Saddle Deconstruction #1: The Tex-Flex

A little case study

Brittany Wells

Do you know what’s in your saddle?

When we drop hundreds of dollars (or more) on a product, we expect it to be safe and comfortable. After all, a company that makes thousands of saddles has to at least have the basics down pat… right?

The only thing as exciting than bringing home a new horse is bringing home a new saddle. We’ve probably agonized over the vast selection and weighed all the options before making a decision, maybe finally swayed by the features of one over the other. But what really makes a good saddle? Or at the very least, what doesn’t?

These are the two basic principles I follow:

  • The safety of the horse and of the rider is equally important

  • The comfort of the horse and of the rider is equally important

You may be thinking that those are pretty obvious. So what’s that mean out here in the real world?

Those translate into a basic checklist when I assess a saddle:

  1. Is this thing going to stay attached to the horse if things get western? (Is everything securely put together?)

  2. Will it sore the horse? (Will the way it fits the horse make things get western?)

  3. Will it sore the rider? (Will spending time in the saddle hurt as much as getting bucked off?)

I expect a saddle to pass all 3 of those questions to be considered a safe, serviceable piece of equipment. It’s not too much to ask that no one hurts after a ride, is it? Everything besides that is down to preference and intended use.
 
With all that in mind, let’s have a look at a randomly selected manufactured saddle I have on hand and see how it does.
It could use a little oil, but it looks fine otherwise.

The “Tex-Flex”

2003 Tex-Tan/Hereford Brand saddle

$1500 retail; $950 average

Less than 50 hours use; aftermarket stirrup turners installed

The Hereford Brand line of saddles has been around since the 1930s, manufactured by Tex Tan in Yoakum, Texas. It has been regarded as a mark of quality. 

This model is a lightweight trail variation, advertised with:

  •  An “Equi-Tex Flex” tree (a semi-flexible plastic tree) that will allow greater freedom of movement in addition to fitting more horses. To this end it uses 3-way inskirt rigging.

  •  “Air channel” skirts.

  • “Soft” fenders and jockeys.

Spiffy. Let’s take it apart.

With the fender pulled out.

The stirrup “leathers” are in fact nylon webbing. This reduces weight and cost without reducing strength. It is pretty floppy though. The fenders and seat are thin leather backed with a vinyl sheet or similar. The synthetic material won’t form like leather, so they will always be a little stiff.

With the front latigo holder off.

The conchos are bolts that thread into metal fittings. The cutout has a nice chewed-up look– somebody needed a bigger hole punch. Sloppy, but just cosmetic.

Seat pulled back.

The seat is padded with foam pieces. It’s a mess, but despite being unattractive it is functional. Back in the first photo, the lumpiness in the seat is due to stacked pieces of foam.

The detached skirts. Note the nylon reinforcements.

Under the swell (above the rings on the skirts) is the primary attachment point for the in-skirt rigging. Besides the three screws, there is a coated nylon strap running from the rigging to the corner of the cantle. This design is necessary because of the pieced-together construction of the skirts– normally the back end of the skirts could serve as support, but since the top layer is in 3 sewn pieces instead of 1 it must be reinforced. Otherwise the skirt may literally pull apart at the seams.

The off-side rigging area. Note the 3 screws along the swell.

There’s a major issue with the rigging: some of the screws are dangerously close to the edge of the tree.  The total thickness of the bars is only about ¼” already. The plastic is coated with a rubbery tan “skin” that’s nearly 1/16” thick, so they are even closer to the edge than it appears. Since the rigging is vital to keeping the saddle and rider securely on the horse, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. But let’s go on…

A tear in the foam shows its thickness- about 1/4".

Now with the skirts removed, we can take a look at the load bearing area of the tree- the bottom.

Removing the skirts reveals a shocking number of problems.

Under the tree is another major problem: Two rigging screws go clean through the bar! This means the fastened rigging, the rider’s weight, and the horse’s movement will press up to 1/4″ of screw into the horse.  A thick saddle pad will prevent actual contact with the skin, but will still be as comfortable as a shoe with a rock in it. It’s easily felt through the skirt by hand if you know where to look.

The horse side of the tree has an appalling number of protrusions. The concho fittings, a questionable idea to begin with, are not knocked flush. One even hangs off the back of the bar- a pressure point directly under the rider’s weight. There are several staples standing under the tree’s “skin,” and two large screws under the cantle present more potential problems.

The stirrup “leathers” feed through the metal loop attached with webbing to the tree. A pointed cut-out accommodates this ring, creating a potential pressure point. There is no groove for the nylon stirrups loops, forming a high spot. The gullet cover has been left long, and has folded over on one side, forming yet another lump. The same corner on the other side shows a dark rub mark, indicating hard rubbing. Any one of these could cause problems; together it’s a nightmare.

The pressure points on this saddle will quickly lead to a bruised and sour horse.

On a horse, this particular saddle will have pressure points behind the shoulders and in the loin area. Both areas experience a lot of movement– it’s important that a saddle be even and shaped so as not to impede the motion of the horse, or the tree will rub with every single step. The result will be soreness. Some horses become so tender as a result of these kinds of fit issues that they can hardly stand to be touched in the affected area– forget riding.

Recap

The good:

  • Lightweight
  • Low-maintenance synthetic materials
  • Padded seat

The bad:

  • Rigging at high risk of tearing out
  • Multiple pressure points on horse

So. Does it pass the checklist?

1. Is this thing going to stay attached to the horse if things get western? 

Fail. The rigging is ridiculously iffy.

2. Will it sore the horse?

Fail. The only difference between this saddle and a backpack full of rocks is that a person rides on top of it.

3. Will it sore the rider?

Pass. Nothing special, but it works. The stiff fenders may fail it for some.

The Verdict: Fail

Unfortunately, there are a lot of safety and health issues here. With a dismal 1 out of 3 passing rate, I could not call this a usable piece of equipment.

 

Not all factory-made saddles have such serious issues. But it pays to be aware of the things that can go wrong when cost-saving comes before the consumer and their animals. These defects are usually not visible from the outside, and not easily accessible either.

Be sure to get recommendations from knowledgeable sources when looking for a saddle company or saddlemaker so you can buy with confidence. And don’t be afraid to closely inspect saddles you may already have– it’s better to find out there’s something amiss now than after an incident!