****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
At this price point, one would expect only a vaguely saddle-shaped object. So I was pleased to find the Acerugs 18" endurance saddle (Western with lanyard rings instead of silver decorations) to be a solid addition to our tack room. I have an in-depth review up on the MILLWATER PUBLISHING Blog and FB.Notes for riders: The seat measured as advertised. But the ramp effect of the padding from mid-seat up to the top of the cantle makes the saddle feel a little smaller. If in doubt, order a size bigger. The seat is comfortable, and the pommel swells are intermediate, akin to a ranch or cutting saddle. We've tested on 15-1hh, 1200# and 16-2hh, 1450# horses. The FQHB tree fit both reasonably well once we figured-out that the saddle needs to be placed 2-3" farther rearward than our other saddles to fit into the 'pocket' of the horses' backs. It wobbled and slipped until it wound up there, after which it stayed-put nicely. The included breast collar adjusted sufficiently for both animals. The included pad is a bit slick and cushy. You might want to break it in separately from the new saddle which has a cushy 'sheepskin' of its own to flatten-down. (Assuming you have another saddle and pad to swap with.) Other reviews complain of a pony bridle. The one we received appears to be typical QH size. We haven't used it yet, but the 7' nylon split reins have proven quite serviceable. The stirrups are a nice design, and typical size for adult western saddles. There was a bit of a problem due to their extreme light weight making it hard to foot them without 'bouncing' away. Of course, we had to order replacements for me anyway. (It would be nice if saddle makers scaled-up stirrups for the larger-size saddles, but most do not.) The nylon 'leathers' seem to be taking to broomstick training, which most new saddles require.Wont let me add the pictures i took to show the faults**Im only going to give this three stars, not because its not worth the price, but because it is, in general, not the best saddle.The list of good things - very light weight, pretty, and it came with a whole tack set minus cinches.The bad- the saddle is super uncomfortable, I ride in a 14 1/2 so i got a 15 and its a snug fit, when you cinch ir up the back of the saddle seat goes up and i could put my whole arm under it, its stiff so if you were to put a back girth on there it would be snug on their belly, the straps for a back girth were sooo long with only a few holes at the bottom, the breast collar has a very very long piece that goes down the middle of the chest to clip to your cinch so i had to twist it around into a knot sorta to tighten it up, the straps for the saddle are all very thin and flimsy as well as the silver pieces, the silver piece by the ring your cinch straps attached to is totally in the way when you go to cinch up your saddle, and the saddle pad is an awful fit and is NOT a good pad for summer/spring because its material, had my horse a perfect solid sweaty saddle pad square even though all I did was put the saddle on her and walk in one circle about 6 ft wide...So all in all, you get what you pay for but its not a totally horrible saddle just not ideal for a whole lot. My toddlers can ride in it and it will be perfect for getting colts started as well as for getting my horse back into riding at first. Anyone whos been in the equine industry should know what youll get when you pay 200 bucks for a tack set so this review is really just for people new to horses or that have never bought a saddle before lolLight weight very nice looking great valueI have a Belgian draft horse this fits him perfectly it’s lightweight and super comfortableGet a little more than your money worth, very light, it looks good, low maintenance, very practical, close contact for a western saddle. 100% pleasedNice Saddle for the price.Good saddle for the comfort and it's very light. However I bought it about 4 months ago and it's already falling apart and loosing screws. Nothing I can't fix, just annoying that it's happening already. This is used quite a bit as it's used in lessons so that might have a lot to do with itI like this saddle and I use it just fine. However, I would NOT use this as an everyday saddle to ride long hours in. It simply will not hold up to abuse. It's an excellent first saddle, or a saddle that you do weekend pleasure riding in. It would be PERFECT to expose new or young horses to because it's lightweight and it's well, cheap. I wouldn't cry if a fresh horse ruined this saddle like I would if it was a brand new $5000 saddle. This is exactly what I need for my own use. I will be getting another one for my husband's horse. I don't expect miracles from this saddle, and nobody really should. But if your kid is just getting into horses, and you don't want to drain your bank getting an exclusive (but worth it) piece or tack, you really can't beat the price for this. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL though. I have the purple. It's not like the purple in the photos. The color is more of a true, standard purple and will fit with most purple tack, even lavenders/lilacs. I recommend buying your own saddle pad, there is a reason why the one included came free of charge. The latigo straps are much much too long with way too few holes. You will have to make new ones. Our mare is wide and we still had to punch new holes in it. I do LOVE the saddle, I'm just not in love with the quality, but for the price, well... Okay, I'll bite.
