In this post, I want to review a favorite saddle of mine. It’s a review of the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle. First, I’m going to give you an overview of the Circle Y company.
Then, I’ll explain the benefits and features of this beautiful saddle so that you can decide if the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is for you and your four-legged friend.
The Evolution of Horse Saddles
Now, if you’re anything like me, horse riding is a fun hobby that makes you feel wild and free. And I’m thrilled that over the years, horseback riding has evolved and is no longer used exclusively for transportation purposes. I especially love Western horseback riding disciplines.
Western riding disciplines include barrel racing, mounted shooting, roping, ranching, cutting, reigning, and more. I specifically love trail riding. But, no matter what discipline you choose, riding isn’t comfortable if you don’t have the right saddle.
A Saddle For Every Discipline
See, every discipline requires a certain type saddle. Hence, horse saddles come in a variety of styles and are feature- specific depending on its discipline.
Just hop on over to any brick and mortar or online horse saddle store, and you’ll find saddles designed specifically for trail riding, barrel racing, track racing, ranch work, roping, show, and more.
With all of these choices, even I get confused when I’m trying to pick the right saddle for me and my horse.
Luckily, I can rely on the Circle Y company to help me choose the right saddle. The saddle I’m interested in is the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail
Saddle. Like I said, I’m going to review it for you and tell you why I like it. But first, let me tell you a little about the Circle Y company.
The Circle Y Company Brand
I have been a huge fan of this company for a long time. The Circle Y Company has been a lead manufacturer of saddles for many years. Circle Y has been making saddles since 1960 in Yoakum, Texas and continues to do so today.
The Circle Y Staff
The people who work at the Circle Y company are a small but close-knit group of expert craftsmen. Although they’re small in number, the total years of expertise among them, when combined, is over 1500.
And here’s the kicker…when I called the company because I had a question I needed answered, they were more than happy to assist me. Now that’s customer care!
Circle Y Saddles & Other Products
The thing about horse riding is that it requires a lot of equipment. Not only do you need a saddle, but you also need reins, pads, bridles, strips and more to ride any horse for any discipline.
Circle Y makes all the needed equipment for horse riding so that you can find everything you need in one convenient place.
High Quality Tack
Any saddle or tack I’ve purchased from the Circle Y company has been high quality. The reason for such high quality is that their saddles are handmade. By hand making each product, you can rest assured that each item is flawlessly crafted.
Whatever you buy from the Circle Y company will look great and last for years to come as it will be made with the best materials around.
Circle Y Trail Saddles
One of my favorite riding disciplines is trail riding. Trail riding helps you relax as you and your horse take a relaxing walk, trot or canter along a nature trail.
I love trail riding because some trails have beautiful scenery. Another reason why I love trail riding is because it’s very personal. This is a low key discipline in horse riding so there’s no need to feel any stress about performing your best.
Also, trails for horse riding can take many forms. If I feel like I want to chill out, I pick a trail that’s clean and easy to travel along. However, If I’m feeling adventurous, I choose a trail that has tough terrain and is challenging.
Another way in which I personalize my trail trips is by picking how long I want my ride to be. I’ve been on long trail rides and short trail rides, and I choose the rides depending on how much time I have.
That being said, I only use trail saddles that are durable and comfortable. And that’s where the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle comes into the picture.
Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle
Now that you know about the company that made this saddle and the type of saddle that this is, you can be the judge of whether the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is the right one for you.
Here is my experience with the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail saddle to give you a first-person experience with it.
The Horn
The horn of the circle Y Omaha Flex 2 trail saddle is one of my favourite features. I found that the size of the horn of the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle, which is 3 1/4″ Neck by a 1 7/8″ Cap, allows me to have a better sense of control while steering my horse on a trail that has rough terrain.
However, this horn is also comfortable to hold onto without having my hand cramp up on a long trail ride.
The Cantle
The cantle on the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is 4 inches high. I have experienced that the height of the cantle of the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle provides comfort and support to my back as I ride my horse on a trail for a long time.
