You'd be surprised..

at what some neatsfoot oil, leather conditioner, and elbow grease can do ;P

Here was my saddle when I first got it:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...e/11408032.jpg

And here it is today, after many oilings and cleanings:
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...e/90608002.jpg

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t...e/90608001.jpg

They don't even look the same, lol. It's so much darker now, from all the oil I put into it. You can barely see the marks from where the leathers rubbed it.


And to anyone who might know...how much would you say I could sell it for? It's a 16.5" Collegiate Close Contact. Getting money out of it isn't my top priority, since I got it for $50, but when I sell it (probably this winter), I don't want to over or underprice it. Thanks!

Beautiful saddle! Good work!
I have no earthly idea what saddles go for these days. I'd do a search on Ebay and see what the average is.

Claudia

Exactly - search eBay's completed listings - that should give you a good idea! Nice job, by the way!

I bought my Collegiate close contact for $300. It was practically new. I think you can get $200 easily if it's in good condition. I bought mine off of tacktrader.com

I looked on ebay and for saddles that looked about the same (no knee rolls, 16.5") there were listings from $99 to $350, with some of them new and some old, some coming with large packages and such.

$200? :eek: that's more then I ever thought I'd get for it! I was thinking I'd get maybe $70, lol. Well that bumps my budget for a future saddle way up!

Thanks :)

Put up ads on several tack websites, and a flier with a picture in your local tack store and barn. I also sold back my old piece of crap saddle for $100 on ebay. Fortunately, if you take good care of them, saddles really don't depreciate.

I'm not really getting serious about selling it until this winter, when I'll be off riding anyways. I'm just trying to figure out what my budget will be when I do get a new one. If I get, say $200 (more then I think I'll get but i can dream big, right?) for the saddle, I have about $40 worth of extra horse stuff lying around. Plus birthday money, probably $75-ish, and the $6 I currently have, plus Christmas money if I wait that long...I'll have around $326 to spend hahaha. More if i wait till after Christmas

yeah, I'm quite happy about that. unfortunately, the plain flap/pencil roll style isn't really popular right now, which makes it a little harder to sell. My next saddle actually has to have knee rolls, I miss riding without them. Haha my 4 requirements are: 17", knee rolls, leather, cheap. XD

Yeah, I hate knee rolls. I think they cause you to rely on them instead of developing independent leg. My requirements for the saddle I bought were no knee rolls, 17", and quality that would last. I actually have never ridden in my saddle. I bought it I think almost three years ago when I thought I'd be switching back to a barn where I could shareboard and use my own saddle but I realized that the trainer I had then was really great and the trainers at the barn I was planning on going to were really not that great and not that nice. So, my saddle has been sitting on a hand made saddle rack in the corner of my room ever since, because I like it so much and I figured I'll probably need it some day. I thought I got a good deal for it, since it retails for over $600.

I like them, haha. I don't know why, but they make my knee feel nice :) idk. I used to ride in the barn saddles where only half had knee rolls, but after riding in my pencil roll-saddle for almost a year (WOW!), I really miss them. Not so much for support, but I just liked having them hahaha. Not so much the enormous ones on the M. Toulouse jumping saddles (I was looking at one in my tack shop - MAN those knee rolls are big!) I do love this saddle, though. If it wasn't a half size to small (which I could probably fit into for a while but i don't like being squished) I definitely wouldn't be selling it.

You can't ride in your own saddle at your barn? hmm...

haha mine sits in a handmade saddle rack too!. there are empty racks at the barn but my trainer hasn't said anything to me about one..maybe it's like the christmas party...only leasers/boarders get one.

At the first barn I look lessons from with my trainer, the horse's owner had a saddle specially fit for each of her horses in the lesson program. At the place my trainer moved to (I moved with her) the grooms saddled the lesson horses before you got there, and when I rode my trainer's horse I used her own saddle that was fitted to her horse Calvin.

that's interesting! Our barn just has a load of medium/wide tree saddles and if the horse is too narrow you pad them up for the lesson haha. Or if you're like me, you bring your own saddle (jess inspected it before i could ride in it though)

I wasn't going to sell my saddle till the winter..but hey it was pretty cold today! really though, i found what looks to be a good deal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NICE-Close-Conta...QQcmdZViewItem

do you think it's worth $199? They say the tree is sound, and it looks like it's in good condition. the only thing i see is that the panels look slightly funky.

If i sell my saddle (assuming this time i get 150) then add in birthday money, i should be able to pay my mom back in no time.

It's cracked, so I don't know how great condition it's in. I think I'd wait a little bit.

some people i've asekd say the seat would need to be replaced eventually, and i don't know how much that costs. that makes me sad :( I haven't found anything that matches my requirements (leather, 17", knee rolls) for under like $500.

Just keep looking around. That's how I found mine.

ugh. I found yet another one I like (why do I keep looking on ebay? haha)

http://cgi.ebay.com/17-Beval-The-Nat...QQcmdZViewItem

but I doubt my mom wants to spend $300, even if i tell her I'm going to pay her back (which i would..)

I always check this site so that I know what I'm getting as far as brands.
http://horsetackreview.com/

I'd make sure you know what you're getting when you buy online. Also, websites with classifieds may work better than ebay because often times the auction format will make you spend more than you originally wanted, buy on a whim before the auction ends, and hit you with shipping charges higher than you expected.