It could be that the saddle seat simply never fit you. I had this happen to me with a black saddle over the summer. I would get bruises on my butt and my butt would swell up in the bruised places like welts. It hurt so bad. I sold it to a woman who felt the saddle was very comfortable and bought a 50lb roping saddle. The other saddle was a black trail\pleasure saddle. I had to have been the seat fit.
It could be the way you sit or the way the saddle makes makes you sit as well as the seat make.
Another thing comes to mind is perhaps you weren't using a properly sized saddle for your butt. Too small of a seat or two large of a seat can cause pressure points on your butt because your butt isn't where it needs to be for a proper fit Posted via Mobile Device
Maybe because you are riding in saddles that are too small for you?
That saddle in the pic was a 15". My best friend's Circle Y was a 16". The ones at the horse camp were anywhere from 15-17". I know now that I need a 16.5-17" for it to fit right, but a 16" isn't too cramped. That old roping saddle of my BO's was at least a 18", maybe even a 19", because it was HUGE. I was swimming in it. Posted via Mobile Device
It could be that the saddle seat simply never fit you. I had this happen to me with a black saddle over the summer. I would get bruises on my butt and my butt would swell up in the bruised places like welts. It hurt so bad. I sold it to a woman who felt the saddle was very comfortable and bought a 50lb roping saddle. The other saddle was a black trail\pleasure saddle. I had to have been the seat fit.
It could be the way you sit or the way the saddle makes makes you sit as well as the seat make.
Another thing comes to mind is perhaps you weren't using a properly sized saddle for your butt. Too small of a seat or two large of a seat can cause pressure points on your butt because your butt isn't where it needs to be for a proper fit Posted via Mobile Device
What you described is EXACTLY what happened to me!
The saddle I'm hopefully buying and sat in today is a 17". It actually felt like it fit me better than any western saddle I've sat in. I can't wait to get it on Aires to see if it fits him and try riding in it. It's a 17" Circle Y cutting saddle.
Thinking about it, the saddle we used for Paleface, our lead horse for trails at the horse camp and the horse I usually ended up riding, was a 17" roping saddle (can't remember the maker) and it wasn't uncomfortable. Posted via Mobile Device
Like Copperhead said, too big would hurt as well, too small is bruising your butt, so you need something that fits correctly. Or maybe one of those sheepskin saddle covers? Sorry never used one but they sure look comfy. I would go to a saddle shop and sit on all their saddles and see which one they say fits you, sometimes we can't judge ourselves.
I really hope that saddle works-it is nice looking for sure. Just hope it is comfy for you and Aires.
Only pain issue I have with western saddles is that now that I am used to riding in a saddle with a "narrow twist" it feels like someone is prying my hips apart when I ride on a normal tree.
What you described is EXACTLY what happened to me!
The saddle I'm hopefully buying and sat in today is a 17". It actually felt like it fit me better than any western saddle I've sat in. I can't wait to get it on Aires to see if it fits him and try riding in it. It's a 17" Circle Y cutting saddle.
Thinking about it, the saddle we used for Paleface, our lead horse for trails at the horse camp and the horse I usually ended up riding, was a 17" roping saddle (can't remember the maker) and it wasn't uncomfortable. Posted via Mobile Device
This is the saddle I'm hopefully buying:
While I'm not a Circly Y fan at all...that is a decent looking saddle. The seat is flatter which will help you sit where you should be sitting.
I hated Western saddles for the LONGEST time! I had all the discomfort you're talking about and I always felt like I was straddling the dining room table. I finally got to borrow a lovely Dale Chavez show saddle and try it out. OH YEAH!!!!!! The seat finally fit just right and it had a narrow twist which relieved the pain in my hips. Now I don't want to ride in anything else. If this one doesn't fit your horse or isn't comfortable once you're on, try looking for a good, used Dale Chavez.
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