Aurelie

#1 saddle built back in France while i was pregnant and thus with a little help of an extra pair of hands (delivered right in time before Charlotte poking her head out ) In-skirt saddle built on a "wade" saddle tree for a girl going into the country with her horse this one, i am particularly happy with the basket on the fenders : for any reasons i kept damn straight (and for any reasons, i can't keep straight my basket on small areas...)

#0 a roping saddle : Flat creek packer saddle tree with flat plates and the scalopped "crazy french touch" the one i built in Montana during my training (this one does not really counts because it was not in France, i had support even if it was only psychologic, and i had all the good tools underfoot)

Hello guys! Here is a post where i will post all the saddles i have built and the ones coming.... So that everything stays in 1 thread and does not "pollute" the whole section..... I have seen that many of my pictures have disappeared from several of my posts ( surely my mistake) so maybe with 1 thread i will stay clear and avoid to destroy my pictures :D Enjoy! And as usual => none of them are perfects I am "mad" with all of them for 1 or several reasons things i've done, things i would do differently and some "scientific tests" ..... Every piece of advice, tips or anything are welcomed and i would repeat something told to me not that long ago : "Rome has not been built overnight ..." I wish there will be a day when i tell you : "this one is "perfect" but i fear that it will be "a cold day in Hell" :D

I had once the same trouble (on my 3d saddle) and don't know why not on the 2 previous ones i sort of "padded" my strap (temporarly done it with a blanket ) when pulling on the seat and take great care when doing it and i had not the trouble on my last one (the 4th) I am about to start a new saddle and i have to take the time to customize my stand strap and pad it a bit (a bit like padded guitar strap) and try it Keep going that way! it's really nice

there are several ways of doing it have a look at Al stohlman encyclopedias, you will find 1 or 2 different ways of doing it detailed and explained step by step

Yup Kevin! it was fun......some "wee" projects to try in between 2 saddles i try my hand at different kind of leather working slowly but surely

Neat job!

And here the final batch..... I had fun doing this tried several kind of leather to braid and turns out the more "comfy" to braid is the lamb (green one) still, my fav' stays the 1st one (turquoise one) the the green one :D This one is not braided....it was just a scientific test that turned out fine :D

really neat basket!

Here a related item to belts => custom belt buckle this is a 1st shot to go with a matched belt but it appears that it leads to great creativity and improvement !

Hey Chancey! back at you too ! been a while seen we've seen you around! All those guitar straps are titillating me .....got to give it a try!

As for me : i do not see "treeless saddle" with a good eye because it does cause big troubles for the horses in general (contrary to the commercial speech) and does "fit" so few horses and is "ok" in so few circumstances....that it is not a good investment and can't be "advised" in a nutshell = you better go ride "bareback" rather than with a treeless saddle (especially a western one) , you will less hurt your horse a treeless saddle is as bad as a regular saddle which does not fit a horse just my 2 cents.....maybe someone will have another point of view to share...

here you've got nice advices from above :D give a try at Al Stohlman encyclopedia (3 vol) : a bunch of advice in there and Rod 'n' Denise saddle tree is one of the best choice if you're in the USA Keep us posted on how it's going!

nice!

looks good to me ! been "balsy" making rowhide bindings but it looks like it turned out good! aside some marks on seat + fenders (or maybe it's the picture and light mistaking me) it looks really really good! keep going!

I like those guitar straps ! care to put a picture of the underside? i am curious about how it 's attached i can understand the point of view of each "clan" i can understand that a "load" of posts in 1 shot from the same guy is overwhelming but as it's been said above : you're free to open or not the thread.... As for me : i ve got 1, 2 or 3 different posts (saddles, tack and "other stuff" and i try to post my new things in the corresponding thread and not posting a new post each time..... so that it s kind of "clean" and sorted out without overwhelming people and people are free to follow it or not Keep going , i am happy to look at your job

:D that's something we're thinking of with several other people.....but more "global" for the sake of the horse :D

Hey Nigel, Skirting leather for building saddles => i do not have found something that worked as fine as US leather (no matter the price - technically speaking - does not mold well , does not stamp well) as for "small leather", i have always been said that leather from Tandy are not really good so i kept buying other stuff from them except leather I tried to get in touch with Italian suppliers (in english 'cause i do not speak italian or french) and either they do not need new customers, or i am too small one or they do not speak english or french 'cause they do not bother to reply) so i searcher in France : found 2 small suppliers near my home : i find quite nice leather (not terrific though) i can buy in "small amount " ( several hides at a time - 1 to 3 usually) but trouble is : no continuation in the leather : you get what you find and it's not there the next time you come....) but for small project i do with this... I have BIG troubles to find REALLY GOOD QUALITY LEATHER (even with a high price) , specifically for chaps , here in France so i used to buy goligher leather in California (awesome stuff) but it does cost an eye when you count shipping+ customs . After searching like crazy , i finally found a guy in Espelette : http://www.carriat.com they sent me some samples , they seems fine , i can buy not too much hides (1 to 3 at a time versus 10 to 40 with others) and the price is slightly cheaper than if i bought from goligher.....so i have to give it a try.... It is just a really pain in the butt to find things that work + i hate that "french mentality" => girls can't build saddles or work leather or "Dear god above us , i won't tell you where i buy my leather or how to do that because you 're going to rob my customers"........i 'm just fed up with this..... I am a rookie, i do not do the same things than others in France (and i do not intend to do so) and i think along that way => Anyway, if someone comes along in the business and is better than others => he (or she) will deserve to get the business . That is this simple in my mind :D By the way : thanks for your praise, as said above, i am a rookie (except for saddle building for which i learnt from a teacher ) i learn from scratch - and a lot from that super terrific forum- I am far from perfect but i try and learn.....and for my sake , i think that Rome has not been built overnight Keep throwing at us some good tips And last thing : I love you job too = neat and classy! and i really like you UK system of guilds (i was talking about that with a fellow girl about "saddle-fitting" another poor thing not taken into account - or badly- in France

thanks Nigel for the links i will have a look at it might be less trouble than ordering from France than the USA

great videos

neat job

thanks for the reply i will have a look and see if here in France i can find something that could work congrats for the job done => terrific

interesting job! interesting ideas and really neat carving ! :D where do you buy the stool frame? and how much do you sell those stools?

nice job!

that's just TERRIFIC! :D seems SOOOOO easy when seen like this! héhéhé might almost give me the want to try Thks Kevin for this vidéo