The Material
The Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is made with high-quality Herman Oak leather. Herman Oak leather has made this saddle beautiful to look at and durable for any trail ride.
Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle Comfy Seat
Considering that you’ll be sitting in any saddle, you need to be concerned about the seat. The seat of the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is padded with impact foam.
This impact foam absorbs any shocks that arise while I’m travelling on a trail with rough terrain so that I never lose a sense of comfort.
Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle Technology
Circle Y always looks to improve upon its Flex-Lite tree technology. And this new Flex2 tree design incorporates a tree that has been coated with DURAhide to ensure that it stays strong and resistant to the elements.
And DURAhide is much more reliable than your traditional rawhide or fiberglass-covered trees. DURAhide also adds strength to the saddle.
DURAhide also contains Circle Y’s new high density and low-density bars. This is what makes the difference between a comfortable horse, or a horse that’s going to suffer.
The high-density bars give support and stability to the saddle and evenly distribute weight. The low-density bars allow the saddle to conform to your horse’s back, allowing freedom in motion and enhancing your horse’s natural gait.
Combine this with Circle Y’s comfortable seat, and you have a saddle that promises to outperform the competition.
Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle
3-Way Rigging
The skirt on the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle features 3-way rigging. With this quality, I can easily change the skirt’s position to meet the needs of my horse.
So if I know I’ll be on a steep trail, and I have a lot of baggage, I have the option of setting the rigging on the appropriate setting to keep me and my baggage from falling forward.
Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle Conclusion…
So, now you see why Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is one of my favorite saddles. Who wouldn’t love this saddle? Now, after reading this review, is the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail saddle the right one for you?
Maybe you have an Arabian horse. Click here to read my Circle Y Arabian horse saddle review. Please leave your comments in the section below. I’d love to hear from you.
Hey Shalisha,
I must admit that trail riding is probably more my skill level at the moment, but the idea of some of the other Western horseback riding disciplines excites me.
Barrel racing and track racing just sounds so intriguing.
Just out of interest, I understand that the racing-type disciplines are far more energetic and fast-paced, but what specific differences would you require in a saddle when compared to trail riding?
If you’ve written about this before, I’d sure appreciate you guiding me in the right direction.
As for the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle, your enthusiam certainly comes across in your review.
I like the fact that the cantle is of an adequate height, which I guess is perfect for longer trail rides. I know that various saddles can have a cantle height less that 3inches, which wouldn’t do much for back support in my case.
I’m with as well when it comes to the horn, an awesome feature of this trail saddle. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the horn would be at the upper end of the scale in terms of height, and about average for cap size?
Probably perfect for me too, as I don’t have the largest hands.
Well Shalisha, I will say that the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle looks absolutely gorgeous. and you’ve layed out everything really well in your review.
Thanks very much
Partha
Hi Partha. Thanks for your comments and your questions. Depending on the saddle and the discipline, the horn plays an important role. So if you’re engaging in a western sport like barrel racing, the horn is really important because you’re making lots of sharp turns in a cloverleaf pattern with your horse and lots of starts and stops.
Likewise, if you’re engaging in a roping event, such as team roping, where you need to rope the calf in and tie him to the horn while you lasso his hind legs, that horn really needs to be sturdy. However, trail riding doesn’t really require a sturdy horn. What’s important in trail riding is the comfort of the seat because you’ll be riding for a long time and you need to be comfortable.
I’m no expert when it comes to racing. But I do know that endurance saddles are made for long distance running/racing. That’s another event I love. The type of horse that’s used is an Arabian horse. If you’d like to check out some of my reviews for trail riding, check out my Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Saddle Review.
Such a useful article! The last horse riding experience I had was 3 years ago but if I remembered correctly, it was such an uncomfortable saddle to be on.
It was a family friend’s ranch and I had zero idea of horses and wow this article showed me in details of the different types of saddles for which activity. Will definitely share this article with the family.
Cheers.
