I doubted shopping for tack online….

I remember shopping for a dressage saddle at Miller’s Tack Store in Redwood, WA when I was growing up in the Seattle area. It was such a fun experience to shop for dressage saddles, and that unforgettable new leather smell that hits you when you walk in the door made you realize you were in an amazing place I was ready to find everything I needed to look like the perfect hunter/jumper rider, and the tack to make you a better rider. Since then, tack shops have been harder to find, that offer the experience shopping for new english tack that will be perfect for me and my horses. I have found some amazing ones, like Greenway Saddlery in Phoenix, Mary’s Tack and Feed in San Diego and El Toro in Orange County, but usually now I just pick up what I need at the local horse show. When I needed a new horse riding saddle, I decided that I had to focus my research online because there just wasn’t enough tack stores in my Bay Area location to really shop. I was looking for an Ashland jumping saddle, preferably new that would be a good-value, lower investment saddle. I had seen one at a show and liked the quality and stitching of the leather. I desperately needed to retire my outdated, tired and worn out Crosby that had taken me to the schooling shows, but it was just done. So I had a list of brands, a price range and a fairly standard horse to fit, and decided to start shopping for riding saddles online. I am not an eBay person. I just felt like going from shopping in a store, sitting in a riding saddle in the store first and taking it home to try on the horse was miles away from buying from some unknown person on eBay where the saddle delivery and ability to return the saddle might (unlikely, I know!) but just might not work out. So online shopping with a a webstore that met my criteria seemed the best way.

Although it was outside my comfort zone, I tried shopping online for an english saddle. I was interested in a close contact saddle, the Ashland saddle. I found that the descriptions answered my questions about the style and how the saddle was best used. For instance I found that the Ashland Saddle (original) has as it’s standard tree a slightly wider gullet with a deeper cut-back head, which would fit my horse and allow for the sheepskin half pad I like to use. Also, the colors showed well on my monitor and I could make a definite choice of the texture and color I wanted. I could also clearly see that the stitching was very precise and it had some nice detailing. These were professional photos with some zoom capability. I decided I would try the Demo program and test out the saddle. I am thrilled to say it has been a smart purchase. I love the saddle, its high quality bridle leather, the stitching detail is great and the seat is plush. It’s a great value, I stayed within my budget but I feel like I can show at schooling shows with an added sense of pride that my tack looks good. Its a lesser-know brand in the US, although popular in England, and I get a lot of comments about its great style and questions about how to get one. TO BE CONTINUED….

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-Cara