Western Saddles Equine Science 1 http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/differences-between-saddles.html#.U4Y3ZfldWuJ

High cantle with deep pocket seat to hold you in. "Hip hugger" ridge around the back of the seat. High horn to hold on to. Shorter skirts. Rigging is simple in-skirt.

Available in many varieties. Often built with a lightweight tree. Not designed for heavy ranch work. Designed with higher and lower cantle, lower cantle being more popular. Higher cantle: more protection. Lower cantle: more comfortable. Rigging is usually in-skirt because of the stress put on the saddle. Often equipped with many leather ties to attach your gear.

Low cantle, high pommel and horn. Flatter seat with slight rise at pommel. Jockeys and fenders often made out of rough out leather for better grip. Reinforced rigging. Back cinch and slim stirrups. Leather wear strap between fenders and bottom skirt.

Very comfortable seat for long-endurance rides. Smaller, lightweight. Many strings for attaching gear. Most without horn. Often with center-fire rigging to keep saddle from tipping.

Big and heavy. Slick, hard seat for comfortable day-long use. Sturdy tree for rigorous ranch work. High cantles and back straps. Plate rigging, which is more comfortable for a horse that wears a saddle all day long

Close-contact saddle with skirts to allow for rider-horse communication through cues. Lower horn and pommel for movement of reins without interference. Often with a show-type silver and patterns for the arena. Flatter seat for hip movement.

Very sturdy wood tree with bullhide, rawhide, or very strong fiberglass covering. Reinforced rigging attached to tree and back strap expected. Seats often suede and padded, many times in a pocket seat for good positioning.

All Around/ All purpose Flatter seat to allow movement and adjustment of rider. Seats are often padded suede. Often close contact skirting to help in the leg cues. Reinforced rigging for any type of light roping. Strong wooden tree. Strong horn, made higher for holding on to.

Very detailed tooling. Comes with silver on the skirts, cantle, pommel, horn, and stirrups. Seats are often equitation, which are balanced and have pocket to keep rider in the proper position. Turned stirrups. Padded suede seats. Often close contact with lower pommel and horn for better cues and rein control