The Western Saddle or as it's more popularly know as the "Cowboy" saddle is as its name suggests is most often used by cowboys.
It is a saddle used by those who spend a lot of time in the saddle.
It is designed to provide security & comfort so that the user can travel over long distances and rough terrain in relative ease.
The western saddle gets its design from the saddles used by the Spanish vaqueros, the horse trainers and cattle drivers from Mexico and Southeast American regions.
The western saddle was designed using the best parts of two other types of saddles namely -the Riding one, the Jousting one (la jenita) which for its comfort also provides very good control of the horse.
The Western saddle is also good for beginner riding.
Also additional features are added like "the Horn".
The horn allowed cowboys to control the cattle by tying on the neck of the animal and then wrapping the rope to the horn.
Other parts of the western saddle include the Gullet, Concho, Latigo keeper, Dee ring, Latigo, Cinch ring, Cinch, Stirrup, Stirrup leather, Fender, Strings, Skirt, Rear Jockey, Jockey, Cantle, Seat and Pommel.
In the western saddle there are about seven different sub classes and each is modified a little bit depending upon its task.
The sub classes are - Roping, Cutting, Barrel racing, Endurance, Trail, Show and "Equitation" saddle.
The roping saddle is a heavier, sturdier saddle with a thicker horn, low cantle and a slick fork thus allowing the rider to dismount in a hurry if needed.
The Cutting saddle has wide swells and a deep seat allowing the rider to sit deep and to be secure through all abrupt stops and turns.
The Barrel racing saddle is a saddle that is light in weight with a high cantle and wide swells thus providing security to the rider but at the same time allowing the horse to do fast sprints and sharp turns.
The Endurance saddle has specifically been designed for the long rides at high speeds, thus ifs features include a wide and large seat to spread out the weight of the rider and to reduce pounds per square inch.
An important feature that makes this saddle different from other saddles is that it has no horn.
This saddle is used on long rides at fast speeds.
The Trail: is a comfort saddle designed with a deep well padded, thus being comfortable for the rider as well as the horse.
Such a saddle is used long rides with slow speeds.
The Show saddle has a well padded deep seat thus allowing the rider to sit comfortably and give the appearance of a smooth ride.
The Show saddle also has additional silver decorations on it.
The "Equitation" saddle is a show saddle with an especially deep seat that keeps the rider in place.
A good quality Western Saddle if properly maintained is built so as to last a persons whole lifetime and beyond.