horsewreck

Its best to clean it up and set it on a stand in your game room or den. Saddle has seen better days and could and should not be ridden. It most likely won't fit most modern horses anyway. Leather is to far gone to save. But a old saddle with family ties deserves to be cleaned up and kept, but to ride go buy a newer model.... Jeff

Regular bridle, western bridle, and bridle are names associated with dryer leathers (less oil). English, even if not true english bridle has more oil in it than bridle. Harness has very high oil and tallow content. English and harness are not suitable for stamping. Reg. bridle will stamp somewhat but I always use skirting, and strap leather for fancy headstall and such because it has no oil added to it at the tannery. You can tool it up then oil it as needed...... Jeff

The saddle looks clean I would give it a coat or two of Pure Neatsfoot Oil, or Pure Olive Oil, and then a coat of Rudy's by Bee Natural. Great saddle...... Jeff

Bob Klenda has several good tap patterns for sale. www.klendasaddlery.com Check them out.......... Jeff

Lynn, I am glad you like the stuff. I have never seen a moldy saddle that you could not cleanup and keep clean with Bee Naturals Rudy's it is a super product.... Jeff

The view is never good from the cheap seats. You get what you pay. Corriente saddles are made in Mexico, and they are cheap. That makes them a cheap Mexican Saddle. What sets them apart from other south of the border rigs is MARKETING. The people you talk to when you call the company are importers not saddle makers and they deal in volume. We can talk about custom vs production saddles, but Corriente saddles are not in either class, they are just a cheap imported saddle from Mexico that are sold in Western Horseman. The worst saddles we see here in Texas are always imported ones. It can be branded Billy Cook, Tex saddle, or have no stamp at all and it's still just junk. Most Mexican trees are junk ,and most of the leather is junk, they cut corners on assembly,and add cheap hardware and call it a western saddle...... Jeff

Lynn, Montana Pitch Blend Oil is a combo of mink oil and pine pitch and it's great at getting the mold off and keeping it off. It is online at shop.treatleather.com If your area is prone to mold you might con your local tack shop or feed store into handling it it sells well..... Jeff

Jake, thanks for showing us you stand design I like the shelf under the tree to lay tools on. I had always thought the Stohlman design was high in front. I keep looking at different drawdowns that other folks are using and thinking I will take the time to build a new one for my shop. My main stand is over twenty years old and I would like to think I might be able to build a better one now. Troy, thanks for your response to this thread , I found it to be very informative. Jake, if you figure how to get your wife to take a fourth job let me me know. My wife has two jobs and she refuses to even look for the third one..... Jeff

Seems like we were just talking about mold this past week on another thread. In our shop we would wipe the saddle of with a damp cloth, give it a coat of Montana pitch blend oil (inhibits mold), and then give it a top coat of RUDY'S (also inhibits mold) by Bee Natural. Both these products are good saddle treatments even when mold is not present. We are located in a humid area and mold is an ongoing issue with us, we have used almost every product and home remedy out there and these two work the best. Jeff

I think a lot of us are just old school, but I have seen several Hi Tec roping saddles by double J out of Yoakum TX. that appear to have rough out maybe 5oz over what feels like close cell foam between it and the skirt. I have talked to a couple of team ropers that have them and they like them. As Andy pointed out English saddles have no wool skin under them, and from what I have read, early western saddles did not have wool under them. I would like to hear from guys who use something other than wool or Kodel under skirts and why they use it. (not trying to hijack your thread)......... Jeff

I too use Bee Natural's RUDY'S, it is a natural product that I have used for years here in our shop. I also like Montana Pitch Blend oil and dressing, it has pine pitch in it. We buy Rudy's and MPB products by the case our customers like them as well for treating mold. I don't like using harsh products and home remedys on good leather........... Jeff

As I stated in my first post on this saddle "if the seat is synthetic as the seller states", but I can't tell from the pictures if it is in fact pleather or leather. That said often people do seat replacements with what ever they have on hand. Top grain chap or garment leather can look somewhat like pleather and are sometimes hot as well. Split leather does breathe better but does not wear as well. I'm glad you liked the visual... Jeff

