Endurance saddles for the petite rider? Do they exist?!

If you miraculously get to see this today, here is a link for a 15" BH on eBay.

New Big Horn 120 Endurance Western Saddle 15" Semi QH Bars CLOSEOUT | eBay

The auction closes in 4 hours, however, but no one has bid on it yet (starting at $525).

Ah, yeah. Missed it. At least I know that they are out there now!
It has semi-QH bars though, so it wouldn't have worked. My guy is still growing, but is already in regular QH bars with a gullet width of 6 3/4in. I think that one would have been too narrow and the wrong angle for him.

Thanks for the heads up though!

Okay, so I found a saddle shop that had a couple of Endurance saddles in stock that I got to sit on. One was a Crates. I liked it enough. It had a narrower twist that I found a bit awkward feeling, but not bad. The seat was super comfy as far as padding. Overall, I wasn't amazed by it, and I would think that with a price tag as high as that one, I would have been in love.

The other was a Bowman (I am not familiar with this brand) I really liked this saddle. I just worry that it was heavier than what I would like. It was something like 24lbs. Not sure about that. The price tag on this one was $1600. I felt very secure and comfortable, but it didn't have centerfire rigging like I would like. It had dropped rigging, I think they called it?

It was nice being able to actually sit in an endurance saddle and get a feel for what they are about. I can't wait to see what else is out there!

Don't let the weight alone scare you away, assuming it fits your horse well. The saddle I use on my mare is not light (generally around 32 lbs, loaded), but it fits her so well I am afraid to even try something else. The only time I have had issue with the weight was trying to get it back on during the later holds of 100s. But I will take a few instances of looking like a drunk trying to throw a sack of potatoes for how well it fits her!

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to keep it in mind then. The saddle shop allows you to trailer your horse in and they will fit your horse for you. They also allow a trial period, so that very well may be the way to go. In the grand scheme of things, 24lbs isn't all that much, especially since I only range from 105-110lbs on average. It only seems heavy because I am used to my BH which only weighs 19lbs fully rigged.

I scoped out a couple more tack shops in the area and found a nice consignment shop. They had a couple of aussie saddles from a brand that I am familiar with, but they were priced at almost new, so I may as well buy a new one if I went that route. They were comfy though!

I found two true endurance saddles. One was way too big for me, and then there is a black one. 15in hard seat (which doesn't matter because I would do a sheepskin seat cover anyway.) with nice soft leather. I can't find a makers mark on it, but it is obviously an okay quality saddle. Not super amazing, but not trash either.

It has a 7in gullet and only weighs 19 or so pounds. I think that it has FQH bars, but they look a little different than I'm used to, so I am thinking that it may be Arab bars? I've never actually gotten to see any in person, so I'm not sure how to tell the difference...The bar angle is rather flat.

The underside does not have sheepskin, it has a kind of heavy duty foam that velcros onto the tree so it is removable. It looks like it is original, but I'm not sure.

I took it out on trial, so I will have pics and a report back on sunday after I get out to test ride it. In the mean time, a couple of pics of the saddle.

Being able to demo them is fantastic. Best way to know how it does is to actually use it!!

Can't wait to hear your impressions after Sunday's ride.

That would be a Specialized saddle my dear :) you can purchase shims in order to fit it to your horse correctly. They velcro in between the pad and saddle, shaping the pad to your horse. I recommend having one of their reps or someone familiar with fitting Specialized saddles doing the fitting for you.

I believe that is a TrailMaster model. Google Specialized Saddles and you can look at their various models.

That would would sell new around $1700 I believe, depending on the customizations. Used, they usually go for around $1200.

Lost Juniper Ranch, located here in Idaho, makes custom booties to use as pads on them, and they work really well.

Specialized Saddles are one of the most popular saddles in the endurance world and I really wanted one, but can't afford one for now. They're used by a lot of winning riders and horses.

How much are they asking? And, like I said, I recommend getting someone familiar to fit it for you because they're meant to be fitted rather an ridden exactly how they are without any shims. It might work, but just so you now that's the intention in how they're made.

How much are they asking?

Here's their website:

Specialized Saddles

Yeh specialized seem to be popular with female riders and arabs, the padding does need to be fit, if you don't have a dealer nearby I am pretty sure they have videos that explain it.
Hey whats the info on the Way to big one ?

Interesting. Endurance is also popular with female riders and Arabs.... Strange coincidence?