General Information on Western Saddles

The saddle tree is the foundation to a good saddle. The tree shape determines what the finished saddle will look like. Suprisingly there is little or no information available for the dealer to explain the differences of the various types of trees found in todays saddle. We hope that this guide can help in explaining to you exactly what it is they are buying. It is written for the novice as well as all you pros.

MEASUREMENTS	TREE STYLE
This is a General guide for how a saddle tree is measured.	These are examples of Colorado Saddlery's most popular styles of trees.

TREE MATERIALS
There seems to be saddle trees made of new materials on the market everyday. The following are the "basics". These are the types of trees that have withstodd the test of time.
Rawhide Covered	Fiberglass Covered	Ralide®
This is the original style of tree. The tree is contructed of woodand then covered with rawhide which is stiched around the wood parts. This type of tree can be used for any purpose.	This style of tree is contructed of wood and then covered with fiberglass. It is strong and durable and decreases the weight of the tree. It can be used for almost any type of use though heavy roping isn't recommended. The Steele Equi Fit tree that we use in several saddles is fiberglass covered.	Ralide® trees are molded trees made of polyetylene. It has great tensile strength and is light weight. Ralide® trees can be used for almost every riding purpose. Heavy roping isn't recommended when using a Ralide® tree.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON RIGGINGS

Rigging Types Flat Plate Rigging Hanging Dee Rigging Colorado Saddlery 3 Way "Perfect Rig"™ The 3 Way "Perfect Rig"™ is designed to allow you to set your rigging at the full, 7/8 or 3/4 postion depending on the horse or the country you are riding in. The design of the rigging means that your latigos hang true no matter what position you choose.

Rigging Positions Western Saddle Parts   Click to enlarge