Many people want to buy a sidesaddle, but cannot commit the huge amount of money "old name" sidesaddles like Owen, Whippy, Champion & Wilton, or Martin & Martin command.  Some people find they need a size that is rare among the old makers. Regardless, many turn to the new sidesaddles available on eBay.  Like so many things in life, too often you get what you pay for (or less!) - though bargains are to be had for the savvy shopper and someone willing to do a bit of work.

Before you begin, have an idea of what size you need, both for yourself and your horse.  A great saddle at a bargain price is worthless if you can't use it!  Educate yourself about what's available before you buy.  Teach your eye to recognize what makes "old name" quality, even in a newly-made saddle.  And know what you want the saddle for - showing, pleasure, just to try? - so you know what compromises you're willing to make.  There are various mailing lists and websites you can consult for free, all loaded with knowledgable people willing to help. If you can't find them on a Google search, please use the "contact me" feature of eBay to ask!

As with any eBay transaction, look at the seller's history.  For example, as of mid July 2007 there is one seller who has sold 6 sidesaddles within the past 30 days, claiming that they are hard to come by.  He states, "I have to let you know that I have been around a lot of saddles, but I have not been around man side saddles and with that unfortunatly I don't know much about them. I know that these are hard to find, and it was only luck that found this one into my possetion."  Despite several offers of information and direction to websites explaining how to measure a saddle, he says, "I don't know how to measure the saddle, so if you need a specific measurement then just let me know."  That doesn't mean he's a fraud or any sort of bad person. It does mean that he's not interested in knowing his product well enough to give a complete picture.  Shop around!  If you do, you'll find the identical saddle elsewhere, including Tack Wholesale's website.

NB:  I have been riding sidesaddle for about 20 years, and am a certified instructor with the International Side Saddle Organization. The opinions in this article are entirely my own, based upon my experiences and conversations with those I trust.  They in no way represent ISSO or any other organization to which I may or may not belong.

One point should be made about the English saddles especially.  To handle the stress of jumping, the "old name" saddles had a heavy metal brace in the fork. Without it, the tree eventually cracks apart.  Most new English saddles are not intended for serious jumping.  Some advertise that they are "reinforced for jumping," though in the extended advertising, you will generally see the phrase "light jumping."  This means they are fine for trails, or learning and a light local show career.  But they are not intended for the stress of foxhunting, rigorous showing, 3-day eventing, and so on.

Decent Buys

Elan: They are Pakistani imports, but the woman who imports them keeps a good control on the quality (though it does vary some by batch).  You can be fairly sure the pommels and billets will be in the proper place and pointing in the proper directions.  A number of folks find they ride low on the left to start, but this can be fixed with padding.  Many also need to add padding to the upright pommel to keep their right thigh centered.  This "queen," as it's called, can be as simple as a washrag held on with vetwrap, or as fancy as a lovely leather and sheepskin sleeve.  When a new batch arrives, the importer (hundredoaks) usually lists a few on eBay.  Second-hand ones also show up from time to time. Some Elans were made on a tree modelled off a TWH back cast, and tends to fit those hard-to-fit gaited horses and Arabs.

"Unknown" old-name makers: Educate your eye.  I've gotten some real bargains simply by knowing what I'm looking at.  Lots of saddlers made sidesaddles "back in the day," and many of them are equal to the companies that have a big reputation today.  For example, I have a saddle by Bartley this is superb, but most folks these days haven't heard of them.  Local saddlers could also buy trees from the big names and make it up themselves. I have a saddle that I would swear is on a Whippy tree, and the leatherwork is grand, but is completely unmarked.  And sometimes repairs were made that removed the original maker's name, but underneath you can recognize a grand old dame.  Because they don't have the brand name, these saddles often sell at a fraction of the "name" prices!

Know What You're Getting Into

Hilason, English: I have not personally been around one of these saddles that has been made rideable, but I'm assured by someone I consider competent that they've done it, and it's ... not too bad.  However, I currently have in the basement an unaltered English Hilason saddle. When it arrives on your doorstep, the padding is so overdone that it can't help but spin on the horse. It's like riding with pvc pipes under the saddle.  If the stuffing is pulled and balanced, you end up with a very wide saddle when you probably ordered a medium. The good news is that because the seat is so wide, it may not matter that it narrows in the middle just like an astrtide saddle - just where your thigh is thickest.  The billets also are too far back, you can probably move the back one to the front and it is about right.  The one I have, the billets aren't evenly placed from the right to the left -  the ones on the offside are farther back.  And a note about that safety bar - it won't release the stirrup when you fall.  It relies upon the leather sliding backwards, a motion that is blocked by the saddle flap!  So use a safety stirrup.

