These photos and commentary were originally posted on Facebook in 2021. They have been shared here as written then.
For reference, my saddle is a Collegiate 17 ½ inch seat, extra wide tree. It's a bit older, as it has no knee rolls, but it's a very functional little hunter saddle that was likely used on the AQHA circuit
“LOOK at how narrow that twist is! It's only about an inch wide. And look at how gradually it sweeps into the widest point of the seat, which is actually pretty far back.”
“The gullet is very wide at the pommel and fairly deep but gets progressively narrower towards the cantle. I can fit four fingers between the panels under the pommel, but only two at the cantle!”
“The panels are actually quite wide, too; lots of squishy padding there to protect the back. I wish I could find the right angle to show you exactly how not horizontal they are at the front vs how flat they lay at the back.”
“I took a panel off of one of my junk saddles and just look at it! These are so much thinner and wider than most people think. I'm really enjoying deconstruction - I'll be able to keep pieces of this saddle for reference instead of the whole thing.”