page_title: Western saddle
section_title: Trees
hierarchical_section_title: Western saddle / Trees
caption_attribution_description: English: A classic working "Wade" saddle made by Three Forks Saddlery. 15 inch ladies' tree. Image taken with staff permission at Three Forks Saddlery, Three Forks, MT
context_page_description: Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches. This saddle was designed to provide security and comfort to the rider when spending long hours on a horse, traveling over rugged terrain.
  The design of the Western saddle derives from the saddles of the Mexican vaqueros—the early horse trainers and cattle handlers of Mexico and the American Southwest. It was developed for the purpose of working cattle across vast areas, and came from a combination of the saddles used in the two main styles of horseback riding then practiced in Spain—la jineta, the Moorish style which allowed great freedom of movement to the horse; and la estradiota, later la brida, the jousting style, which provided great security to the rider and strong control of the horse. A very functional item was also added: the saddle "horn". This style of saddle allowed vaqueros to control cattle by use of a rope around the neck of the animal, tied or dallied around the horn.
context_section_description: There are several different sizes of trees commonly found in saddles. Trees differ in the width of gullet and bars of the saddle, pitch of the bars (steep to flat, usually between an angle of 86 to 94 degrees with 90 being common), and length of the bars. The tree also influences the shape of the pommel and cantle on the seat on the saddle, though the seat can be altered to fit a rider by adding padding and other materials to a far greater degree than the fit of the saddle tree's bars on a horse.  A wider gullet sits lower on the horse, while a narrow gullet sits higher and is designed to fit horses with higher withers.  The bars form the primary loading surface of the saddle as it site on the horse's back.  A horse with a flat back and widely sprung ribs will require bars with a flatter pitch than a saddle made for a narrow horse, where a steeper pitch to the bars will keep the saddle placed properly.  Most saddles are made with pre-manufactured trees which come in a limited range of sizes.  Custom-made saddles may be able to have further alterations made to a standard tree.
  Regular - If a manufacturer has a 'regular' barred saddle it usually falls between 5¾" and 6". Often 90 degrees
  Semi Quarter Horse - This type usually has a gullet width of about 6½ inches and steeper bars than most other trees.  It is the narrowest common tree and, despite its name,  fits many breeds of horse. Often 90 degrees
  Quarter Horse /Full Quarter Horse - Terminology varies with manufacturer, but overall design is intended to fit stock horse breeds such as the American Quarter Horse.  This type usually has a gullet width of about 6¾ inches, but may be up to 7 inches. It usually has a flatter pitch than the Semi-Quarter horse tree. Different makers tend to give different gullet dimensions in Quarter Horse and Full Quarter Horse trees. Usually between 90 and 94 degrees
  Arabian -  Depending on manufacturer, has a 6½" - 6¾" width gullet but a very flat pitch to the tree.  Usually has shorter bars than Full- and Semi- Quarter horse trees. Intended to fit smaller horses with short but wide backs, such as the stock horse-type Arabian and Morgan.
  Haflinger (7½" gullet) are very wide, designed for semi-draft breeds such as the Haflinger horse, which are short-backed, heavy, low-withered horses. Often have a flat pitch (usually greater than 94 degrees) and very little rock.
  Draft - (8" gullet), are designed for riding Draft horses. Usually greater than 94 degrees
  Pony - narrow gullet, flat pitch to the bars, very short tree, designed for children and smaller ponies such as the Shetland and Welsh pony.
caption: A classic "Wade" saddle, a tree style designed for working ranch horses
exif: {"Image Make": "OLYMPUS CORPORATION", "Image Model": "C765UZ", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.6.9", "Image DateTime": "2011:07:10 20:31:16", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.5.8", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "254", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "614", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7569", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/30", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Creative", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "64", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2011:07:09 13:11:31", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2011:07:09 13:11:31", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, auto mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "63/10", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB"}