Based on my 40 plus designing Close Contact saddles and having them manufactured in England, Germany, France, Argentina, India and Italy, I would like to share my knowledge with ebay riders looking to purchase a saddle.

After reviewing every Close Contact saddle on ebay, it can be quite confusing to the rider wanting to bid on a saddle when reading the description and viewing the photos.

A saddle is a 'touchy feely' thing. Riders like to touch the leather and feel the texture of the leather. This is something you can not do when buying on ebay.

Let's see if I can suggest some guidelines to help.

Things You Should Know Before Bidding

You must know how much you want to spend and look for saddles that realistically fit your pocketbook. Know you seat size and the tree width you will need for your horse.

If you do not own your horse, do not buy a saddle. If you do not own your horse but ride the same horse all the time, remember that once you change horses, the saddle might not fit the new horse.

Important: The horse's wither is like a persons foot size. Both come in different sizes. For instance, if you have a size 7 shoe and a horse has a medium (regular) tree width wither size, a size 8 shoe won't work for you, nor will a wide tree width work for the horse.

Ordering the wrong size tree width for the horse creates problems for both you and the seller. A saddle that does not fit your horse will create performance issues and possibly injure the horse.

Tree Width has nothing to do with the price of a saddle. Price does not determine if the saddle fits properly.

The Best Saddle You Can Purchase Is One That Fit's Your Horse

Photos Are Very Important

The more photos, the better, especially when buying a used saddle. The following are photos needed:

• Full side shot
• Close-up of seat area
• Front Gullet area
• Close-up of the flap to get a better look at the condition
• Under-Flap area were the knee roll and billets are
• If the saddle is damaged, marked, blemished, scratched, etc, make sure you get a photo of the area(s).

If they are not shown in the listing, request photos from the seller.They can easily be e-mailed to you. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. New saddles should be treated the same way, but it is not as critical to have all of the photos needed when buying a used saddle. 

Ask Questions

Asking the seller questions is a must. Some questions to ask are:

• How old is the saddle
• Condition of the tree and is there a manufacturers tree guarantee or warrantee in effect
• What is the return policy if the saddle does not fit the horse

The saddle age is important for you to know so that you have an idea when it was made. The older the saddle is the more the condition of the saddle should interest you.

Many manufactures now offer 5, 10 and even lifetime warrantees  for the tree. Again the older the saddle, the better chance of having a tree problem.

Because the most likely problem you may have after you receive the saddle is if it does not fit your horse. Sellers list the saddle as they know it to be. Example, the seller lists the saddle as a medium. You think you need a medium but when you try it, its does not fit the horse. Big problem!

Clearly have an understanding about the return or exchange as to whom will pay the freight, insurance and handling before you purchase.

The riders almost always know the size seat they need and this rarely becomes a problem.

If in doubt about the horse tree width or the size of the saddle needed, supply the seller with details as listed below:

• Tree Width: The horses height, breed. and wither shape (high, medium, low or round (little to none).
• Saddle Size: Your age, height and weight. Let them know if you are long legged between the hip and the knee. Many saddle flaps are not big enough or forward enough for long legged riders.

Considering all the above guidelines will help to make your transaction and relationship with the seller go smooth. A saddle is considered a big-ticket item in the equestrian world and the last thing we want to happen is to have a problem when it can be avoided.

Lastly, do not assume that because a saddle is high priced that it is nay better than a low price model. Price does not determine good or bad. The way the saddle is constructed, the leather, the fit and comfort for the horse matters. There are many relatively inexpensive saddles that are excellent made as good and even better than high priced brand name models.

I hope you find this helpful. I plan to write more Guides in the future offering my experience about saddle and tack.

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