CourtneyLynn

Hi Paul. I've checked out the Aussie stock saddles, but in my next of the woods... the only ones to be found are the ones with English style flaps with a useless little horn. It doesn't appear that the fender stock saddles have made it over from Australia yet and people that have them for sale don't want to deal with the hassle of shipping to Canada. I've managed to find one saddle maker in Australia who will ship to Canada, so she's on my list of considerations. Base price is around $4000 AUD and there are certain changes I'd like to make that will drive the price up even further, if she's even willing to make those specific changes. But it's definitely a consideration.

That's very true, that anyone could steal a logo. But when you consider the sources, you have a lesser chance of a reputable, professional designer doing so. Much of these design bidding sites are comprised of people from India who bid low to secure a job, but turn out a high volume of subpar work (it's kind of like Indian made saddles - at first glance, it looks okay... but then you start uncovering problems). And you'd be surprised at how many of these indian designers will tell you they're in the States, only to find out after the fact that they are not. I used to work with a company who outsourced their web work to India. The designers could turn out an entire website for $100 or so, but it would be riddled with coding errors and when I started digging, I found out that every single design was copied from somewhere else, including content. The company initially hired these people because they didn't want to pay my rates, but ended up spending more than intended when I had to go in and fix all the problems these Indian designers created. As for logos, I'm not talking about stealing a simple stock image. I'm talking about these designers making minor changes to BIG NAME logos and passing them off as their own. For example, there was one designer who "borrowed" the Nike swoosh, reversed it and thought it was a new logo. No, no it is not. But as a consumer and business owner, it's entirely your choice in the end. As a designer with morals and integrity, it's my job to try and educate business owners why it is a better decision for their business to interview designers before the project and work solely with one. You'll get a better result in the end, with a designer that is invested in your company. In the end, design is exactly like everything else - you get what you pay for. And again, this is not me trying to win a job or edge out the competition... I just take this industry very seriously and I hate to see anyone get screwed over. I've attached a couple links below for education purposes. The very first link is one I would ask you to please read, because it explains the crowd sourcing dilemma better than I ever could. http://www.thelogofactory.com/logo-design-contests-behind-the-hype/ http://thedeependdesign.com/why-crowdsourcing-is-bad-for-design/ http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/creative-business/opinion-why-entering-design-competitions-is-often-really-working-for-free/ http://www.logodesignlove.com/logo-design-contests

Cutting the horn off a cheapie western saddle with wither clearance would be a temporary thing... I'm actually waiting for another post to be approved where I'm looking for a saddle maker that would like to take on a project. I don't plan to butcher my Wade in any way, maybe my thread was a little unclear, but was planning to find myself an old saddle that fit my higher withered mare and hack that apart. I like having a second saddle and I figured a western without a horn would be interesting because Stock Fender saddles are hard to come by up here in Canada. I just didn't know if it would compromise the tree in any way. As for resale, I know no one would want a butchered saddle so I have no issues keeping it or at the worst case scenario, taking it apart to learn how everything goes together so I can eventually build one of my own in the distant future. But the long term plan is have one custom made. It's just a matter of finding a saddle maker that would be open to taking on such a project or maybe one that has experience in hornless Endurance type saddles. I've actually managed to track down a saddle maker that makes almost the exact saddle I want and I've sent her an email... but I'm also shopping around for other makers just in case this saddler can't make the couple changes I want. Thank you!

