Stacy

The strap pricker is used for putting the holes in the leather billets (ie straps) on an English style saddle. If you can't use it, I am about to order one and would purchase it from you if you still have it!

Thank you - just what I needed!!

Can anyone here advise where I can get some nice curved flocking irons? Also am looking for a masher/smasher. I know of Abbey in England, and was hoping to find a supplier in the USA. Thank you!

Awesome!! Thank you so much - i'll order the Bickmore Suede & Nubuck cleaner tomorrow !!!

While giving a lesson last week to a young girl, she got scared and was crying. I talked her through it and she ended up having a great time. After she left, I noticed a big stain on the roughout seat of the saddle. I think she got so scared she peed in her pants!! I felt bad - I don't want to embarass her by asking her...but I do want to get the saddle clean, remove the stain. Any suggestions? or is this just how it is going to be from now on? Thanks!!

Thank you for the advice. I do have some experieince with saddles/leather. I worked as a saddle fitter with a custom saddle shop that made dressage/jump saddles. I know how to drop the panels, reflock the saddles, adjust the tree width to measurements and stitch the saddle back together. I also know how to do small repairs on the saddles, added D rings, replaced billets, and small repairs to strap goods. This saddle was not used much, and was kept in a temperature controlled room. The leather is still pliable, and soft - practically new. I will be doing a deep conditioning on it this weekend. I guess what I really wanted to know is should I take all the wool off, condition the leather backing and replace it - or just move this nail a bit over. I am assuming the nail is not staying in place due to the leather in that spot stiffening in a position it has been in for a while and the nail hole has lost the tightness and is slighlty too big for the nail. Or maybe I should drive on down to Clements.... Stacy

I had the good fortune to benefit from anothers unfortunate situation of liquidating their horses & associated assets this past weekend. I purchase a hand made Ricotti ranch saddle. It has incredibly beautiful tooling of acorns and oaks leaves and is in almost new condition - estimated to be about 10 years old by its previous owner. A section of the wool at the front of the underside of the saddle has pulled away from the tree. There is a nail which previously must have closely attached the leather with wool fleece on it to the tree, just under the cantle. I tried to hammer it back in place, but it just pops back out. Should I remove the nail and hammer it in a different location just a fraction over from the current location? or is it possible that the leather backing of the wool has dried and something else needs to be done to fix it. Ricotti has a shop about 2 hours from me, but this seems like a simple repair I can do on my own. When I called the shop, they weren't too interested in helping me without bringing it in for the shop to repair it. Suggestions? Thank you - Stacy