Saddle Making 101

Saddletrees

As we all know you can't build a good house without a good foundation. It's the same with saddles. We start with a saddle bar we are confident will fit your horse. Horses backs all vary in shape, size and mass. Good judgement and experience is helpful to know what bars work best with which horses. We offer 4 different widths with a dozen bar shapes to try to maximize the fit you are looking for. Finally, our trees are constructed with the finest quality materials and workmanship available anywhere, and are available in any shape and size.

Rigging

We offer a wide assortment of rigging with a flat plate being our most common. Any type of hardware can be used with this plate rigging. We prefer to use Hamley flat plate rigging hardware built in the flat plate. We can, however, put a rig of your choice in any saddle. If you have a design you'd like to try, we'll work with you so long as we believe it's safe and functional.

Saddle Seats & Cantle Heights

As mentioned previously, our seats are beyond compare. We can provide the certain feel that meets your needs flatseat, roping, etc. Each seat is hand shaped, and skived with your comfort in mind. In striving to provide the look and feel you want any cantle height and width can be used to your advantage. We, of course, are experienced in this field and if things get too extreme we'll let you know and tell you our experienced opinion.

Skirt Styles

Here again depending on the look and function just about any skirt shape can be put on any saddle. We will work with you to provide what you want.

Stirrup Leathers

Many stirrup leather styles are available and can be used for your specific function. Half leathers are nice when you are looking for more flexibility and less bulk and weight under your legs. Exposed or outside Stirrup leathers provide more strength and have that "old-time look", especially with a loop seated saddle. Our most common stirrup leathers are the full regular or half-double stirrup leathers used by most ranch hands today. The width of the leather can be adjusted to your preferences.

Stirrups

We get our stirrups from Valley Manufacturing in Oregon. These stirrups are steamed and shaped to provide the best function for our riders. All stirrups are oak and galvanized, or they can be bound with brass on stainless steel when special ordered. We offer all types: ropers, bells, oxbows, visalia, and overshoe from one inch to six inches wide treads. Any type covering can be provided from rawhide to full leather and half leather covered.

Oil Finishes

All saddles are finished with neatsfoot oil in various shades from a light or to a dark cherry walnut stain. Each saddle has three to four coats of oil and if a darker finish is desired it may have many more coats. A water soluble top coat is applied for a soft luster and richness.

Care of Your Saddle

Your new saddle will be sufficiently oiled for several months. If your saddle gets dirty or muddy, use warm water and a mild soap mixture to clean it off. If its just dusty and minimally dirty, use a liquid saddle soap to clean it. Water will wash out the oil. If the leather is wet, let it dry shaped as it was initially on a good saddle rack. After it dries, clean it good and give it a light coat of neatsfoot oil. Good sound judgement is most important for your quality saddle to be a cherished time honored possession. For best results, use our saddle care kit.

Saddle Terminology