Seriously?!?

[svvdressage]

I need to vent and I hope you all will let me. I am really starting to hate this time of year, something has gone terribly terribly wrong every year. It started 2 years ago my my heart horse died. Every owners worse nightmare. Wonderful ride at a clinic the day before, colicy the next morning, had the vet out to treat, ddnt get any better so took him in. He went down in the trailer and they had to drag him out with a bobcat. They never even had a chance to examine him before he quite breathing 2x and I told them to just make it stop. Same time of year last year....had my broodmare at the clinic to foal...had a LOVELY black KWPN filly with 4 sox and a huge blaze...next morning I got a call that the mare had crushed to foal overnight.2 days later I went to bring her home and woke up with a 103 fever, took some meds just so I could get it done and had a minor issue happen while driving and ended up with my trailer in the ditch, on it's side with my mare in it. I felt so guilty, she had been thru so much the previous days. She was fine but the trailer was totaled. I did not have insurance on the trailer, I was always told that if you have full coverage on the truck, it extends to the trailers....so not the case. Breeding isn't for me so I found my mare a excellent home, but I miss her every day. And finally this year. I have been really struggling to get a saddle to fit. Found an amazing deal on one...so amazing that I thought it was a scam until I realized it was a friend selling it. Purchased the saddle and it was making myself and my mare sore. I had it looked at and guess what. It has a broke tree. GREAT. What a wonderful friend. The 2 years previous have completely depleted my horse fund with a new riding horse and a new (to me) trailer. I have no idea what to do now. I guess I will be riding bare back..my mare has huge withers so I'm not sure how that's going to work These things seem to happen every year at the same time. I'm not sure what I did to deserve such bad karma, but at least I have vented and feel a little better....maybe.

On a side note if anyone has a CHEAP older saddle that will fit a mare with a flat back and huge withers, let me know!

[Flight]

What a run of crappy luck Sorry to hear that those awful things have happened, and now the saddle feels like it will finish you off.

Hopefully your friend didn't realise it had a broken tree?

I had a bit of a spaz last year, a saddle fitter told me to get a certain saddle for my horse. I couldn't find it second hand, so blew my savings on a new one. She came out and in about 10sec said "no sorry, it will never fit". So, now I still have a new saddle and had NO money for anything else at all. It seriously made me think about quitting horses, just all the $$ that I've spent.
If I lived near you, I'd let you try it on and borrow it
Hope you find a great saddle and feel better too.

[Moutaineer]

I guess there's no chance of getting it re-treed? A lot of the nicer saddles like Customs and Trilogies will allow you to do that for a reasonable sum of money (I know the Trilogy is about $1K.)

It might be worth contacting the manufacturer before you bin it.

[WheresMyWhite]

Sorry for all your problems.

As a side note, for vehicles there is a difference between liability insurance and comprehensive (which would cover damage, theft, etc). Liability on the tow vehicle would usually extend to the trailer but comprehensive would usually not be the case.

[TeresaA]

I am so sorry about the run of luck that you have had. Sometimes life just sucks! I wish I could help with the saddle but I don't have an extra one.

So no real help, just wanting to extend a virtual hug.

[boots-aregard]

Sounds like you should save your pennies and next May, just hunker down with boxes of Cheerios and the TV and wait it out. I'm sorry about the string of bad luck.

[WheresMyWhite]

Cheerios??

I'm thinking boxed wine or margaritas and good chips and dip or nachos

[khall]

Wow svv, so sorry about the string of bad luck! Old Kieffer, or any of the cut back saddles might work. I had a Frank Baines and a Kieffer (loved FB, hated Kieffer) for my high withers flat backed horses. Breeding is not for the faint of heart for sure. I have had quite a few over the years, some with minor issues, one foal with major 2 week treatment kind of issues. I love it, but probably won't do it again. Last foal is now 2 and if my DH had not been here not sure if she would have made it alive into this world. She was a tight fit coming out, rough foaling for all of us.

I agree with Wheres! Wine and a good desert (cheesecake comes to mind) for next May!!

[viscountessleftfield]

Sorry for all your problems.

As a side note, for vehicles there is a difference between liability insurance and comprehensive (which would cover damage, theft, etc). Liability on the tow vehicle would usually extend to the trailer but comprehensive would usually not be the case.

Not always. Depends on commercial vs personal policy and the state you're in.

[kande50]

Sorry for all your problems.

As a side note, for vehicles there is a difference between liability insurance and comprehensive (which would cover damage, theft, etc). Liability on the tow vehicle would usually extend to the trailer but comprehensive would usually not be the case.

That was my understanding too, and considering how infrequently we used the trailer I was never willing to pay what my insurance company wanted for collision/comprehensive on it. I was also never entirely clear on whether the trailer was still covered by the tow vehicle's liability if it came loose and damaged someone's property?

[WheresMyWhite]

Sorry for all your problems.

As a side note, for vehicles there is a difference between liability insurance and comprehensive (which would cover damage, theft, etc). Liability on the tow vehicle would usually extend to the trailer but comprehensive would usually not be the case.

Not always. Depends on commercial vs personal policy and the state you're in.

I did say "usually"

[viscountessleftfield]

Sorry for all your problems.

As a side note, for vehicles there is a difference between liability insurance and comprehensive (which would cover damage, theft, etc). Liability on the tow vehicle would usually extend to the trailer but comprehensive would usually not be the case.

Not always. Depends on commercial vs personal policy and the state you're in.

I did say "usually"

I wouldn't even go so far as to say usually. If a truck is large enough to safely pull a horse trailer, it probably has weighted/commercial tags and is probably not on a personal policy. In the commercial world liability never follows the truck, but the trailer must be scheduled.

So, ehhh.... Talk to your individual agent, get it in writing, and hold on to it just in case!

[redsoxluvr]

Trees can be replaced, so don't write the saddle off yet. If it is a model/style that fits your horse, it may be worth your while
to have it fixed.

If it makes you feel better, I paid big money for a custom saddle. Within 12 months the tree had broken. It was fine one day, then the next
my back started hurting and it developed a pronounced squeak. I know the warning signs, so I had it checked out and yep, broken rivet.

I know that cracked head plates and broken rivets all fall under the category of "broken tree" but are all readily resolvable for less than the cost of a new one. If the saddle is a good quality one and the tree isn't fixable it can still be replaced.

If you think you'd like to see if it is fixable PM me and I can send you some names of people to talk to. Hope this helps.

[Ryeissa]

I Pmd you thought FB, I'm selling a saddle

[WheresMyWhite]

I wouldn't even go so far as to say usually. If a truck is large enough to safely pull a horse trailer, it probably has weighted/commercial tags and is probably not on a personal policy. In the commercial world liability never follows the truck, but the trailer must be scheduled

Guess you'd have to qualify the size of the horse trailer as many of us have a 2-3 horse trailers and use vehicles without commercial tags. I pulled my 2 horse stock trailer (and before that a 2 horse Hart slant) with an F250 that did not have commercial tags.

[Tuddy]

I am sorry to hear about your luck!

If you are on the hunt for a more economic saddle, I am currently using a Collegiate Convertible with the adjustable gullets. It fit my big black Canadian when I used the extra wide bar.

You can usually find one of them used on an online classifieds site (Craigslist/Kijiji).

I love mine as I need the versatility to move the gullets around for each of my three Canadians.

Good Luck and I hope things start looking up for you!

[PrairieSky]

Could you use a 16 1/2 medium wide passier? I think it's an old PSL -- 29.5 wide. It's brown and old and very reasonable ... and quite flat.