Hey all! I'm starting the process for my next saddle and I figured I'd check here for a saddle maker who may be interested in a project. I'm not looking to start immediately, but possibly toward the end of the year, or early next year. If your wait list is a little longer than early next year, that's cool too. Good things come to those who wait and all that. What I'm after is a lighter weight version of a western saddle with no horn and cable rigging. My current saddle is a Don Loewen Wade and I love how it rides... but it's just so heavy. So I'm looking for something that feels similar, geared more toward endurance riding, that isn't such a chore to swing up on 16hh+ horses. My ideal saddle would be very plain with no tooling. I like a rough out seat and fenders, and I vastly prefer a slick fork + bucking rolls to actual swells. Ideally, skirts would be more square than round (maybe rounded corners?), with a butterfly/close contact skirt. The horses I ride vary - my primary ride is a Standardbred with normal withers. The Wade fits... but I would prefer her to have a bit more wither clearance. The Wade fits my Quarter Horse like it was made for her. In the future, I'll probably be riding primarily Standardbreds so I'll need the saddle to have decent wither clearance. That said, are there any saddle makers that may be interested in such a project? I'm Canadian, so I always prefer working with fellow Canadians (because the exchange rate is awful), but I also don't mind working with a maker from the States if they don't mind shipping a saddle up to Canada. I don't mind being added to a waiting list and I realize my list of demands is probably large and very strange. But I'm open to input and ideas from the professionals. Thank you!

Hey there! If you're still looking, I'm a website developer in Canada. I specialize in websites, but have my hands in all aspects of digital design, including logos and print items. Please feel free to PM me for my portfolio (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post it here). Not to discourage you from LogoTournament, Fivver and other similar websites, but please be careful when it comes to logos and stuff using these methods. There have been many instances of the designers taking a copyrighted design, tweaking it a bit and submitting it. Then the registered owner catches wind of it, sends you a cease and desist letter and suddenly, you're out your money and reputation. Be very careful when you use services like this, just because you never, ever know what you're getting. This is not me trying to snuff out the competition; I just don't like seeing anyone get screwed. I spend a lot of time working with clients who have been screwed out of time and money by designers with less integrity and I hate to see it happen to honest, hardworking people.

Hey all! I make my living as a website developer and social media marketer. I don't want to step on any toes by advertising my website, but I wanted to make this thread in case anyone had questions about websites, social media, online marketing, etc. I know it's a pretty scary thing to delve into for a lot of people, but I've got some free time while my better half is deployed and I figured I'd offer some help if anyone had questions that Google just wasn't helping with. Or maybe you just need someone to explain something that is clear as mud. I can help!

... Can I cut the horn off a western saddle without damaging the tree? I know, I know... you're asking yourself why on earth I'd do that. I have a really nice Wade saddle, but I'd like a second saddle for my less *rotund* mare with slightly higher withers. The Wade fits her decently, but I feel like she would prefer a smidge more wither clearance. I've been hunting around for endurance or stock saddles... but it seems the only ones I can find have horns or are the english style ones. I'd like a saddle without a horn because variety is the spice of life, but the mare I'd be using the saddle on DESPISES the weight distribution of English saddles. She likes western saddles and I like not eating dirt (which happens when I get stupid and put any English saddle on her). I'm all about compromise, which is why I'm considering buying a cheap western saddle and lopping off the horn. I'm still hunting around on Facebook groups for the ideal endurance/stock saddle, but in the event I can't find one... is it possible to saw off the horn on a western saddle and just patch over the area? I feel like it's been done before... but my concern is about damaging the tree itself. Is the horn an integral part of the tree's stability or is it safe to remove it? And thus concludes the strangest thread you'll likely read today.

I'm not too worried about resale on this thing since I only need to shorten it about an inch. Right now, it'll fit anyone from 5'4 and up to 6'2 or so. I don't really intend to sell it, but that's a good point. But that might be something for me to discuss with my saddler when I bring it in.

When I'm next at the barn, I'll grab a photo. Luckily, the fenders are not tooled or anything... just rough out with a rubbed edge. I've looked for petite stirrups and unfortunately, they are hard to come by. I can order them from the States, but when you factor in the exchange and shipping to get them to Canada... it's cheaper to just re-work the fenders.

I'd like to apologize in advance, because this thread might not make a lot of sense. I have a saddle that fits my horse beautifully and fits me pretty well too. It's maybe half an inch larger than I like, but I've taken that as an excuse to eat more cake for dinner. However, I'm also very small and my stirrups are just a tad too long for me - I'm talking, one extra hole would be perfect. I've taken to wrapping my stirrup foot beds in vet wrap to make up that extra bit of space and it's working so far, but I'd like to do it right and shorten the fenders when I take the saddle in for some other work. The problem is, there is no extra space to add an extra hole. I've got the stirrups as short as they'll go and the "flare" on the fender is right snug against the top of my stirrups. Reshaping the fenders in that spot will cut into the maker's mark, which I don't want to do. Is there some way to cut down the top of the fender instead and shorten them that way? I'm going to visit my saddler this weekend and I can ask him too, but I wanted to get some quick research in before I went there and looked like a dunce. Thank you!

