, I think this horse needs semi-QH bars and I think the majority of my other saddles are QH. I also think the 'shorter' bars might be beneficial for him...but I don't know if there is a negative effect if I get them and didn't really need them (as compared to if I don't get them and I really needed them)??

I am going to try very hard on Monday to get Dale's number and call him to see if he can remember what type of tree he used in that saddle.

Of course, I'm putting all this work into having one saddle made and at the same time, keeping my fingers crossed that one or both of my horses pull off winning another saddle this year (Coats) which I've heard are some of the best fitting saddles around...for lots of horses. LOL!!!

[TX_CN_CRSHR]

Mandi..a couple of years ago I had a hard to fit horse and tried just about every saddle.  I called the man at Courts and talked to him and he was nice enough to let me bring my horse and let him see what tree fit him.....which turned out to be a cutting horse saddle tree and then it didn't fit just right.  He told me that most of the trees are made in New Braunsfels (I think that is right).  I don't think Courts normally lets people bring their horse for a fitting...but I guess you could call and ask them.  Although if you are not interested in a Courts saddle you wouldn't have much of a chance.  If you would like I can find out the place that makes most of the trees and I think you can go there and have them fit your horse because it was suggested to me when we had such a hard time fitting my horse at Courts.  He said they have more trees than what Courts had.  I also think Larry Allen in Pasadena will let you bring your horse for a fitting as well....there again...they want you to buy their saddle.  The place in New Braunsfels would be your best bet.  Let me know if you are interested and I will try to get the name and/or number or maybe Pam can tell you since I think she lives fairly close to NB.

Any good "hand made" saddle maker should be able to fit your horse.  There are Many, Many tree mfgs. out there.  Most of them will allow the saddle maker to pour a "cast" of the actual horse back to fit the tree to that horse.

[Sherry May]

Mandi, I went to Grits house this weekend and tried her Allen Ranch saddle on my high-withered, narrow guy.  It fit him really well and it is semi quarter horse bars.  Grits is such a good friend that she traded my Ammerman for the Allen Ranch.  We set both saddles on him without a pad and the Ammerman sat down on his withers, but the Allen Ranch did not.  Jan also traded saddle pads with me.  She had an impact gel pad and I had the ESP and I really liked the Impact Gel pad the best.  She is such a good friend!

Any way, my point to all of this is that I think you will probably need the semi quarter horse bars.