western saddle hunting....arg

well at first I was thinking of getting a Fabtron...but that would take too much money out of my pocket...money I need for vet bills, board, and farrier.
Next I was thinking of buying one of the barn owners western saddles that fit Sonny well and was the right size for me, but I've realized that the one stirrup if all weird (no I can't fix it...I've tried), and also for long rides it gets sort of uncomfortable.

So at the moment I'm western saddle hunting.
Anyone have any particular brands that they like?
Any suggestions?

My requirements are:
the saddle MUST MUST MUST MUST be light weight
Synthetic if possible, but it doesn't really matter
no weird colors...brown or black only

I saw one at a local tack shop that was on sale for $395. It was the right size for me...don't know how it would be on Sonny though....it was synthetic....with silver (well probably not real silver) accents.
I'm hoping to try that one on Sonny and that it fits. It's a good looking saddle, good price, and fairly light weight.

Are there any tack shops in your area that carry used saddles on consignment? Thats always a good place to look. Then of course theres always Ebay.

I'm not sure how far you are from this seller but heres one on Ebay. I think they had other sizes.
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Big-Horn-500...QQcmdZViewItem

My husband has a leather Big Horn that he likes a lot. Never heard anything bad about their saddles.

You can get Abettas rather cheap and they stand up to wear very well.

here is a really ugly one, if you are only riding in the barn, who cares.

http://cgi.ebay.com/16-Abetta-Wester...ayphotohosting

there are some on consignment and I've looked at those but they are all the heavy leather ones....I can't list too heavy of stuff (I'm weak haha) so I can't get those.

I'd perfer not to get stuff off of ebay only because if it ends up not fitting it would be a pain to send back.

I've tried the Abettas and I find that they can rip fairly easy...my friend rides in one and something ripped off of it...it was still useable but she thought it ripped fairly easy

I believe the barn owner has one there I'll try to ride in it and see what I think.

Sonny, what do you mean by "light"? :) mine leather one is about 25-28 lbs, which I consider light. The lightest one is Abetta (~18-20 lbs), but I'd never buy one as it doesn't fit me or my horse. Blue Ridge is pretty crappy saddle (although very light) and slide off the horse.

I know people who are really happy with Big Horn saddles, so you may look into (but they are not very cheap).
I also heard good words about King series, but I've never tried one.

http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/1003/834500
http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/1004/KS8520
http://www.chicksaddlery.com/page/CDS/PROD/1003/WP4000

If you plan on getting one through the Internet, buy one in respectable store, so you can return saddle if you tried and didn't like it (I did it once with Aussi saddle I got).

25 pounds at the most. The lighter the better...I probably could handle a good heavy leather saddle...but I might have difficulty getting it on my horse.
If at all possible I don't want to buy on off the net due to the returning issue...I'm just trying to get a list of the western saddle names that people recommend so I can see if it's something I'd like and want to try on my horse

Is it the stirrup that is weird on the barn owners saddle or the fender? Both can be replaced. If the saddle fits both you and the horse you may consider replacing the parts. Also, if it is the stirrup that is weird and ends up hurting you, you may look into a set of turnout stirrups. They are really comfy and your legs/knees don't hurt at the end of a long ride! Hope this helps!