new saddle questions

Hey everyone! *waves*
Alrighty im going to buy a new saddle (finally) and its not all leather, the...part that connects to the stirrup (lol) is a material type thing its cool lol
Well I know with leather saddles you have to put a broom through the stirrups that are twisted and its going to squeak for a while and feel new, but i've never had a saddle that isnt leather so...
Anything I should know??? Do I have to still turn the stirrups or some other weird saddle thing lol
And what do you think about theses kinds of saddles? Are they durable? Easy to clean? Easy to care for? What do you do if they get soaked???
Lol thanks guys!!!

I would give you my opinion about synthetic saddle but I will say this. The squeak doesn't usually stop, ever. My synthetic saddle which I sold, squeecked for the entire 5 years I owned it. I knew of a girl at one of my old barns who also had one and with her saddle it also squeecked. Sad bad in fact, she sold it and switched to leather.
I'm sure you will get more views about the rest, good luck :)

It would help to know which brand and model it is.

My synthetic saddles never squeaked.

Mmm...i can't really remember the make or model, but I will know about this time tomorrow lol

No one else?

No, the stirrups will bend fine. The synthetic material won't hold a bend like leather anyway

They are easy to clean, hose down and air dry. Use dish soap and water if the dirt doesn't readily wash out. If it gets soaked, just let it set outside to dry. Never leave it in the sun though as sometimes the color can bleach out.

As for durability, it all depends on what brand you got. Some synthetics are great (like Abetta, Big Horn, Fabatron, Wintec), while others are CR@P!! (mainly the no-name type on eBay, or the new Weaver synthetic saddles that are out, they are not good...)

Alrighty I bought a 15' cordura/leather reinsman

I have a leather/cordura Fabtron saddle. I have had no trouble with it. All the rigging has been solid and it's a pretty comfy ride. I like the cordura fenders as they exert nearly zero torque on my knees. It has been a snap to clean. I just use a damp sponge (water) and wipe the cordura parts down. Mine has a leather seat and seat jockey, pommel and horn. I just wipe them off as necessary and give them a wipe down with leather conditioner (when I remember )

Mine has never squeeked nor have I ever had an ounce of trouble with it.

Congrats on the new saddle. You'll have to tell us how you like it.
Like your own little product review!

Although I'm not a synthetic fan, I do admit that Fabtron is about the best I've seen. Reinsman has always made a good "off the shelf" product so I would suspect that their synthetic/leather saddle would be up to their standards.

Although You can't "turn" a stirrup with a broomstick on a synthetic fender, you can do it permanently in a different way. I do all my saddles like this:

(You can skip steps 3 and 6 on a synthetic)

1. Remove the stirrups.
2. Remove the Blevins slider but remember which way it faced.
3. Soak the bottom half of the fender (the part that holds your stirrup)
4. Put the Blevins slider back on but facing the opposite side of the leather.
5. Put the stirrup back on but twist the fender so that it attaches to the opposite side of the fender (the one with the holes).
6. Put the stirrup hobble back on very tight to hold the twist in place.
7. Let it sit overnight or until dry then oil the leather.

What you end up with is a stirrup that will always be in position to receive your foot as you mount your horse. It gives you the added comfort of eliminating the torque on your knees.

The following are some pics of a new saddle I just finished turning.

I think I should have mentioned that originally your stirrup attached to the outside of the part with the adjusting holes. After you twist the fender, it will reattach to the inside of that part. That is the reason you need to face the Blevins slider piece going opposite of the way it came off.