When You Need the Best Barrel Racing Saddles
No event asks a saddle to do what barrel racing does — hold a rider off the front end as the horse sets and turns, then let them drive forward out of that same turn toward the next barrel. Slone Saddles has spent the last several years rebuilding the barrel saddle around that exact demand, working directly with experienced barrel racers to get it right.
Built for the Turn and the Drive Out
The barrel saddle has seen more change than any other saddle we build over the last 5 to 10 years. We’ve made it lighter and reworked the ground seat and stirrup placement from the ground up, because a barrel saddle has to solve two opposite problems in the same run — staying off the front end through the turn, then getting out over the horse to drive it hard to the next barrel. That’s a different physical challenge than any roping or ranch event, and it took input from very talented, experienced barrel racers to get the fit right.
Every Slone barrel saddle is built on the Diamond S Barrel Tree or Tod Slone Signature Barrel Tree, reinforced in the stressed areas the same way every Slone saddle is, with rigging that’s double-riveted to the skirt for a more even pull and a more secure seat.
Pad Recommendation
Slone barrel racing saddles are designed to be used with a 3/4″ Tod Slone 100% Wool Felt Pad — no Navajo blanket needed, unlike our roping saddles.
Choose Your Series
Every Slone barrel racing saddle is built on the same event-specific tree design. Seat sizes run 12″ to 16″ in half-inch increments on every series.
Refined With Real Barrel Racers
Slone Saddles has spent nearly 40 years building event-specific saddles, and the barrel racing line reflects that same approach — built in close collaboration with talented, experienced barrel racers rather than adapted from a generic tree. That’s how a genuinely difficult problem, staying off the front end through the turn and then driving hard out of it, gets solved correctly. Slone Saddles has also served as the official saddle sponsor of the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) and National Junior High School Rodeo Association (NJHSRA) for more than 15 years, outfitting young barrel racers with saddles built the same way.