Silver Royal Skidmore Reining Saddle Review: Worth Every Dollar?

It came it came it came!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, the saddle that I ordered in early December FINALLY showed up at my house! Not too bad I suppose, that it only took 2 months to get here.

After I published my slam article against State Line Tack, my frustration level had risen to a new level and I emailed them through their website. I got an email from them. And this is what it said:

This is so not true, I never received a call, or a message from them. But, that is a great way to push off a customer, make them think you did outreach them. Kudos to you Stateline Tack.

But although I am still angry with the company, I can’t be angry with the saddle, because it is way more than I thought it would be.

Searching for the Best Western Saddle for You Needs

Like I said in a previous post, I had saved up to buy a new saddle. I wanted to have something to use on trail rides that made me feel secure in the saddle. And for me, I felt a western saddle was the way to go. But in the past, I have bought western saddles that I never felt allowed me to still feel a connection with my horse.

That led me to searching for a close contact type of western saddle. And from the research I had been doing, it looked like a reining saddle might be the way to go. So I gathered up my pros of what I wanted my saddle to have and why I was led toward a reining saddle:

• Built for Control: These saddles are all about giving you precise control during those fancy reining maneuvers. Think spins, sliding stops, and those cool rollbacks!
• Low Pommel and Cantle: This design lets you move freely in the saddle without getting in your way. It’s like having an open dance floor for you and your horse!
• Close Contact: Reining saddles keep you snug against your horse, so you can feel every twitch and movement. It’s like you’re becoming one with your equine partner!
• Comfortable Seat: Because who wants a sore behind after a day of riding?

And this was the saddle I felt was a good match for the specific things I was looking for.

When the saddle FINALLY came , I was a little overwhelmed with the size of it. I have been riding in an English saddle for so long, seeing the size and feeling the weight of the saddle made me wonder if I had made the right decision. The color was also a little bit different than it was in the online photos. But that is not really that big of a deal.

No, more importantly, I needed to try it out to see if this was the right choice. And although the saddle is larger than what I’m used to, it is definitely a great saddle.

Tacking Up for the First Time

My horse Jesse used to be a dude ranch horse. This means he has always been ridden in a western saddle, until he came to live with me. So when I put the saddle on him, I think he breathed a sigh of relief. He was like….Finally, you are putting the right saddle on my back!

I didn’t have the correct sized saddle pad for this saddle in this photo as you can see. I guess I was planning on getting a saddle that was smaller. But for my ‘test ride’ I decided this pad would be ok. But you can see how the saddle is pushing out past the pad in the photo? I was a little worried about that. So our first ride wasn’t very long.

You will notice in some photos though, the larger saddle pad. I bought the correct size for the saddle, and my horse

I bought a western cinch similar to one my friend Vickie has for her horses. And thankfully, that fit the saddle as well as Jesse.

I wasn’t sure if I would like the stirrups. They seemed rather large, and I wasn’t sure they would work for me. But they did, and they were perfect!

Trying Out a New Saddle

Since I haven’t ridden Jesse in a few months, I thought it would be best to stay in the confines of my arena, along with the head supervisor, Al-Capony.

Silver Royal Skidmore Reining Saddle

One thing I always do before getting in the saddle is, I walk my horse around the arena. Sure, I could lunge them first. But I prefer to walk with them to see what frame of mind they are in BEFORE I climb into the saddle.

Jesse is, for the most part always steady Eddy.

And he really seemed relaxed and quiet – even though he has basically had the entire winter off from work. So after a lap in both directions from the ground, I took him over to the mounting block. He was very good about standing still here too. I also got a new bit from Schneider’s. It’s a jointed port roller mouth curb bit. And just like the saddle, Jesse was really relaxed with this bit. I’m guessing this is similar to what they used for him at the ranch? Who knows. But this bit seemed to agree with him.

Sorry, I got off track. Back to the saddle!

For the first ride my stirrups were too long, so I had to dismount and shorten them 2 notches. But apparently western saddle have changed since the last time I rode in one.