Hilason, Western:  I don't know why, but I find it hard to get excited about a saddle that every time the primary distributor on eBay (leathergem) lists it, it is described as "extremely rare."  Even when there's five at a time listed.  But that's just me saying don't believe everything you read, and is nothing about the saddle itself.  The leather is merely "OK" - it's not high quality, but you're not paying for that at $500 for a sidesaddle.  The stirrup is set too far back, but some folks, especially taller ones, find this is OK for them. Not ideal, but workable.  The pommels are in a decent place, though aren't padded so you may find them awfully hard. You can add padding if you like - a queen on the upright is common to center the leg anyway.  These saddles seem to come in one size: very wide.  I've seen this work well enough on one of those big, stocky, wide-backed QHs.  Assuming the width works for you, the real problem isn't the tree, it's the seat.  A decent western sidesaddle has the seat built so you're sitting level.  Not so with a Hilason.  It dumps you to the left, and hard.  Look at a photo from the back (if it's not posted, ask for one).  Draw a straight line across the top of the skirt, below the cantle.  See how the cantle and seat drops to the left?  I've seen this "fixed" with several layers of 1" felt glued into the seat.  Not ideal, but works for that horse and rider.

Circle Y: Yes, it's a very reputable saddle brand.  Yes, the saddles are expensive - often thought an indication of quality.  The leather quality, the silver, the stitching, carving, and stamping are unquestioned.  However, let's go back to that question of trees.  This saddle is built on exactly the same tree as the Hilason western saddle, so everything written above (except about the leather) applies.

There are a lot of old, beautiful, even well-kept sidesaddles out there that are frequently too small for modern horses and riders. They tend to run narrow, but can work on some TBs and ponies.  However, because these saddles seldom have a cutback, they tend not to work for saddlebreds and other horses with narrow backs but high withers.  Still, because of the small seat size, they fit children and small adults well, and can often be found useable at a good price.  A note on style - these old "catalog" saddles (so called because you could get them from Montgomery Wards, Sears, and other catalog-based businesses) were made before the distincition between English and Western was so important. Many are western in style, but still set up for English girths which in my book makes it an English saddle.  This is all irrelevant unless you want to show, in which case you should check with your instructor and show rules.

What NOT To Buy

Does it look like a normal English saddle that someone stuck pommels on the left hand side of?  Maybe extend the left flap towards the front?  RUN AWAY.  Likely that is exactly what was done.  Many of these do not have the longer "points" on the tree to help stabilize the different weight distribution.  Imagine how hard it is to sit upright at attention in your favorite overstuffed comfy chair.  You're fighting to sit up straight, aren't you?  These sidesaddles make on English trees are exactly the same - sure, you might make it work for a little bit, but you're fighting to sit up straight without slipping to one side or the other. Contstantly.  It's fatiguing, possibly painful, even damaging to you and your horse, and no fun.

You'll see a lot of these saddles, often advertised as "rare," "hard to find," "high quality" and so on.  It looks like an astride saddle - probably a saddleseat one - with an enlarged nearside flap and two pommels screwed in on the left.  Why not buy this?  It's such a good price!  Well....  It is built on an astride tree, which means the very gut of the saddle itself will not support the weight distribution of a rider with both legs on one side.  It cannot help but spin to the left (and contrary to some popular rumors, a properly fit sidesaddle will stay put, not spin about!), because there's nothing to stop it from doing so.  If that isn't enough, the leaping head (the lower, curved one) is too high and too far back for you to grip if you need it.  It's just not near enough to the leg.  Furthermore, the seat narrows in the center, right where the rider's thigh is at its widest. Do you think that is comfortable?  And, generally speaking, the billets are in the wrong position.  The billets you could fix.  Everything else is a structural problem, and it doesn't matter how good the leather or how fine the stitching.  It's like building a luxury car interior on an oxcart platform.