Leather Versus Synthetic Saddles

Synthetic saddles

Synthetic saddles have three main advantages over a traditional leather saddle:

1. Price: This is the factor that sways some customers away from a traditional leather saddle. You can get a quality, durable saddle that costs much less than a saddle made out of leather.
2. Weight: Synthetic saddles run half the weight of their leather counterparts, giving your horse less to carry and saving you the hassle of logging around a twenty-five-pound leather saddle.
3. Ease of Care: Throw away that old leather conditioner and the rags that go with it. All that's usually needed to clean a synthetic saddle is a damp cloth.

Synthetic saddles also come in many styling options in a wide variety of disciplines, so whatever you're wanting in a traditional saddle, chances are there's a synthetic saddle that comes close.

The term synthetic covers a wide range of saddles, including very cheap saddles made out of nylon or vinyl. Many imported saddles fall into this category. The Horse Saddle Shop is very picky about what saddles to stock; we do not sell imported or cheaply made saddles. When it comes to synthetic, the only material we're standing behind is Cordura. Fabtron and Big Horn have made a variety of Cordura saddles that we're proud to sell.

Cordura saddles

Cordura is a registered brand name of a nylon fabric made by Invista. It is used in a wide variety of products where durability is important, such as luggage, boots, military apparel, and clothing.

Why is it used for saddles?

Cordura is extremely useful for saddles because of its resistance to abrasion. According to Invista's website, Cordura is two times more durable than nylon and three times more durable than polyester. Cordura is made to last. It's also easy to care for and resists dirt.

Disadvantages of a cordura saddles

Styling: There's no way to replicate the traditional gloss, smell, and styling of a quality leather saddle. Cordura saddles can be attractive, but most western enthusiasts prefer the look of leather. Leather often leaves more room for your personal taste, giving you plenty of tooling and other stylish elements that will make the saddle all your own.

Durability: There's no way to say how long a Cordura saddle will last. Cordura is a very durable, abrasion-resistant material, and certainly, you're going to get your money's worth, but if you want a guarantee that the saddle will last a lifetime, leather is the only way to go. A leather saddle can be an heirloom; we doubt you'll see many Cordura saddles in a museum exhibit fifty years from now.

Tying Trouble

I recently purchased a new horse! Everything was going great when I got him home! He stalled great, fit in well with the other horses, everything was perfect. Or so it seemed… After letting this new horse settle in for about a week or two I decided to throw a saddle on him and ride.

Well, little did I know he was going to give me a run for my money when it came to tying. I tied him up to the hitching post and began to tack him up for our ride. He then backed up and held pressure on the lead rope knowing exactly what he was doing to try and snap the lead rope. He did just that! He snapped the lead rope and got loose. I finally got him caught, and put back away.

I began thinking I can’t be the only one that has struggled with this issue. After conducting endless amounts of research, I came across a friend who had the same issue with one of her horses. She told me to use a neck rope along with her halter and lead rope. I thought yeah, sure he will slip right out of that! I was desperate to try anything, as without tying you can’t do much with a horse.

I put the neck rope on him and tied him up to the hitching post again and he pulled back to try and put pressure in the lead rope and snap it again, just as I thought he would. However, this time the neck rope stopped him! He fought it for a few minutes then gave up. It took about 2-3 times of using the neck rope and he was tying like a dream!

If you are struggling with a horse that won't tie, don’t give up! Purchase a neck rope and try it. However, you want to be sure to tie them in an area where he or she can’t hurt themselves because they are going to fight it to try and get loose as this is a learned behavior.

It shouldn’t take more than a couple times of trying this and they should be back to tying like they need to, and you can have your horse back! It worked for my gelding and I hope it works for you too! No one should have to struggle with this issue when you can try a simple thing such as this to fix it for good!

- Leah

Deworming Dos & Don'ts

The biggest mistake made deworming a horse is using only ivermectin wormers. If you only use one type of chemical class your horse can become tolerant, and your worming schedule will be ineffective. Below is a great chart used to describe the different Drug classes for wormers and why they are used.

This chart was made by HorseSaddleShop for informative purposes only. You always want to consult your Veterinarian before treating your horse. In some cases, your Vet will come up with a rotational worming schedule directed especially for your born, as they will know the risks for parasites in your area.

Some prevention to parasites can be made by cleaning manure out of pasture frequently, as well as feeding your horses from a feeder rather than the ground.

Here are some factors that can result in a higher risk of parasites for your horse:

Horses being pastured in a dry lot (dirt lot)

Sharing pastures with cattle, goats or sheep

Hight Pasture Population ( Having one or more horses per acre of land)