rufusjames

PcCowboy, can you share your process to achieve the color you want with the veg oil?

Thank you Mike, I'll try that on the next one. I put the pieces in the sun for a couple hours and got near what I wanted.

I am finishing up another saddle and I am having a hard time oiling to the color I want. I have put on 3 LIGHT coats of pure neetsfoot and allowed it to work over night with each application.the leather is still really light. I want it medium oil color and I am afraid of over oiling. What is the secret to getting a nice tan color to HO rough out? I have to ship the saddle out soon. Damn oiling has given more trouble...

Arm and Hammer baking soda and peroxide toothpaste works well.

Robert, Thank you, Chicago Stockyard Saddle Tree and Laporte Saddle Tree company make these trees in Colorado,USA.

I have shorter legs(32" inseam) and have suffered through knee pain while riding also. What helped me the most was switching to crooked stirrups and twisted leathers. I am a huge fan of the crooked stirrups. I ride the small Barrel Racer model. They really help align your leg while mounted. the footbed is parallel to the ground when on the horse. Twisting the leathers helped my knees also as I was not fighting the fenders wanting to return to their "natural hang" being parallel the horse. Much better when twisted the "natural hang" is perpendicular the horse. Therefore you don' have to maintain that position = less leg strain. This may or may not work for you, but has worked for me.

Lottarope, Thank you for the responce. I figured as much. I wanted to make sure there wasn't a easy solution I was missing.

JD, Thank you very much. Yes I did ad the extra leather. And the rear jockey. This saddle is actually the same one as pictured at the top of the page. I took it apart and remade it. CSST could not get me a 16" tree fast enough for me to be comfortable with the deadline. So I "bit the bullet" , remade it and met the deadline with three weeks to spare. It was a bummer to go backwards a bit,but I gained an extemely happy Customer. Everbody loves it when you tell them you will be finished earlier than quoted.

I just delivered this completed saddle to a member of the USA Polocrosse team last weekend. I am really happy with this one.

Very nice! I like all rough out. Looks great!

Wow that looks cool. Interested in seeing that movie. Looks interesting. A look into Afghan life, through the eyes of a dead goat!

I made two different shapes of seat bows. I made them out of 3/4 pvc. I just heated the pvc over the stove until pliable,then shaped it over the seat on a bare tree to get the shape I wanted. Sand with 400 grit and polish with rubbing compound. Only took 15 minutes each and they work GREAT. I'll post pics if there is interest. I make a lot of my tools.

JinxedDream, I have been messing with dyeing the rawhide to get more of a monochromatic look. Or at least not stand out so aggressively. I like it fine on lighter colored leather but not with the darker. I stitched it with my Toro 3000. And yes I try not do any carving/tooling on it because it is a dusty game and I like ease of maintenance over fancy. That being said, I think this design will be a PITA to clean anyway.

MakerUnknown, We play with a sponge rubber ball and catch,pass,bounce with a racquet. Like LaCrosse on horses. 3 on 3 for a section. Eight minute Chukkas(periods). Major difference between polo and Polocrosse is smaller size of field(3 acres as apposed to Polo's 10), we catch,throw,bounce... Being that we play with a racquet the direction of the play changes rapidly. So a lot of cutting, juking, quick stops and spins... VERY athletic horses. We are only allowed to compete with one horse. So no string of ponies. Just one for the tournament. There are exceptions but only for horse injury/ or deemed unfit to play by the onsite Vet. Then you have to play a horse that is rated equal or less if you change horses. Horsemanship is first and foremost. More info here http://www.americanpolocrosse.org/

MU thank you. I have been to your site a couple of times. Your work is absolutely amazing. Jinxed,thank you too. I do not cover the front with one piece. Couple of reasons. First is, I am building these saddles primarily for Polocrosse players. The rawhide helps keep the high points from getting too beat up by the sticks we play with. Also we untack between Chukkas(periods) to cool and care for our horses. Usually just throwing the saddle on the ground as we only have 8 minutes between chukkas. Lastly long trailer rides have torn up more than one of my Aussie stock saddles with welted poleys. This is also why my skirts are so small and "butterflied". Less insulation = cooler horse and closer contact. My main reason is looks. I think that one [piece covers look plain. The rest of the saddle has detail, lines, shadows, detail... The one piece cover just looks too blah to me. Honestly, to me it looks like a pair butt cheeks. My opinion fwiw. A pic of me and my horse at practice last weekend.

Another Polocrosse saddle completed. CSST cable rigged tree,Hermann Oak,16.5" 4"x12"seat, rawhide hidden stitch bindings...

You could make a longer strap and overlay the "too short" ones. Skive/split to match the single thickness of the rest of the collar, or close to it. Skive the ends thin and conceal the top overlay joint under your square concho. Glue and sew them together. The way I see it those square conchos will help conceal the "length adjustment"

I have seen that book recently on ebay for around $60 . http://www.ebay.com/itm/Making-an-Australian-Stock-Saddle-by-Ron-Edwards-/160948095920?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2579410bb0

I also like that the cable triangulates the tension to the saddle. The tension is almost equal front to back.

Being that I play Polocrosse (basically Lacrosse on horseback) with my horses I do not follow the micro fitting either. When I play I am rarely riding perfectly. Nor is my horse just standing on level ground. I hang off the side at a full run to retrieve a ball off of the ground,slide stop,180-360 degree spin,launch forward,stop again, roll back,spin, back up quickly all at full speed for 8 minutes at a time... If there is a way to fit all of those body positions perfectly, I want to hear about it. I believe there are too many variables in my riding to achieve that "perfect" fit. If my horses are not sore or uncomfortable, the saddle does not roll off, slide off the back,or up over their neck, then I believe it fits well enough. RJ

I play Polocrosse just about every weekend. We play and ride HARD. Love the close contact that the cable affords me. The cable rig along with "butterfly" skirts really allows me to ride with my legs and seat and stay out of my horses mouth. Never been any problems for my horses. Never sore. No gall. I ride a pretty loose cinch too. At first I was skeptical about this type of riggin. I do not see any reason to build my Polocrosse saddles any other way. I also frequently ride 10-15 mile rides legging up my horse for the season. Mostly at a trot. Again with no issues for my horses. RJ

La Porte saddle tree and Chicago Stockyard are the only two stateside that I know of that make an Aussie stock saddle tree. I am sure there are other treemakers that could or do. I don't know of any. But I haven't looked for any as I have been happy with the trees from both La Porte and Chicago. http://www.literidetree.com/Saddle_Trees.html http://www.dhrss.com/saddles/tree-style/index.html

Unique and well executed. I really like your work!

Thank you, the saddle is cable rigged. Here is the website with pics of bare trees with the cable http://www.literidetree.com/Saddle_Trees.html

What can I put on to "seal" a light oil rough out seat and fenders to keep blue jeans from staining it? Thanks in advance, RJ