Aurelie

just amazing how much would you sell such a terrific work? (for my own curious streak )

Unbelievable...amazing , terrific You and Arbalet ...in totally different areas you're both amazing can't wait to see the commercial with your armor Keep going!

Looking forward your pics , Chief! And yeah, Mules can come in many different sizes...some "borderline" with Mammoth size

:D

The "Masters" for this kind of question, you will find them here : http://leatherworker...hp?showforum=62 You will find there the most constructive of answers to specific replies you ask or "criticism" or advices. By the way, you've built your saddle following what kind of "book" or "principle"? I am in the business for 2 years and what i can tell you : - there is NOT a single way of doing it => you have to find what works for you. - Everyone or almost everyone is telling you so but when you do differently you're finger pointed (been there, done that) - There are very good unknown saddlers around and Justice is not really done to them often You will hear a lot about/from the "old known ones" .....good ones because they've got 20 or so years of experience behind them ( And contrary to what most say = they've done experiment and mistake like EVERYBODY ) . As i like to say : Rome has not been built overnight.... But sometimes the "roots" or the "essence" (as i call them) of a western saddle - or else- is forgotten => This is a "tool" and must be adapted to what it should do => riding horses , being confortable for the horse in ANY situation and confortable for the rider ...then after that IF it's nice looking? it's a bonus but what would you do with a F****G AWSOME saddle that sore your horse? ( i am making here a "bigger" picture but i can tell you that i have seen some 3000$ worth saddles that i would not put on a horse) So? my advice : Get all the feedback you can have . Do not take everything as "Godwords" because this is Mr "X" saying so. Think by yourself and know that everything is linked to "common sense" . Read as many books you can regarding saddle making , saddle-fitting , talk of this with as many people you can. horse riders included - even if most of them - in france at least - know nought about saddle fitting and saddles . it's just a tool for them so you can't blame them ...it should be a saddle maker job to worry about that. Everything you will hear will not be good though, so be prepared to think and and select your information. Take everything that can help you improve your job and try to leave the rest aside (jealousy, stupidity and so-on...) and above all : Develop your OWN creativity ! You do not do "western style carving" so you're good to nothing??? = forget about it! Things changes for the best in time I am not mincing my words here , i do not have friends for that and to be honest i do not give a F***K for that. I am just sometimes tired of that because i am a "rookie", i do things differently (and sometimes better than some guys) and i am a girl to top it of ...and guess what?That might "tick off" their virility + Girls are supposed to not being able to build saddles (Yes i have a 2 years old daugther and it does not symplify the job ...but then????) SO GO! Arbalet! Keep going :D and keep us posted on your work As for me, i will always be there to answer your questions (if i am able to ) or point you toward some books or guys that can help you :D

fantastic classy and unusual

Ditto

Really nice job

Congrats! As usual, your carving is amazing, top notch, fantastic! I am a hug fan of your artwork :D Stand up among the usual "western style carving" It's different and it's nice and interesting! Keep up with that (this is not me who would say otherwise ) Regarding the saddle building part : I tried to look on internet to find some good pictures of horses with that Kazak kind of saddle and i haven't found some So i would be very interested to see one if you have one I do not know how those Kazack saddles are technically done specifically and i would be interested if you could explain a bit more. From where i seat, it does look a bit like western saddles (with skirts, i mean - at least) Here what i think from what i can see (this is only my opinion and some interrogations ) if someones wants to add some insight : feel free to do it It seems that the length of the skirts is huge (maybe even too long) => back part (from the back cantle to the extremity ) feel like it's too long . it will rub hard on the loins of the horse and hurt him => same with the front part , it looks like really long too and would dig in the shoulders IF we're speaking of a saddle meant to go on a horseback and work If it's a display saddle.....we do not care ...no harm done! can you confirm? or explain more, please? That's why i asked some pictures with saddle on the horse AND more technical informations about Kazak saddles I find it really interesting to share and compare And again : congrats for the art work By the way : you should post it on the saddle construction part of the forum!

nice one! i like the "old look" of it!