They are a lot easier – or at least this one is, for changing the length of the stirrup. And the leather on this saddle already feels broken in. Not like the super stiff saddles I have bought in the past. So I was able to easily, and quickly, shorten the stirrups to as length that felt good.

Silver Royal Skidmore Reining Saddle

And when I was back in the saddle, I noticed a huge difference in this western saddle, I felt balanced. I think you can see in the photo, it is cutout under where the fender lays, giving a more close contact feel. Western reining saddles, or the reiner horse saddle, are designed for competitive reining events, or so says the definition. Reining saddles have forward-hung stirrups, a low horn, low cantle, and they usually sit low on the horse’s back. I think this is what drew me to this particular saddle.

I think you can see it in this phot, how low the seat is. And I for one love that! Even though Jesse is shaggy in this phot, I think you can tell he is relaxed. In fact, during our first ride he was VERY relaxed! His head was low, he was really stretching out when he moved, and he just seemed happy.

He wasn’t tense, and this is probably because I wasn’t tense. I felt so relaxed in my legs, as well as my seat. So not only is this saddle good for me, but it seems to fit my horse perfectly as well. I have never truly known what it meant when a saddle description said ‘semi-quarter horse bars” vs. ” full quarter horse bars. But through researching, I found that A “full quarter horse” gullet size typically refers to a saddle tree with a gullet width of 7 inches, and it has something to do with the angle of the bars? Or something like that. But whatever all of that is, this saddle fits Jesse perfectly, and it has a 7″ gullet, or also referred to as ‘full’ quarter horse bars.

Silver Royal Skidmore Reining Saddle Review

With the exception of how long I had to wait to get this saddle, I am very happy that I bought it. The leather is fantastic, it fits my horse well, and it fits me too. I did get the 16″ seat, which seems to fit my rear end, and legs well. It seems like it is very well constructed and I think it will last me a very long time.

And even though I didn’t like the stirrups at first, I really do like them now. They may look huge in comparison to my English stirrups, but they are the perfect size.

The saddle is definitely heavier than my English saddles. It weighs in at 30 lbs. So having the appropriate saddle pad was imperative.

I like the 5 Star pads. So I bought the appropriate sized one for my saddle. This is the 32×32 7/8″ thickness 5 Star Saddle Pad and I love it. I think Jesse is happy with it too. It’s 100% wool , offers protection, a perfect fit, and it’s durable. It isn’t cheap, but the quality is definitely worth it.

I was a little worried it would weigh to much for my homemade saddle rack, but it seems to be holding up. I think I am going make a different type of saddle rack though, because I want to support the saddle properly when I keep it in my tack room.

But I think my favorite thing about this saddle is how it makes me want to go out and ride! To be able to have all of my equipment work well for myself and my horse makes riding fun, and not a chore. I LOVE riding! And with this saddle, I know I will be doing a lot more riding!

Silver Royal Skidmore Reining Saddle

It is hard to describe – from the first time I sat in it, and walked, trotted, and cantered (loped) around the arena, I had no concerns of my balance. I wasn’t gripping with my legs, or stiff in my upper body. Everything just seemed to fall into place and made sense. I don’t know how else to say it. And it is truly a wonderful feeling to feel like I can do anything, or go anywhere with my horse now. And I think this saddle played a big part of that!

Where To Find the Skidmore Reining Saddle

I would NOT recommend buying this from Stateline Tack. For obvious reasons. But I did find it on Amazon. And at the time of writing this (March 22, 2025) It says I can have this shipped to me and I will have it no later than April 1st. So about 10 days. That isn’t too bad.

I have also been building up my Western riding gear at Riding Warehouse and Schneider’s. It is surprising at how quickly both of these retailer’s ship out my orders. I have recently bought a breast collar, another bridle including split reins, and a few other things I want to try out before I share them with you.

So I think for now, I am going to go out and ride my horse for a bit with my new saddle, and I will be back real soon with more new things for you to try! I mean, spring is here, and summer will be here before we know it. So it is definitely time to get back in the saddle. Wouldn’t you agree?

Happy Riding!