Hi - as I am new to Western riding I am trying to find advice on saddles as I am slightly bewildered by some of the advice I have been given - is it a general rule of thumb that the German saddles are better than the American? - would like to hear from anyone who has recently purchased a saddle and anyone one with experience in this sphere.

Hi,

Well I thought that i would add that last week I was speaking to one of the top saddlemakers in the US. He said that Eddie Steel - one of the largest treemakers in the USA - make mostly straight bar saddles, with very little or no flair over the shoulder. Most horses need some flair to allow the shoulder complete freedom. Some horses need alot of flair!

So the chances are, if you import from the US you will get a straight-treed saddle.