Last Summer my mom decided she would go half and half with me on a saddle.  I had my heart set on a brand new Pessoa saddle.  However, the price didn't agree with me ($2,069).  I didn't have that kind of money as a 14 year old.  I really didn't want to buy a used saddle because the ones that I had seen were cracked, not taken care of, the stitches were popping, etc.  One Saturday morning my mom said to me, "I found a tack shop in Bucks County, PA.  They have some used saddles there and some are really pretty! Do you want to go and take a look?" This took me by surprise because we live in Arlington, VA.  I leafed through the pages on their website, and I found one that I LOVED.  My mom told me to get my money and get in the car! 

After our drive out there, the people were so friendly and helpful! They found the saddle that I was looking at online, they let me sit in it, checked the fit, and said that it looked like a perfect match!  The tack store was so cute, the downstairs was English tack, and the upstairs was Western tack.  I bought my saddle for $900, which was incredibly priced since it had been ridden in a couple of times, no scratches, and the retail price was over twice as much!  I left that day with: a saddle, stirrup leathers, stirrups, a window decal, a saddle cover, a halter, and the biggest smile on my face.  All for about $1,000. 

On the way home, we drove to Penn State, where my oldest brother goes to school, and we visited with him for a while, got some ice cream from the Penn State creamery, and headed back on the road.  It was such a great experience! Next time I'm visiting my brother I'm most definitely stopping at this tack shop!