Saddles

Rustly Wallace from Nanton, Willow Creek Saddles made the saddle in the header . I think he's retired now. He made really good saddles. This one is almost 10 years old and was ridden in every day for the first 4 years and long hours, then not so much in the winters since but long hours in the summer. It's seen snow, rain, hail (I was there. I'm still mad about that), bugs, heat, wrecks, you name it and it still looks almost new.

I had an old Willow Creek saddle years ago but it weighed 60 lbs and my horse then was 16.3 so I sold it. I was always sorry I did. This one of my husband's is lighter than mine.

 My roughout wade is made by Bob Kaufman. I cuss it most days. Funny how small things can annoy you after 5 hours in the saddle. I always say the first 5 hours are good, after that I'm looking to quit and go home (for lunch). It has the latigo keepers behind the fenders instead up by your knee. The problem is that when the fenders move back they pull the latigos out and they flop around.

It's good that there is latigos on both sides because if a horse goes down and you need to pull the saddle for any reason it makes it easier to get it off . It also makes for a finer adjustment of the cinch, except that mine on this saddle are different lengths and I hate that, plus the long side is always short a hole. (I never think of punching a new one till I'm 10 miles from home and go to tighten up to rope something).

I never use the breast collar attachment things as mine goes up through the gullet. I love the way it sits on the horse. Better than even those chocker kind my husband uses. (My breast collar is one of my favorite things in my whole world).