The Best Old Saddles

In one of my earlier posts I wrote about saddle shopping with my daughter. Her saddle didn’t fit Epona, mine did, and she was on a search for a good used one like mine, but lighter. 

She got sticker shock right off and held up on purchasing any of the saddles we saw. Then she remembered her childhood saddle, the one that fit Epona’s mama, Cowgirl, when she was young. 

The old saddle was gathering years of dust in the Cowgirl Cave. Abandoned. Forgotten. 

She pulled it out, tried it on Epona, and voila, Cinderella—a perfect fit. 

Not only did it fit Epona, but it is also light and is comfortable for my daughter to ride in. 

It is a “balanced ride” style saddle, so you secure it a little differently, but she’s used to that after so many years riding in it. 

I was worried that its latigo wasn’t thick enough and could be at risk for breaking, so she took it to our local saddle shop, Indiana Harness, and asked him to add D rings, new latigo, silver heart conchos (she is a Valentine’s baby after all) and a complete deep oil, clean, and inspect. 

It’s like a new saddle and the heart conchos match the heart stitching in the seat. 

The flower in the heart conchos also matches the florets stamped into the leather. 

Heart stitching in the seat. 

More florets. 

She is comfortable in the saddle and Epona is comfortable carrying it. It’s in great shape now and should last her many more years. Our saddle guy joked as I was leaving that his dad always said they should have made boots instead of saddles because they wear out more often. 

I know I love my old saddle, and after a little oil last month (and being refleeced last summer by the same saddle guy) it is good as new, too.