Yes JJ, but this is another problem pointed by Renee What's best? making a belt at your cost? what's the goal of this? Everyone deserves to be paid for his labor I know that you can find cheaper because of chinese manufactured goods and we ( leatherworkers or else) can 't compete with that...Nothing new on the sky Except 2 things=> 1st , you can comunicate on the quality of the items you build and sell (only good materials , your neat work ) and tell without lying that they 're build to last a lifetime or 2 (that's what i do and i am confident about the quality of my stuff) and another thing i realised and i work in this direction = It may be a bad time economically speaking , the rich become even more rich and those have money to spend without batting a eye ==> those are my main target (really hard to get, ask a lot of time , skills ) Not that i am making the apology of casts....but we all need to pay bills and put food on the table...so go get the money where it is That's my opinion at least Good luck for the future JJ

It looks a lot to me too At this rate, nothing i build would sell But JJ, what can i tell you : I am french, i do buy a lot of my supplies in the USA and finally i found that what's fair (i do not pay myself much ) if you count all kind of taxes and your labor is: material x3 = your retail price (as a general rule and i do adapt a bit depending of the time i spend on it that would make your belt : 150$ (which sounds fair to me) and i can tell you : i would do this (here in france) only on special order 'cause as said before : you find those kind of belts at "chinese price" and people do not care that's junk. ... Keep going!

i like the "antique" style due to dye coupled with the "un usual" (scorpion) nice job

you do not know how happy i am to see that there are others saddle makers using their own tricks and as you said : you always learn the hard way..... i was laughing out loud reading "I fold the cover and see if the resulting lefts and rights on each side match and if they dont, I trim to make them match" because that was what i 've done BUT there is a kind of akward moment when you think "ok now which side do i trim to match the other one???? " Héhéhé cause when it's cut...it's cut

AhAh ! Welcome on board buddy ! I also do have some "troubles" with this floral carving technical and "emotional" troubles alike why do you think i "tattooed" my saddles ??? :D

Thanks Chancey77 You know, i think that if you know how to fix a saddle and used to do it you can built one from scratch with the Al'stholman books as a back up I have to admit it : yeah , sometimes it drives me crazy and i swear like a trucker => in that case, i just get out of my workshop and do something else before i really get mad and make a terrible thing! And i am awed by the terrific things you do yourself too!

Nice chaps for a 1st and i can tell you .....came though the same troubles on my 1st ones too and Thanks Bob for the left/right things with zipper i would not have dared "modify" them that way

yeah! really neat

thanks , i will take a look talk about Karma or anything else all thoses saddles (mine included) have been built to fit short legs (28/30") and i am still trying to grasp the best way to build them so that you got the middle hole of the stirrup fender and keep the efficiency and the good looking (and even Al's books do not solve my troubles on that specific point) so, the way being, the sleeve of the buckle always lays on the skirt and does not even come close to the rib cage of the horse

If by any chance you wanna see some of my saddles , you will find a "compile" here => http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=45095

that's my pleasure :D I really think that you build terrific saddle tree If i were living in the US or Canada, i would do business on regular basis with you! but regarding the shipping + terrible customs in France.....i will had to wait .....but i keep in mind a "special saddle tree with a nice polished horn...."

Coming soon (but do not know which one 1st) : 1 saddle made from endurance saddle tree 1 saddle from a bowman roper (surely #5) 1 saddle from a Reiner 12 (#6) for a reinning saddle and 1 saddle with a Barrel saddle tree ..... might be totally crazy Note : All my saddle trees come from Randy Alexander (rawhide saddle tree) except the barrel one : it's a ralide and wanted to "try" it myself for the ones who can afford it => try Denise and Rod Nickel saddle trees => terrific stuff too! (1 day, i will have 1!) :D

#4 saddle ordered specifically by a customer after seeing the #3 This one is the one i am "less" happy with for several reasons (esthetically speaking) Legcut bowman saddle tree => this shape gave me a helluva troubles with the fork cover Plus, I had a serie of troubles , had to stop, think, undo , redo ....in a nutshell : this one almost drove me to drop the job.... Make to myself = i will try again a leg cut ....but in some years... The leather was not H and O as usual (chahin ) it was really great to carve but what a S***T to mold ! heavy and dense stuff came with the whole "shebang" : back cinch, headstall, breast collar and mohair cinch those were "calming" to do and Chaps too (used Goligher leather : what a terrific leather to work with

#3 saddle (the one i brought with me in Sheridan 2012) Old Mexico saddle tree inskirt 1st inlaid seat (thanks to all the advices i got here ) => to be honest, i mixed several kind of tips and did it my "mixed way" turned out really nice and to be honest : I find it easier than padded seat AND I find it nicer too

#2 saddle Sid special saddle tree (i had a devil of a time putting on the fork cover) In-skirt saddle ( i wish i could built another flate plates because they 're my fav' and way easier to built IMO) 1st padded seat => learnt the hard way not to use too tough leather for that BUT "Impossible is not French"....I did it with that oiled leather i had :D ( but not really by the book tough i guess)