THE SADDLE FILES / MODEL REVIEW
High Horse Mineral Wells 6812 review: comfortable trail miles, with the replacement story intact
The Mineral Wells has useful accounts of repeated and longer rides. One owner’s first delivery had a questionable front appearance and lifting seat covering, then the replacement worked well; the favorable ending should not erase the initial inspection findings.
In the saddle: at a glance
RIDER PRIORITIES / EQUIPMENT / OWNER EVIDENCE
KEY FEATURES
- Double-padded seat
- 4-inch cantle
- 26-inch skirt
- Adjustable in-skirt rigging
YOUR RIDING PRIORITIES
- Consider it for
- Riders seeking a padded traditional trail seat for longer sessions
- The tradeoff
- The favorable replacement does not erase the first unit’s inspection concerns.
- Before committing
- Confirm the exact seat and tree combination.
PROS
- Comfort is supported by repeated trail use.
- The leatherwork can retain its appeal through early use.
CONS
- One first delivery raised seat-covering and alignment concerns.
- A broad-backed horse can still need a separate wither-clearance assessment.
Trail-saddle assessment
Research judgments · 5-point scale · Horse fit is not scored
Repeated and two-hour ridden comfort accounts.
No sufficiently detailed lifting or adjustment account.
Attractive early-use finish with first-delivery defects retained.
Rigging and equipment performance are not described in sufficient detail.
How to read these bars
Research judgments from original owner accounts; horse fit, health effects and load approval are not scored.
1: serious shortcomings; 2: drawbacks outweigh benefits; 3: mixed experience or setup tradeoffs; 4: repeated positives with caveats; 5: strong consistent evidence without a material unresolved limitation. Not rated means evidence is insufficient. These scores are not averaged into an overall star rating.
Read the original owner accountsRead beyond the perfect listing average
All seven captured records carry five stars, but two mainly discuss service and one contains substantial concerns about the first saddle. The useful buying evidence is in the text: regular comfort, a successful replacement and specific details to inspect.
Both halves of the replacement account
First arrival
Wrong size, uneven-looking front and lifting seat material.
Replacement
Corrected order described as attractive and comfortable on longer trails.
Check size and tree availability together
The table lists 13–18-inch seats and describes special-order Extra Wide options for 13/14 inches. The selector limits Extra Wide to 15/16/17 inches. Resolve the exact combination with the seller before using a size chart or proceeding with a custom order.
Put these on the order
- Seat size, tree fit and any special-order status.
- Black grainout or chocolate suede seat.
- Actual finish and complete equipment package.
Choose the riding feel, then verify the clearance
The double-padded seat attracts riders who stay mounted for longer sessions. The Little River 6863 offers a separate compact trail layout, while the Mineral Wells listing specifies a 26-inch skirt. Neither an attractive finish nor a Wide label decides the fit of a horse with pronounced withers.
Pros & Cons Analysis
Pros
- An owner reports near-daily use over several months, another rides trails a few times a week, and a drill-team rider describes two uninterrupted hours in the seat. These are stronger comfort observations than service-only five-star entries.
- The near-daily rider says the saddle still looked good after several months. The replacement buyer likes the deep brown finish and tooling, while another describes supple craftsmanship shortly after delivery. This supports early finish assessment, not a long-term durability claim.
Cons
- The owner returned the first saddle for size and also noted an uneven-looking front and seat material lifting in two places. The replacement was satisfactory. Preserve both events and inspect your own unit rather than treating the five-star rating as evidence that no defect occurred.
- A Wide-tree owner described a stocky horse with pronounced withers and used a particular pad while considering a shim. That is an individual fitting account, not an instruction to pad every Wide saddle into suitability.
Choose the Mineral Wells after inspecting your own delivery
Your next ride
The 6812 is a sensible trial for riders attracted to a padded, traditional trail seat and repeated-use comfort accounts.
The favorable replacement does not erase the first unit’s inspection concerns.
High Horse Mineral Wells 6812 trial notes
Use these as reminders during your trial or seller conversation.
- Confirm the exact seat and tree combination.
- Inspect seat covering and front alignment on arrival.
- Assess wither clearance on the actual horse and pad.
When this recommendation changes
The 6812 is a sensible trial for riders attracted to a padded, traditional trail seat and repeated-use comfort accounts. Confirm the seat/tree combination and inspect the seat covering, front alignment and horse clearance. The successful replacement story supports careful resolution of problems, not overlooking them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the five-star average mean no quality concerns were reported?
No. One five-star account describes seat material lifting and an uneven-looking front on the first delivery, followed by a satisfactory replacement. Read that sequence alongside the score.
Technical Specifications
| Model / scope | High Horse Mineral Wells 6812 Merchant |
|---|---|
| Intended use | Western trail Merchant |
| Seat sizes | 13–18 in; exact Extra Wide combinations require confirmation Merchant |
| Seat construction | Double padded; grainout or suede Merchant |
| Cantle height | 4 in Merchant |
| Tree construction | High Horse trail; construction not specified Merchant |
| Tree / bar options | Regular/Wide/Extra Wide; table and selector differ on seat availability Merchant |
| Published gullet width | Not documented in the retained exact-model listing Merchant |
| Main materials | Leather; floral-panel tooling Merchant |
| Rigging | Adjustable-position in-skirt Merchant |
| Skirt length | 26 in Merchant |
| Skirt drop | 12½ in Merchant |
| Swell width | 12 in Merchant |
| Horn dimensions / type | 3¼-in neck; 2¼-in cap Merchant |
| Published saddle weight | Approximately 30 lb Merchant |
| Hardware | Silver-plated conchos; front clips/dees Merchant |
| Included equipment | Not documented in the retained exact-model listing Merchant |
High Horse Little River 6863
a cushioned short-skirt candidate with a leg-position question
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