roperdad

Thanks for the responses, guys. These are the type of thoughts, experience and opinions I'm looking for. No hi-jack worries, horsewreck. It is kind of a natural path on the same thought progression! I, too, have seen the Hi-Tec Ropers, and always figured they were alright for an hour or two of practice, but have always wondered how they'd hold up and perform for the horse under longer periods of riding. Thanks again for chiming in-

One of my friends is a pretty solid ranch hand and a very serious team roper. He swapped for a saddle a year ago that has latigo lined skirts. He has mostly roped out of it, with just a little ranch riding done. He showed it to me a while back and asked what I thought.... I'm pretty much a traditionalist, so my first response was "wool lined is better", Now, several months and a few hundred steers later, I'm wondering if my opinion as any basis!?!? He rides big ol' soggy heading horses and ropes a lot. No sign of anything bad. My pride wants to be right, but I'm not seeing any evidence to prove me correct so far... Any thoughts? Experience? As I sit here typing this I'm wondering if I might be having one of those learning opportunities? He seriously ropes 3-4 nights a week, which rolls out to 100 or so steers a week with no trouble. Normally this is compelling enough evidence for me to give it a try, but my old school thought process says wool is the only way to go- I appreciate any thoughts or experience- Clay

J Dub- Compliments, etc... Punchy looking rigs. Pretty as a picture, but look like something a ranch hand would ride, which I think is equally important. Hope you don't mind, but I steal ideas from you!! Got to see the saddle you made for Clay Crago the other day. Everyone else was looking over it, while I was looking UNDER it, and you have that part figured out. Again, my compliments and admiration. After a winter of coaching soccer and basketball and chasing kids around we are calving and seeing green grass. Yearlings arrive in two weeks. I'm trying to spit out a saddle for my daughter, and you gave me a couple ideas to throw on it. Thanks! Regards, Clay

Awesome! Inspirational is the best word I can come up with.

Wow! What a thread. My opinion is based more on application and expereience than schooling or theory, and it touches on what some previous posters have opined. My Dad is an old school cowboy. When I was a kid he had one well-made saddle because it was what he could afford (technically trade for, but that is another story). He rode more horses for others and himself than I can enumerate, and he rode a lot. Hours and hours in all kinds of weather and he never had a sore horse or worried if his saddle fit. He swapped blankets quite a little and still cinches a horse tighter than anyone I've ever known. He'd rope bulls if he had to, drag cows out of dams or just sort. He'd loosen his cinches when he got off and pull it down when it was time to go again. I think the difference is that his horses were always in condition. If they were wore out he swapped horses, but they were all in shape. Fat and/or soft horses are what you tend to see get sore more often than not. On AVERAGE, about any saddle can sore a soft horse, and on AVERAGE about any saddle is fine on a horse that is in good shape. Different analogy, but an out of shape person can't run a mile in any kind of shoe, but some great runners run in sandals and do very well.

Shelly, Sounds like you are doing what I have been. I'm kinda frustrated with it, and hoped this was the 'easy way out.' Conceptually the contour guage would be perfect... I'm hearing you say application is different than theory!?! I'll give it a try and see if I have any luck.

Thanks to the browsing I've done since joining this site, I was introduced to Steve Mason's saddle blog. In one of his pic's regarding fitting jockeys, I noticed a contour guage. They are super handy, but I'd never considered using them for that?!?! Thanks, Steve! Does anyone else use them building saddles? What applications am I missing out on here? Once in a while you pick up a little time saving hint like this, which all adds up- Looking forward to more ideas-

Sorry if I seem a little dense here, I just want to make sure I'm getting the sequence correct... You leave the ground seat intact until you have your seat fit and stretched and dried and THEN cut the stirrup slots and handhole? I've been in the habit of making my last ground piece layer cover the slots/plugs to help keep my seat from eventually sagging and leaving a little hollow over time. Thanks again for the responses. I'm pretty self taught, so have a tendency to ask too many questions.

That's great. Thank you for sharing. I've been cutting plugs for so long I can't get my mind wrapped around any other day to do it!

I found this just this morning. This provided some information I have been looking for. Thank you so much! Any chance we could see some pic's with the handhole and stirrup slot cutting process?

Keith- Thank you for your timely respone. Greater attentinon to detail and patience will cure a couple of the problems with my work you have pointed out. There are a couple comments I'd like clarification on, if you would indulge me? In order: 1) By "longer" do you mean horizontally? By "deeper" vertically? 2) I see that clearly now that you have pointed it out and I've looked at pictures of other's work. 3) Should I shape them more wet to cure that? 4) Noted and cured for next time. 5) Ditto #4 6) I struggle badly with the cantle binding. I lack confidence here. Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated. 7) Ditto #4 8) Patience and attention to detail, huh? Not my strong suits. But I can do that. 9) A wood block and sandpaper? By more round do you mean a larger radius corner, or will using the block and smoothing the transitions be enough? 10) I always panic that the leather is going to dry out before I finish. Sounds like I need to experiment here with how dry I can tool the leather. And again, patience and attention to detail. The first time I read your post, I wondered if I should put my tools up for sale. Then I re-read them and compared our work to other's and can see why you bring out the points you do. I have a tree on the table. You've helped me raise the bar I have to clear for the next one. I'm going to print this off and tack it over my bench. roo4u- Your suggestion about looking at the pic's of others is dead on. Having done that I see what you mean by balance and proportion. Thanks to you both. Clay

I really do like looking at your saddles. They have the 'look' I strive to achieve. Useful and classy at the same time. The Will James tree is favorite of mine, but I can't get many people to stretch past the Assoc/Mod Assoc stuff up here. We slip in a Wade here and there, but the swell forks are bread and butter in the Norther Plains. I notice most of your saddles have the exposed leathers... Personal preference? If so, tell me why? I've not ridden one and haven't been asked to make one, but we all so things for a reason- Thanks, Clay

Hello to all- I just found this forum in the last couple of days and really enjoy what I've seen here so far. My Dad and I have made quite a few saddles now as a hobby/part-time job. Seeing the work and reading the critiques offered has been very enlightening for me. I'd appreciate you eyeballing what I've put up here and being honest. I've seen some honest criticism on here, and really appreciate the courage it takes to both offer and learn from it. Functionally I know our work is solid. I'm now working on the aesthetic side of it. Trips to the Sheridan Leather Show and seeing Mr. Seidel's work, along with Don Butler, King's, etc... always offers a humbling and challenging experience. I'm proud to say many of our saddles are ridden daily in WY, MT and SD by working cowboys. That is my goal and the best compliment we can receive. Now I want to make them look better doing it! Thanks in advance for your thoughts, suggestions and criticism- Clay