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Frequently Asked Questions

27/8/2025

What Style Saddles do you Offer ?
We specialize in the "Wade". The Wade saddle is renowned and considered a must-have for riders due to its tried and true design that combines comfort, durability, and functionality: its deep seat offers security during long hours of ranch work or trail riding, the low-profile "big horn" is iconic standout feature, and the overall construction exemplifies the rugged reliability needed for demanding Western activities, making it a favoured and sought-after choice among enthusiasts for its versatility and timeless appeal.

We also offer Trail saddles, Barrel saddles, Roping saddles, Children's saddles.

Will it fit me and my horse?
Saddle fitting is the crucial art of ensuring a harmonious connection between horse and rider by selecting the saddle to accommodate the horse's anatomy and the rider's comfort. Talk to us about your horse and also about yourself so we can guide you in the right direction. With many years experience in the equine world, we are here to help guide you. We suggest you try one of our saddles that is already made first, before custom ordering a saddle. We do offer a saddle fitting service, where you can try before you buy. You are welcome to bring your horse to us, or talk to us about coming to you with some of our saddles for you to try.

The Tree
It is said that a saddle is only as good as the tree it is made on. We use two different types of saddle trees.
1. Lightweight tree, a strong tree made of fiber glass, well suited for general every day pleasure riding, farm riding, show ring.
2. Heavy duty trees are made very strong with hard wood and then covered in Rawhide for additional strength, suited to everyday riding, starting horses, roping and rodeo activities.

Can you make a Lightweight saddle?
Yes we have a range of lightweight saddles, that are easy to handle and lift up onto your horse. We have designed saddles with this in mind. There is nothing worse than having a heavy saddle you struggle to carry and saddle up with. Please also remember the more you oil your saddle the heavier it can become. One liter of oil is equivalent to approx. 1 kilo in weight. Talk to us about your saddle requirements, we are happy to help.

What is the timeframe to delivery?
The quickest way to get a saddle is to look at what we have in stock ready to purchase, we can have these freighted to you straight after receiving payment and you should receive your saddle within 5 to 7 working days, once the saddle is with the freight company. Pay in cash and pickup from us directly on the day.
If you custom order a saddle from us you can expect your saddle to take approx. two (2) months to complete, sometimes less.

Who made it?
Kiwi Custom Saddles are made to our specifications, by our team of professional saddle makers. It has taken us several years to find a team to make saddles to our requirements and to our high standards. The saddles are made in several over seas based workshops. We have many happy riders throughout New Zealand who appreciate the dedication and craftmanship that has gone into making these beautiful saddles.

Rigging Position
Yes we can make saddles with different rigging positions, and also "in-tree rigging" and "in-skirt rigging". The rigging diagram shows the different positions the main girth can be attached to the saddle. Unlike an english saddle, many western saddles are designed to have two girths, some can also sit nicely with just one girth. This is something we can talk about when we discuss what you need in a saddle for your horse. Most of our Wade saddles have the girth position at 7/8 position. The most common position is the 7/8th position which is said to be good for up to 75% of horses allowing horses to have better shoulder movement.

My horse has never worn a Western Saddle before ...
Most horses take to having a western saddle with no problems at all. Precautions can be taken, most horses are very quick to adapt to a western saddle with a bit of careful handling and training. This also is a reason why we offer a saddle fitting service to avoid mishaps and advise you with the correct way to fit your saddle and get you and your horse used to it.

Girths, Bridles, Saddlebags and more ...
We can offer all types of extra's, just write down what you want in extras, eg. padded seat, stirrups style, if you need a matching bridle and breastplate set, saddlebags, cinches etc. Off course you do not have to want lots of bling, the options are endless. Also consider your budget, as we are do not want to break your bank, we can set you up easily on a fair budget.