For 8 years I struggled with finding a saddle that fit my barrel of a haflinger/Belgian boy..several saddles, several slides and falls later I took the try before you buy trial and now have the best fit with zero slip…fits my boy, his back is protected and I have the most comfortable saddle ever!!! – Caryn, (Manteo, NC)
I was researching saddles and I came across Steele Custom Saddle and their 2-week trial. I didn’t see any other custom saddle maker offering this, so I decided to give it a try. I was hooked immediately and I made every person at my barn sit in the saddle and they were all shocked at how comfortable and secure it was. I placed my order for a Trail Boss and waited patiently (maybe not that patiently) and just received my saddle yesterday. It’s gorgeous! When I purchased the saddle I only had one horse and I ordered it specifically for her. I now have two horses and it fits them both nicely. I sent in my knife and sheath that I had made for my old saddle and they were able to attach it to the back billet. It looks amazing and I couldn’t be happier. It is certainly frustrating to wait so long for something you’re really excited about, but it’s absolutely worth the wait. The seat feels insanely secure and it looks like a piece of art. I would highly recommend Steele Saddle! – Christina B.
I have ridden my new Steele Saddle for about 3 weeks now. I am so impressed with the craftsmanship and the comfort of this saddle. The reason I purchased a Steele was that my horse developed a sore back from the saddle and pad I was using. So far she seems to love the saddle as much as I do. Thank you Eric and Fred for working with me. – Linda K. from Columbia, TN
So y’all!! If I wasn’t convinced about the Steele saddle before my ride yesterday (I was!), my horse definitely convinced me!! Here’s what happened: Talk about testing this saddle…!!! Thanks to my Rio, I couldn’t have planned this one if I tried!! My husband was out in the lower pasture on the tractor mowing, and Rio and I were riding toward him. Apparently, the tractor got a little too close for Rio’s comfort, And he shied – I mean like violently spun away from the tractor – let me TELL YA – I didn’t MOVE in this saddle!!! I was totally secure!! Then he did it AGAIN, and I still didn’t move – I lost my left stirrup, and still didn’t move!! I was cracking up – my husband probably thinks I’m crazy (course he thought that before this happened LOL) Then, of course, I started thinking about a few other times in the past couple of years that I’ve fallen off – hmmm if I’d have had the Steele saddle, I wouldn’t have fallen off LOL! BUT I can’t change the past! SO yeah – this new custom saddle is DEFINITELY SOLD!! I ordered it yesterday!! Its gonna take 14-16 weeks for them to build it, they are behind because of Covid, which led to supply chain issues… and THEN their area is in the part of Tennessee that had the horrible flash floods a few months ago, and they are still recovering from that! This saddle is SO worth the wait for me! And it’s going to be beautiful!!! Yesterday I returned the demo saddle that you see on Rio, and got to choose my saddle colors and other options, and met some of the great folks, and saw some of the processes of how saddles are made. It was fascinating!! . They also obviously ship both the demo saddle and their custom saddles to people who are further away – they even ship to Israel!! – Denise K.
I picked up my saddle today and it is beautiful!! I took a short ride to see how it fit my horse and how I liked how I sat in it. It is fantastic!! Thank you again for the entire process of choosing a saddle that I liked and is good for my girl. I can’t say enough good things about Fred and his staff as well. – Linda K.
I’m excited to be testing out a new saddle for two weeks… It’s a Steele ‘Frontier’ Saddle. (Horse friends, never heard of them? I hadn’t either till I asked someone in our saddle club “what kind of saddle is that?” And then googled it!) They have a saddle demo program that allows you to ride the saddle for two weeks and see how it works for your horse and for you. So far, I absolutely LOVE it!! I feel secure and very comfortable in it, and I am not having a problem lifting it on and off my horse! And I’m not sore – my knees feel good! I know several folks who have them, and they have said nothing but great things about them!
We picked the demo up Monday at their warehouse in McEwen TN, West of Nashville. (You can have it shipped if you don’t live nearby!) We got home around 6, and I had to go out and try it on Rio. I didn’t ride, it was nearly dark by the time we got out to the barn and I wanted to start fresh so Tuesday (in between the storms) I went out and tacked up, and got on after we played on the ground for a bit and took some photos.
While I am still in the process of trying the saddle to be 100% sure, I’m pretty confident that it’s going to work for both of us. For Rio, (he is a foundation Paint who has no wither and is a tank!), and for me – I need a lighter saddle that is easy for me to handle and doesn’t make me hurt!!)
Steele Saddles are made in Tennessee, and every part of the saddle is made in the USA. I just love that!!
Eric at Steele Saddle, thank you for your attention to detail! I love how this saddle is made and how comfortable it is, and I appreciate the demo program! I’ve ridden twice so far…hoping to ride today as long as the rain stays away!
The adventure continues… #RideRideRide
– Denise K. (Facebook Testimonial)
