“We enjoy your magazine very much. My friend and I have got it for several years. We were wondering about the brand and kind of saddles that some of your people ride, like Loren Basham, Tim Doud, Anna Arnold, Capt. Joe Vaclavik, ect.?” - Cal Cormer

Editor’s Note (Cori Basham): Thanks for the great question! I ride a Bob’s Custom cutting saddle on my older mule, Hoosier, and an Ericksen saddle on my colt, Maggie. We did some research, and here is what we came up with for the rest of the staff:

Tim Doud - “I ride two saddles. Ninety percent of the mules I ride I use an Ortho-Flex saddle. It has flex panels in order to fit different mules. When I ride Diamond Creek Grover, my 17.2 hand mule, I use a custom saddle by Ralph Shimon. Grover, like most of my mules by my jack, Diamond Creek Major, has a good wither on him. I have seen and ridden hundreds of saddles, and have never found one saddle that will fit all mules. Mules are just like horses, they have different backs and withers from mule to mule. Just like no one saddle will fit all horses, no one saddle will fit all mules. An Ortho-Flex saddle that will adjust to each mule is the closest saddle I have found that will fit most mules.”

Loren Basham - “I ride a number of handmade saddles throughout the day. I have a few Ericksen’s, made by Rick Ericksen of Ericksen Saddlery in Ennis, Montana. I also have two Mad Cow Saddles, made in El Dorado, Kans.”

Capt. Joe Vaclavik - “I use a Dakota brand mule saddle, roper style with a 16-inch seat. I also use a Five-Star wool mule pad and a Weaver neoprene encased cinch. This saddle never slips, especially with the wool pad and the neoprene cinch. There is really no need for a crupper and breast collar, but I use them as a precaution.”

Susan Dusasik - “I use Thorogood synthetic dressage saddles, which are similar to the Wintec brand. I love them, but it is hard to keep them from sliding forward on my molly mule who is out of a running Quarter mare. She needs a crupper for it. It fits the others, the draft and Arab types, fine.”

Anna Arnold - I have owned and ridden an Ericksen saddle for the past 15-20 years. I find that Ericksen saddles, who are made by Rick Ericksen of Ericksen Saddlery in Ennis, Montana, fit most mules. I always use a crupper on any saddle I ride. Recently I had the opportunity to try out the mule saddle that Tucker Saddle makes. It comes in two widths and the narrow one fit my mule better. Its made quite a big different from the classic western saddle. Some of stores will let you try it before you buy it. I like my Ericksen, as it has a narrow gullet and has little or no tooling.”

Meredith Hodges - “There are a lot of “mule saddles” out there after so many years of growth in our longears industry, but the saddle I still prefer above and beyond any other for western activities is my 1972 Circle Y western stock saddle. I had my saddle maker adjust it for mules by flattening the tree in the gullet on both sides. It fits every one of the 23 mules I own! I prefer my Keiffer dressage saddle and my Passier all-purpose saddle for the English style events. With the crupper properly placed and adjusted, there hasn’t been any event where any of my saddles have moved or galled my mules!”

Steve Edwards - “I use my Trail Lite saddle when punching cows when I am riding several mules a day. I use my Cowboy saddle for everyday work.”

If you have a question for the whole staff, or a specific staff member, send it to mules@socket.net, and we will try to answer it for you!