SAM
Hi there Sam. I’m sorry you had a bad experience. Ahhh…. so if you’re on a ranch, perhaps you needed a ranch saddle, depending upon what you were doing. Were you doing ranch work? If so, definitely a ranch saddle would have been in order. But if you’re just riding around leisurely, I highly recommend an all-around saddle. In fact, I’m going to write my next review on that type of saddle. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you for such a detailed review. I have been thinking of horseback riding for years now, but have never taken the plunge. The beauty and craftsmanship of The Circle Y Omaha Flex2, ls awesome, and the review pointed out features that may have been the reason I have procrastinated. Like the back support it provides. I have a back problem, and each time I have an opportunity to ride, I convince myself of the back problem and stop.
Now I know I could ask for a better saddle for back support.
Thank you once more.
Ntlhane
Thanks for stopping by and sharing with me your dilemma of deciding whether or not to buy a horse saddle. Yes, Circle Y is a well-respected Western saddle company, known for producing high-quality saddles with the rider and horse’s comfort in mind. Having a back problem can easily deter someone from wanting to go horseback riding. Fortunately, Circle Y has solved that problem for riders. For more information on how Circle Y makes their saddles with the latest seat technology in their seats to ensure rider comfort, visit Circle Y Saddle Review.
The Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail saddle looks very elegant and I can tell why this is your favorite. It has many great advantages. I love the knob in front, the horn. It gives you indeed a little more control. I used to love going on trails in nature when I went horseriding, and a saddle like this would be just perfect for that.
The material also looks strong and of really good quality. Do you think that this saddle is better than most saddles?
Hi Christine. Thanks for your comment and your question. It’s hard to say if this saddle is better than most. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. All saddles are different, and they all have a different purpose depending on the riding discipline.
I agree with you in that the horn of the circle Y Omaha Flex 2 trail saddle is one of their best features (my favorite too). My sister and I have been deciding what saddle to buy but reading your post it seems as if we already made up our mind. Thank you very much!
Thanks for your comment. Yes, this is a very fine saddle. Please pass it along.
Actually, the horn is not the most outstanding feature on this saddle Ann. It’s the Flex2 technology. Circle Y’s Flex2 trail saddles are beautiful enough to ride in the show ring, but comfortable enough for an extra long trail ride.
Hi there Shalisha! Thanks a lot for this review. The first time I rode a horse, I didn’t like the idea of using a saddle until I learned that it protects the spine of the horse and helps improve the rider’s posture! I think the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 Trail Saddle is a nice looking saddle. Now that I know Flex2 technology improves the cushioning for the seat, I’m willing to buy one of these saddles. I will definitely share this article with my friends.
Hi Rorodote. Thanks for commenting. Riding bareback is difficult, so congrats on trying it that way. Yes, a saddle will protect the horse’s spine. This particular saddle is made with Flex2, which helps distribute weight evenly over the horse’s back preventing spine injury. Thanks again for stopping by.
I’d never heard of the Omaha Flex2 saddle until I came across your post. It looks like a quality saddle and worth the money. I may just buy it as a gift to myself. I’m very impressed with your site. I’m actually looking at some of your other reviews on your site. Thanks for providing helpful information.
Hi there. Thanks so much for your comment. Yes, the Circle Y Omaha Flex2 is a great saddle and is especially made with the comfort of the rider in mind.
Hi Shalisha,
It is a great review article, very well written with valuable information. I’m not an expert in riding accessories, but whenever I have the opportunity I schedule at a center for a trail riding. Unfortunately, my first experience was pleasant but not very comfortable, due to the type of saddle they used in the center. What is certain is that I was left in pain in the lower back and bottom.
I don’t know if there are different types of saddles that are used for various riding activities, but the Circle Y Omaha Saddle Comfy Seat Flex2 Trial padded with impact foam is definitely one that riding enthusiasts want and need. At least I would opt for this type of saddle, especially for long trail riding. It can be seen from the attached images that they are of very good quality which certainly has a much longer lifespan. A good product that is worth the money.
Thank you for sharing, Shalisha. Keep up the good work.👍
Hi Diana. Thanks for your post. Yes, an uncomfortable seat during a long ride can be excruciating. The flex2 trial pad helps to make the ride super comfy. Glad you took the time to stop by and comment.