Best Horse Saddles

Horse saddles fall into two groups — Western and English. Western saddles have specialty designs for roping and barrel racing, while English offshoots include dressage, close contact, and endurance (or Australian) saddles. All come in a variety of widths to fit the horse and seat sizes to fit the rider. Leather is the traditional material, but synthetic saddles have become increasingly popular due to the ease of cleaning and the lighter weight, plus some have adjustable trees (the solid structure inside the saddle) that adapt the width across the withers, useful if you have multiple horses. Treeless saddles are available, which have softer structures inside and may be good for hard-to-fit horses, but may lack some stability for the rider. Always make sure the saddle fits the horse without rubbing and avoid using pads to try and correct a bad fit.  Besides creating sores, an ill-fitting saddle can also result in serious behavior issues like bucking, sourness, and disobedience.