I have seen lots of N. Porter saddles but have never seen one with such a seat pad. It is split down the center and appears to have a splice at that point. If the seat leather is indeed synthetic as the seller states it could not be original to the saddle. The seat looks poofy so it might have wool inside instead of foam, but on these aftermarket things it's anybody's best guess if you don't have the saddle to inspect. It could have been put on that way for pressure relief on the center part of the riders rearend (hemorrhoids)......... Jeff

Looks great, I like folks who's ideas are a little "out there" you pulled it off real well. What is your top coat of shine on the saddle? Jeff

As to barra's original question I put the flesh side toward the bars, that having been said when I built my first saddle around 1988 I put the stirrup leathers in with the flesh side out and the top grain contacting the bars.It was a all rough out affair and I thought it looked better, but if I were to build that same saddle today I would put the rough side toward the bars. However that first saddle is still in use and the leathers are the original ones, so I would say it does not really matter........ Jeff

We do a lot of stirrup leather replacements and I do mine a little different. I cut out one 6.25" strap wet it, slick it good both sides, then I clamp it down on the bench at both ends. Next I start with one 2x4 block in the center under the leather and let it stretch as I slowly add more and more blocks. I will check it from time to time and when all the stretch is out of it (I can't add anymore blocks) I let it sit a day or so to dry. When dry I then cut out my 3" straps and cut to length. I find that this gives me a nice straight set of leathers and I have noted that as we stretch the leather we also use a little width so by cutting after stretching the end result is better. I put my twist or turn in the leathers and fenders on the draw down stand after the saddle is assembled........... Jeff

I got the Email from Siegel of Calif. and I can say they will be missed. As to the skirting, it is is made for Steve Siegel to his specs. It is not the SAME skirting W&C sell even though it comes from the same tannery. I use both and can tell you it is not the same leather. Siegel has put a lot of time in developing this product and continues to tweek it to make it better for the saddlemaker. I will continue to use both in my business....... Jeff

As far off as the cantle to swells are to each other the bars can't be in alined properly to each other, I would not put that saddle on a horse period....;. Jeff

Billy thanks for the lead, both companys have great web sites, I have the lace coming Thanks again............. Jeff

Just FYI I order from weavers 800 number all the time. The down side to weaver is they are mainly wholesale, so small orders are very expensive freight wise. Springfield leather is a good company to start out with and they take care of their big buyers as well...... Jeff

Bev, thanks for the lead I sent Y Knot a Email, so I will see if they can help........ Jeff

As far as I know no one makes a stainless rapid type rivet. I use nickeled brass on all my stuff with stainless or chrome over solid brass hardware. I don't like nickled steel hardware of any kind as it will rust but nickel over solid brass has great look and holds up well with use. For large heads and longer lengths of rapid rivets try Ohio Travel Bag Co.. Jeff

You might want to look at building up one side of a regular stirrup with a couple of tapered leather plugs in the tread, this gives the same ride as the canted stirrups but looks better. There is a article by Pete Gorrell in the May/June 2007 issue of The leather Crafters and saddlers Journal, that explains it pretty well. I hope this is of some help.......... Jeff

I am restoring an old arab show saddle and I need some 3/16 white lace to buck stitch around the borders and can't find any. I also need some 5/16 or 3/8 white lace to connect the rear of the skirts. The buck stitch and wider lace are both around 2 1/2 oz. in thickness. If I can't find this stuff I will have to make it up and I don't want to do that..... Jeff

I have to respectfully disagree, Tibbiecow clearly states that there is a bulk under the leg, and that the saddle is comfortable in all other respects. It seems silly to blame the seat when the rider has clearly stated .the problem. I would not tend to question a saddle seat that can be ridden for six hours without complaint. If your theory is correct then saddlers would not have to be concerned with rigging bulk, point of balance in stirrup leather and fender construction, and so on, as long as the seat gives a "level platform". We are dealing with a saddle with an old issue of having the stirrup leathers running through the rigging rings, this tends to bind the leathers and creats bulk. I stand by my original post on this matter...... Jeff