When we shop for a saddle we're aware that the saddle should fit the horse. We carefully select one that won't rub and allows the horse freedom of movement. We pick the tree and padding to ensure the horse is comfortable under the weight of the saddle and rider. This is particularly important with a western saddle, which can weigh up to 40 pounds. The right size and shape tree can evenly distribute the weight of a big western saddle, plus a rider, and help prevent painful pinching and rubbing.
But what about the comfort of the rider?
A saddle needs to fit the rider as well as the horse. Saddles aren't like lounge chairs-as in, one size fits all. They're more like a pair of shoes: If you want to be comfortable in them all day, they have to fit you right.
Suitability
You need to get the style of saddle best suited to what the rider intends to do on horseback. A roping saddle has a low cantle so the rider can swing a leg over it and get on or off the horse swiftly and smoothly. A barrel racing saddle, on the other hand, has a high cantle to keep the rider from being launched off the back when the horse explodes in a burst of speed coming off a barrel.
The fork, horn, cantle, cinch and stirrups are positioned so they'll help the rider get the job done in whatever event he or she participates in. But just because a saddle is labeled as "barrel racing," "cutting" or "roping" doesn't mean it can't be used for trail or pleasure riding. And plenty of generic "pleasure riding" saddles out there will do, too, but knowing the characteristics of some of the better quality working western saddles, and what those features do to help the rider, can help you decide what might work best and be most comfortable for you.
As with any saddle, the size of the seat in inches is important. But with a western saddle, other things can be just as important. Other than the seat being so small it's too tight or so big you're swimming in it, the size and shape of the fork, the raised front that supports the horn, and the height of the cantle can be just as important. In inches, a western saddle's seat is measured from the base of the horn straight back to the top of the cantle on the inside. While a 15-inch seat in a roping saddle, which has a lower cantle, might feel comfortable to you, the same size seat in a barrel racing saddle, which has a high cantle that often wraps around a little more on the sides, might feel too confining.
