Can anyone recommend a good western saddle...
 

My friend has a reining bred QH that is very butt high with no withers.
She's gone through about 17 saddles so far trying to find a saddle that fits her and her horse.

What is your price range and how will you use it?

I believe she has a pretty decent budget, and she's just going to use it for trails.

I would look into a Jasper Haynes they come from a very small shop out of Atlanta you can look them up on the internet and I believe it gives you access to them and thier store. I bought one off of ebay which came directly from thier store. Great price all different sizes and fits my horse great as well as the horse that I have that is similiar to the one you explained. Good Luck.

She is probably being too picky and doesn't understand saddle fit. If 17 other saddles didn't suit her I wouldn't dare suggest one.

I'm with Kevin on that. 17 saddles is quite a lot unless the horse is completely unique shaped. :D

Although I went through like 10 saddles myself trying to fit both of my horses - wide qh with lower withers and narrow paint with high withers. I ended up with Alamo Pleasure. I noticed also those flex tree saddles (like Circle Y or TexTan) fit wide horses with no withers really nicely.

A lot of people don't like it, but I love my Wintec Western All-Rounder. It's durable, sturdy, has a wide gullet, isn't real leather so it's waterproof and doesn't need oiling, etc. I really like mine....Here's a pic of it (the saddle blanket looks really disporportionate, I know. And I now use a foam pad under the blanket as well):

http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/r...ets/riding.jpg

I don't like how they are rigged. They have the girth coming right out under the saddle horn?? This pulls the saddle down tight on the withers and doesn't hold the saddle down in the back. Yes I know you can run the rear cinch but how many snug them down??
Saddles come in full, 7/8th and maybe 3/4? But I don't know who makes a 3/4 since it puts the cinch almost under the fenders. I modify all my western saddles for a center, 50% rigging.
I also don't like horns on western saddles. they tend to jab you in the gut if the horse jumps a fallen tree , a ditch or pitches you forward. What good is it anyway unless you are roping??

I run modified Betta endurance saddles and it has absolutely nothing to do with price.

My dad makes saddles in NC. He would prob be outof your price range because they are custom made, but he sends a mold that you put on your horse and then you send it back to him and he can find a tree that will fit your horse. This is the show saddle he made me last year. The website is www.pinchlessbits.com and if you go to the saddle page it will show you others he has made.

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check out partrade.net as they have the wintec synthetic saddles and circle p leather saddles. And don't let the fact that I work there influence you at all.....lol. Worth looking at anyway.

Scott