Abetta Cordura
Showman Saddle and All-Around Saddle
Trail Saddles
Manufacturer: Abetta Cordura
Model: Showman Saddle and All-Around Saddle
Category: Trail Saddles
Purchase: I bought my 15" Abetta All-Around saddle about a month after purchasing my first horse at the age of thirteen. I bought it from my local Rural King supply store for $250 because I fell in love with the look of it and I needed a cheap, durable saddle (plus it said it had a "one-size-fits-all tree"). After three years, I bought another horse, so I bought a 16" Abetta Showman saddle from the same place for $320. This saddle came with a silver conchoed bridle, a silver conchoed breast collar, a cinch, and a saddle cover (and the same tree as the one before)
Likes: I have owned my All-Around for seven years and use it constantly for trail riding. I always let my friends ride in this saddle, while I ride in my Showman because if they tear up a saddle, I'd like it to be my cheaper one. I like the bigger seat on the Showman for slow trail rides, and I prefer the smaller seat on the All-Around for faster trail rides. I have owned my Showman for four years and use it for trail riding and fun shows. I have a 14.2 hh Appaloosa who is 21 years old, and I wouldn't dream of putting anything else on his back besides my lightweight Abettas. I let all my friends ride him who know nothing of balance and are as stiff as mannequins, and I know that the light weight of the saddle helps my Appaloosa carry my funny friends. Also, the suede-like material on the seat of Abettas is like glue, so you stay in the saddle easier.
Dislikes: The sandpaper on the stirrups has rubbed halfway off on my All-Around, and about a quarter of the way off on my Showman. The cantle on my Showman has a lip on it. Others who have rode in the saddle like to hold on to the lip when cantering or running, but I have found that the lip is now wobbly (thanks to them). The silver on the back of the skirt is thin, and bends and creases easily, and one of the saddle's conchos fell off (I never found it). On my All-Around, the suede material where my thighs rub the seat is wearing and has a "balled-up" appearance, like someone has rubbed sandpaper over it. The place on the saddle to hook the rear cinch is sewn-on leather and has curled up towards the sky over the years, and has torn almost all the way through on one side. The silver-conchoed breast collar looks horrible now because of rust, and the shoulder straps tore where they meet the now-rust-covered small dee ring. My cinch also rusted horribly, and my bridle has white, crusty stuff where the buckles are (the buckles are also a bit rusty).
Quality: Very good construction for both saddles. You get more than you pay for, but for a limited time (a couple years). I have a skinny 14.2 hh Appaloosa, a 15.1 hh medium/wide grade mare, and a 16 hh super wide Quarter Horse. My Abettas only fit my two smaller horses, while I had to buy an extra wide tree Tucker saddle for my QH. My Abettas' "one-size-fits-all" trees don't fully live up to their names.
Summary: I would recommend this saddle to anyone who, like me, likes to ride and ride and ride... and clean a little.
Rating: 5
Author: Chipper's Mom
Date: 2007-04-26
Usefulness Rating: 2.31343 out of 5.
67 reader(s) voted.
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