Is this saddle to heavy?

Question

I am going to be trainingto barrel race and I want to get this saddle but I am not sure if it would be to heavy and slow my horse down. It says that it weighs 33 pounds. What do you think?

http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=SLT700173%2015

Answer 1

yes and no- it  depends on the size of the horse and the riders weight.

But you will not want a trail saddle for barrel racing. it wont sit you correctly. Its almost like using a dressage saddle for jumping or vice versa, it can be done, but its going to make it harder.

http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy00.as...

^^ you  want something more like that

Answer 2

It depends how heavy you are, I think. If you weigh quite a bit then it will definitely not help to have 33 pounds of saddle on him, but if you don't weigh much it'll probably be fine. I would probably look for something lighter, but that's just me and I hate lugging heavy western saddles around, getting it on my horse, etc. so I like lighter saddles for that, but I know you can't do everything in a light saddle.  Good luck! :)

Answer 3

You didn't say how big your horse is or your size which would be factors.  However, in general, yes, I think it is too heavy.  Keep looking.

Answer 4

What you're looking at is a trail saddle, NOT a barrel saddle.  IF you're serious about barrel racing, then I'd rethink this and look for a barrel saddle (Martha Josey, etc).  If you're just going to be doing barrels at play days etc, then what the heck, that saddle will work fine for you.

Answer 5

I barrel race as well. I have a 15" Tex Tan Barrel Saddle with pink ostrich skin and scalloped edges. They are on the heavy side but I work my young horses in it and my 4 y/o runs well with it.

Ideally, Trail saddles are not the best for a barrel horse. Some of them are heavy like this one, and sometimes they constrict over the shoulder and make it hard to move their front end. Circle Y has great barrel saddles as well as Billy Cook and Tex Tan.

Good Luck :)

Answer 6

At that price get a barrel racing saddle.  Here are a few.

http://www.horse.com/Western-Tack/Wester...

http://www.horse.com/Western-Tack/Wester...

http://www.horse.com/Western-Tack/Wester...

Answer 7

If  I was looking to buy, I would find one that weights less. Barrel racing is all about time. Lighter the better!  It can  increase you time with less weight.

Answer 8

it will make it harder to barrel race in... alot of time barrel racers get synthetic saddles because they are so light but i found a leather one that is 18 pounds.. i think it weighs less than my english saddle! lol... but i would defineatly find something lighter..

Answer 9

horses are very powerful animals but i barrel race and my saddle weighs about 28-30 pounds and i want something lighter.

20 - 25 is wat im looking for and i think it is best for the horse to go with a lighter saddle that fits comfortably.

this are the two im looking at both are light weight but the firstone is nicer looking to me.

http://www.smithbrothers.com/product.asp...

http://www.barrelracers.com/mm5/merchant...

there are many different styles, color, shapes, and comfortable ones for horse and rider.

i think that saddle is a bit heavy for barrel racing, try looking for something under 29 pounds.

Answer 10

My instructor told me that a saddle that weighs more than 25 lbs for an average-sized horse during a barrel run is probably going to slow them down slightly.  I traded my 40 lbs saddle for one that was about 22 lbs and the instructor noticed a 2.5 second decrease in our time within the first couple of weeks.  I'm hoping that over the next few weeks we can cut down our time even more.  

Of course, I'm not 'petite' (5'10...170 lbs).  So, the size of the rider will affect the horses speed more than anything.

Answer 11

I don't think 33 pounds is that heavy for a barrel racing saddle. I ride barrels with a HUGE solid-leather roping saddle that has to weigh at least 45-50 pounds, and I've had 20 second runs. It all depends on what times you want; lighter saddles aren't so hard for the horse to carry along with your weight, and so they'll go faster. But 33 isn't all that heavy for a saddle. Also, if you want lightweight, try a synthetic saddle instead of a leather one. They generally weigh a lot less than classic leather saddles.

Answer 12

I barrels race on my AQHA in a 50lbs rope saddle, and I get in the 18's. My horse is 16hh and gets ridden on my rance 7 days a week. he does fine with a big saddle and i weight 100lbs and am 5"5. I see no need to buy an extra light saddle if your hrose can handle it.

Answer 13

Yup, I agree- the lighter, the better, and that saddle is for trail-riding. I think you should look at the suggestions for barrel racing saddles. Good Luck :)