Five Tips for Purchasing a Used Saddle

For many equestrians, saddle shopping is exciting, but stressful. Saddles are one of the most expensive pieces of equipment you’ll purchase for riding, and the options are endless, depending on the discipline you ride, design you’re seeking and price point you want to pay.

One way riders stretch their budgets is by buying used, as quality used saddles typically have lots of life left in them. The ease of finding used saddles online through private individuals means you might not see the saddle in person before buying it, though, which can lead to problems. Even purchasing in person from a dealer shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Quarter Horse News spoke with Adam Schwalm, owner of The Saddle House in Sealy, Texas, which sells new custom saddles as well as high-end used saddles, to get some tips on buying used.

One of the perks of buying a used saddle is that they tend to be cheaper than new saddles. That doesn’t mean they’ll be free — a high-quality used saddle can still set you back several thousand dollars — but you’ll likely drop far less than you would if the saddle were new. High-end used saddles that have been maintained well — cleaned, oiled and kept in a climate-controlled area — can last 20-30 years, and some even longer if cared for and stored correctly. Plus, they are usually already broken in, meaning if they’re sized correctly, they’ll feel comfortable and secure from the get go.

On the other hand, buying used can come with its own complications. New saddles tend to have warranties, whereas a used saddle probably won’t. That means if you shell out money for a used saddle and the tree breaks shortly after you get it, you will likely be out the cash, especially if you purchased from a private individual online.

“When buying used online, you don’t know what you’re getting as far as wear and tear, quality or craftsmanship,” Schwalm said. “Buying a reputable brand helps to relieve some of that concern as far as quality and craftsmanship, but a lot of times, people don’t show you everything in the photos.”

Where you purchase a used saddle from makes a difference. While there are many honest private sellers out there, there are just as many that will hide flaws in the saddle or will be too optimistic in determining its condition. Buying from a higher end tack shop or a saddle maker is usually less risky.

“They normally will go through saddles before they resell them to make sure everything’s in good working order,” Schwalm said. “If I’m selling a used saddle, my reputation is on the line that goes with it. We’re going to stand behind it, make sure it’s a good product, because I don’t want to look bad over making a little bit of money on something like that.”

Look for shops that have decent return policies so that if the saddle doesn’t fit, they can either refund your money or help you find a different saddle that works instead.

Shopping online is popular these days, but if you can inspect the saddle in person before buying it, that is ideal, Schwalm said. Seeing it in person is even better if you can bring your horse along to try it on, so you know without a doubt it will work for your situation.

When inspecting a saddle, be sure to check the tree, leather parts, rigging and fleece. You can press on the tree to make sure it’s sturdy and not broken. Watch out for cracks, tears and dry rot in the leather components. Make sure the rigging is not coming apart, and check to see what kind of condition the fleece is in.

“Is it real fleece or synthetic? Higher-end saddles will have real wool,” Schwalm said. “Does it have some padding to it, or is it kind of matted down and hard? Has it rubbed off, and does it need to be redone?”

Sizing is an important part of buying any saddle, whether new or used. If the saddle doesn’t fit your horse correctly, it can cause pain and long-term physical damage that can lead to behavioral issues and reduced performance. Dealers at tack shops can usually help you find the right fit, but if you’re shopping online, be aware that not everybody knows how to properly measure saddles.

“Most of the time when you’re buying a used saddle online from an individual, unless they have the specs from the maker, they probably do not have accurate information on that saddle,” Schwalm said. “The best thing you can do would be to check the serial number if they have one, or check with the maker. Most people with a tape measure or a yard stick taking pictures of their saddle are not correct on most of the measurements.”

Things to look for include gullet width, whether the saddle has full quarter horse or semi quarter horse bars, and the seat size of the saddle. If you find a saddle that has the measurements you think you need, but it’s not local to you, try to find a similar one you can try out in person.

“If you have a friend with one, that’s a great way of doing it, or maybe you can haul your horse to a show and try it on there,” Schwalm suggested.

If you decide to purchase a saddle online from a private individual, proceed with caution. Unfortunately, there are lots of swindlers out there just waiting to take advantage of someone willing to hand over their money. You could end up with a saddle that looks nothing like its pictures, or no saddle at all.

“Facebook is not a great place to be shopping for saddles these days — there’s a million scammers out there,” Schwalm said. “I see a lot of saddles online where people aren’t using current photos or are using somebody else’s photos. There’s no telling what’s happened to that saddle since those photos were taken. I get that a lot — people send me pictures of a saddle from four years ago, and it shows up looking nothing like the photos.”