Billy Royal SaddleWestern show, work and reining saddles

Several Billy Royal saddle listings, such as the Sedona and the Scottsdale Supreme Classic, advertise a lifetime warranty on the tree: the custom-made wooden, rawhide-wrapped frame. It is stated per model, so check your model's listing. The Pro Work Saddle II listing says "lifetime warranty" without naming what it covers. Tree coverage does not by default include leather, stitching, trim or hardware, and the full terms are not published in the listings, so confirm the wording with Schneiders customer service before relying on it.

The listings describe custom-made trees modified to fit modern horse conformations, from Arabians to Quarter Horses. That is a design intent, not a promise that any individual horse will fit. The Sedona listing gives a 27 1/2 inch skirt, a figure worth comparing if your horse is short-backed, and the Basketweave Square Skirt lists semi Quarter Horse bars. Measure your horse, run a fit check on arrival, and check the return window on your Amazon order.

Full Quarter Horse bars are the classic Western bar shape: flatter and wider through the middle, made for a broad, well-muscled back. Semi Quarter Horse bars are a narrower variant, which can suit a horse that is not as wide as a stock-type Quarter Horse. Among the Billy Royal listings reviewed, only the Basketweave Square Skirt Saddle names its bars (semi Quarter Horse). Most listings give no bar type, so ask the seller to confirm before purchase.

No. Billy Royal show trim is described as sterling silver plate: a thin layer of silver over a base metal, not solid silver. The Santa Ana and Sedona listings say "sterling silver plated", and some models, such as the Elite Floral and the Tucson, use silver studs and conchos that the listing calls simply silver. Plate calls for gentle wiping and an occasional gentle polish rather than heavy rubbing.

Brush off dust and let mud dry before brushing it away, brushing in the direction of the nap. Cover the saddle with a breathable cover between rides, dab stains instead of scrubbing, and keep it away from heat. Avoid heavy oils and saddle soap, which are made for smooth leather and can darken and mat roughout. If the saddle has a sheepskin lining, let it dry fully after a sweaty ride. This applies to the Pro Work Saddle II and the Two-Tone Roughout Saddle.

Used Billy Royal saddles do turn up in used-tack shops, auctions and classifieds, but no public serial number decoder or year chart has been found, so be wary of any seller who dates a saddle from its number. Photograph every stamp and number (the underside of the skirt, the back of the jockey, under the fender, the cantle binding), record the seat size and measurements, and ask Schneiders Saddlery, which handles Billy Royal support. They may not be able to date older saddles.

Western seat size is measured in a straight line along the seat, generally from the base of the horn to the top of the cantle, and makers do not all measure from the same point. As a rule of thumb, leave about a hand's width between your seat bones and the cantle and about four fingers between you and the swell. Many adults ride 15 1/2 to 17 inches, and small adults and teens often ride 14 to 15, but build and riding style matter more than height. Seat size does not change tree width, and a listing shows one size at a time, so check the size selector.