Trail Saddles Testimonials

Melinda and Stacy are great! I love my saddle! Very comfortable and beautiful!

Hi Staci, I wanted to ride in my Allegany saddle for a few weeks before giving my review and sincere thanks. I have a very particular and opinionated little mare and didn't want to get my hopes up right away, this is saddle number six. As for fit, I bow before the master. This is the first saddle ever that my mare does not do a "drunken sailor" walk as I cinch her up. No matter how slowly I'd cinch her, she would cross her front legs and veer to the right. The tight rope walk is gone. She is moving freely, happily and lifting her back better then ever. Her teeth grinding and heaviness on her front end has vanished. The saddle is comfortable and the quality and craftsmanship is beautiful. Please send my thanks to your builder and carver. Attention was paid to every detail. I recently used my saddle at a Class A rated Arabian breed show and my saddle looked like it belonged in the ring. I compete my mare in Western Dressage and we earned a big and important win in my eyes. I truly believe the saddle helped me achieve this accomplishment. Two of my clients have already placed orders and two more are about to. I wish I had known about your company years ago. I highly recommend Allegany Mountain Trail Saddles for the quality and customer service. Thank you again. I've enclosed a picture of my Arabian mare Secret Desiheir after her win. Michelle Quirico at MQ Training

Great communication, committed to exceeding expectations, fabulous workmanship, perfect fit.

I love my saddle! Stacie was very patient with trying different trees for my hard to fit gelding making sure the tree did not bridge. I then tried different saddles so we made sure my ride was comfortable. We talked about the twisted Stirrup Leathers so my knees would not hurt. We discussed having part of it rough-out because my gelding can be very hard to ride when his energy is up. She was very patient. I would DEFINITELY buy another saddle from Allegany Saddles! Absolutely!

Staci, I wanted to take a few moments and give you some feedback about my saddle. I purchased the Cascade Wade saddle from you and received it just before Thanksgiving. When I read reviews of things on the Internet I take into consideration what is being reviewed. If it is something that should last for a while and is used repeatedly then I tend to ignore the reviews that are submitted upon receipt of the item (with the exception of the initial impression of quality/appearance) because these items should stand the test of time/use. Consequently this email as I have had a couple months of riding time now to properly assess the saddle. To state it in a one liner, I like the saddle more the more I ride it. As stated after receipt, the quality (craftsmanship/appearance) is excellent and that statement is every bit as true today as it was when I took the saddle out of the box. It seems to be more comfortable every time I ride. Every bit as important as the comfort is how well it fits me and provides me with stability. More importantly, I have noticed no adverse behavior or reluctance to perform from my horse which tells me that the saddle fits him as well as it visually appears to. You have a satisfied customer here and one who would not hesitate to recommend Allegany Mountain Trail Saddles to anyone. Respectfully, Bob Bardes

I had offered my Andalusian 3 different well made saddles. He refused them all with head bobbing, kicking his belly, objecting to cinch being tightened, refusing to go forward, groaning loudly, and trembling at the mounting block. Once I submitted my order arrangements were made for the saddle fit forms to be sent. After review of photos and videos an AW tree was recommended. There were so many options I'm sure I tested their patience but I finally chose the Kydaho Rancher. I also sent pictures of some vintage style tapaderos I liked. They were faithfully recreated. My saddle was made very timely, about 9-10 weeks, so I didn't miss a lot of riding. After a couple of weeks using my new saddle my horse's avoidance and fear behaviors went away. I tried the saddle on my Kiger Mustang just because I still had it in the barn. His occasional head bobbing and peculiar neck arching behavior under saddle disappeared and it wasn't even made for him. My horses are much happier! I am happy too because the seat is so deep and secure and I feel very close to my horse. This is good because I'm of an age where falling off is a bad idea. Did I mention it's pretty? And easy to put up on my 16 hand horse? It's black with a touch of silver studs. I call it my Hi Ho Silver saddle because my gray Andalusian looks so much like the Lone Ranger's Silver while wearing it . I strongly recommend Allegany Mountain Trail Saddles.

It's been a few months since we received the saddle and I haven't had a chance to let you know how it is working out for us. I apologize for the delayed response, but I've been busy testing this saddle to make sure it's as good fit as it is beautiful! It is! My horse is a teeth grinder, not once has he grind his teeth with this saddle on! He is a "beefy" guy and not many saddles has fit him, my trainer also says this is the best fit he's had! We've been to the beach, many trail rides and hours in the arena, I LOVE it! I chose the slick seat and was worried it might take some time getting used to...not once have I been sore! We are also getting tons of compliments on how gorgeous it is, the quality of the workmanship is outstanding! I would highly recommend Allegany Mountain Trail Saddles to anyone! Thank you!

Like many, I finally turned to AMTS after several unsuccessful attempts to find a saddle that actually fit my 16 yr old Haflinger gelding. Saddles would seem to fit but they didn't. They pinched his shoulders and inevitably started slipping to the side. The gullet was too narrow and the tree pitch too steep. Bigger saddles were just too big. AMTS great website convinced me to try a custom saddle and not just a custom saddle. There is a lot to learn about fitting a saddle to your horse. Even so, Staci and Melinda guided me through the process. Besides being highly experienced they are real patient. The custom saddle fitting kit is the place to start and I imagine many clients can find the tree they need from the forms. After so many misses I wanted to be sure. AMTS has finished trees that you can also request and I went through a few of these. A little time consuming but well worth it. I finally found the proper tree and Staci suggested a small modification. Finally I had a tree that a saddle could be built on and 99% sure it will actually work. So I ordered two saddles, a Renegade Endurance and a Western. Then it was deciding on all the wonderful options. One can only imagine how long that took me. Once I placed my order for two saddles they were delivered amazingly quick. The craftsmanship is awesome and the leather they use is superb. No breaking in a stiff saddle for me or the horse. The stirrup leathers are turned perfectly. I am extremely happy that I found Staci, Melinda and AMTS. I actually enjoyed the process of determining a correct fit and learned a lot which also made it worthwhile. AMTS website and FB has so many photos of beautiful saddles and everyone of them is unique. Truly an enjoyable process ending with the saddle my horse and and I always wanted. I highly recommend AMTS.

Staci/Melinda, I have attached a picture of being on its first ride. Not the best picture so I'll try to get another for you. The workmanship of the saddle is excellent. It fits my horse very well; so much so that I don't believe an ortho pad is necessary (even checking sweat patterns). Saddle feels great riding. I think AMTS did a great job providing the right saddle for a hard to fit horse. Respectfully, Bob Bardes