Hello! I've managed to get my hands on this gorgeous old Cowboy Classic/Don Loewen wade that I absolutely adore. It fits my horse beautifully and sits me just right - better than any other saddle I've ever owned. However, it definitely needs some TLC to bring it back to it's former glory. It was built in 2003, and has been maintained very nicely. Sheepskin was redone last year and all leather is soft from use and careful oiling. I have a two part question: 1. The seat and fenders were rough out at some point, but have been worn smooth through use. Given the photo attached, would it be possible to bring the rough out back or is it even worth attempting? If so, what is the best (and gentlest) way to do this? I don't want to ruin the saddle by attempting to brush up the rough out, but at the same time... I have the sneaking suspicion that someone oiled the rough out at some point and that's why it's so smooth. The leather is very soft, and I'm a little hesitant to try roughing it up with a wire brush or anything, but I figured scrubbing it with a bit of soap and water would be a good start to bring the knap back up if it's possible. 2. The horn has a JP tooled into it and since this will be my forever saddle, I would love to cover it with something unique to me, since the rest of the saddle is rather non-descript. I'm thinking a horn cap would be the easiest way to do this, but I'm not quite sure if there's a custom concho maker that would be willing to create just one horn cap. I would take the saddle to a saddler to install because that's just beyond my skill set. In this instance, would it be best to hammer the horn cap on or use smaller nails around the perimeter? I don't want to compromise the horn, but would love to cover up the existing tooling on the horn to make the saddle more "mine". Can anyone provide some insight, and maybe a recommendation for a custom horn cap maker?

Hey all! Can anyone here tell me a bit about the quality of a Don Loewen saddle? I haven't found much online (but what I have found is very positive), and I'm a little unfamiliar with the maker. Has anyone ridden or owned a Don Loewen saddle in the past? What's the quality like? Is it a good using saddle?

So I got my new saddle and I'm absolutely in love with it. It's perfect. A friend of mine sat in it and the first words out of her mouth were, "oooh... this, this material on the seat is NICE. I feel like there'd be no way for me to fall out." I have a rough out saddle. So now she's wondering - is it possible to remove the old seat/fenders of a saddle and replace it with rough out? Is the cost very prohibitive? She has an old relic of a saddle that fits both her and her horse wonderfully and doesn't really want to buy a new one... but immediately loved the feeling and security of the rough out. She rode my goofball of a mare and sat tight through a bunch of random maneuvers that can best be described as airs above the ground. Is this something that might be worthwhile for her to look into, or is it just better for her to look for a rough out saddle and skip the entire process of replacing the seat on hers? Thank you!

I'm sorry for the delay in response and the confusion. The roughout on my saddle is very light (I think it's called Natural). Ideally, I'd like for it to darken up a bit, be it through oiling or use. Oltoot, your response was bang on - I wanted to know if oiling from the backside was possible and helpful. A google search confirmed that light coats of oil on the backside of the leather would darken the roughout up a little, which is what I'm after. Thank you!

Hello and good morning. I recently purchased a new saddle with roughout seat, jockeys and fenders. Since the roughout is new, it is lighter in color. The rest of the saddle is slightly lighter than a medium oil – it’ll need some oil and hours in the sun to hit the medium oil shade I like. Question 1 – Is there a good (ie – safe and recommended) way to oil the rough out? I’ve heard to oil it from the underside, but I don’t want to make the roughout splotchy if I can avoid it. How do you all care for your roughout saddles? Question 2 – Is there a way to darken the roughout if oiling isn’t a good option? I know the roughout will darken with use and as it picks up staining from my jeans, but is there a safe way to expedite this process? I don’t want to ruin my first brand new saddle, and I’ve heard so many conflicting words of advise about rough out. Help!