Leather Saddles For Horses

Few people will tell you there is a right and a wrong leather saddle to buy for your horse.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT IT'S OK TO BUY ANY LEATHER SADDLE AND PUT IT ON THEIR HORSE.

They couldn't be more wrong!

There is more to buying a leather saddle than you might have first thought.

• To be more precise, there's more to consider than just flicking through a brochure to see what is on sale or what bargains you can get.
  
• Did you know that some of the best leather saddles are made from hides from temperate climates such as Sweden and Switzerland etc. where the cows are better looked after and therefore grow bigger with less damage?
  
• A lot of hides from all over the world are shipped to Italy to be manufactured. Nowadays a lot of leather production is done in China, but if the leather is manufactured (tanned) by an Italian company then it is still regarded as Italian leather. Hence it would be extremely difficult to ascertain whether your beautiful Italian Leather Saddle is truly made from Italian leather.
  

This brings me to my first point:

• IF YOU PLAN TO SPEND EVEN ONE HOUR A DAY IN YOUR LEATHER SADDLE, THEN IT NEEDS TO BE OF GOOD QUALITY LEATHER
  
• So it's best to buy a reputable brand name such as –  "LUC CHILDERIC", "STUBEN", "SYD HILL", "BATES" etc. and coupled with proper care, can extend the useful life of a leather saddle, often for decades
  

And if you're like me, you love your horse then you also need to get it properly fitted because a badly fitting leather saddle can cause damage to your horse's back and possibly cripple him for life.

A badly fitting leather saddle will make your horse unhappy and sore which can lend to bad habits forming such as:

• 1. Ears laid back and attempting to bite or kick when saddled up
  
• 2. Wanting to buck or rear when being ridden
  
• 3. Avoiding to go forward and tail constantly swishing
  

And there are a variety of annoying and possibly dangerous mannerisms which can usually be brought on by pain and discomfort.

Of course there could be other causes of the above mentioned habits, but having a good, well fitting leather saddle will go a long way to making your horse's life a lot more pleasant.