I've wondered this for years. Every single last western saddle I have ever ridden in hurts me in some way. Usually, I get quarter-sized bruises on my butt where my seat bones are. Other times, my legs or lower back will hurt. I've tried sitting back on my seat pockets and I've tried sitting more forward, like you would in an English saddle. Half the time when I climb down from a western saddle, I can barely stand, much less walk.
The thing is, I've ridden in at least a dozen different western saddles. From my best friend's Circle Y Park and Trail with a ridiculous amount of padding in the seat, to an old slick seat roping saddle that belonged to my old BO.
The closest I've come to a comfortable (for me) western saddle was my friend's ridiculously heavy show saddle. No idea what brand, but I gave pics of me in it (it was too small, though).
Here's the kicker, though. My trail saddle is an Aussie saddle with a slick, non-suspended seat and it is the most comfortable saddle I have ever sat in. I can go for a long trail ride with zero pain and full mobility at the end. The only thing that has come close to my Aussie saddle was the authentic Peruvian saddle I rode my friend's Peruvian paso in.
So, is it me...or the saddle?
I'm going to be showing Aires western this summer, so I need to figure out how to not be dying 5 minutes after climbing into the saddle.
Posted via Mobile Device
The thing is, I've ridden in at least a dozen different western saddles. From my best friend's Circle Y Park and Trail with a ridiculous amount of padding in the seat, to an old slick seat roping saddle that belonged to my old BO.
The closest I've come to a comfortable (for me) western saddle was my friend's ridiculously heavy show saddle. No idea what brand, but I gave pics of me in it (it was too small, though).
Here's the kicker, though. My trail saddle is an Aussie saddle with a slick, non-suspended seat and it is the most comfortable saddle I have ever sat in. I can go for a long trail ride with zero pain and full mobility at the end. The only thing that has come close to my Aussie saddle was the authentic Peruvian saddle I rode my friend's Peruvian paso in.
So, is it me...or the saddle?
I'm going to be showing Aires western this summer, so I need to figure out how to not be dying 5 minutes after climbing into the saddle.
Posted via Mobile Device