JinxedDream

I really enjoyed this thread. Looks like I'm not as "out there" as some of the people around me like to make me believe. Not a saddle-maker but that's what I'm working towards. I never understood the "microfitting" crowd. I buy my saddles to fit me and then I go buy the horse that fits the saddle. Or sometimes I end up with a horse worth keeping around and I'll get them a better fitting saddle. As long as the horse isn't sore, isn't trying to buck me out of the saddle and moves freely under the saddle, I consider it a reasonable fit. I should note that I buy auction horses, I'm not that picky. I don't fit the mold of the current rider market so when I find a saddle that fits me, I'm very happy. I really like that someone pointed that rider position can have a lot to do with fit and the comfort of the horse. Some people, I'm sorry to say this, don't belong a horse. An off-balance out of shape rider can do more damage in an hour than an ill-fitting saddle will. Combine the two, leave the horse in that situation for a few months and I'll pick them up for a couple hundred at the next sale. It's also amazing what a horse will put up with when you can actually ride reasonably well. I look at photos of my first horse and saddle now and wonder how she never got tempted to throw me in the creek. Very narrow tree, huge fleece pad and stirrups sitting too far back. Rode everywhere for hours on end for close to 5 years and that horse was never lame or sore. The trick is really to find that middle range of the horses someone rides and then find a good quality saddle that will last them 20 years.

My ultimate goal is to build a half-breed or stock fender saddle like the one I currently own. It's a no-name saddle, doesn't even have a stamp on it but is by far the most comfortable I've ever ridden in. It's also the first and only saddle I've found to fit my horse really well. Not bad for a saddle found slowly dying in the basement of the local tack shop (the owner didn't even know what kind of saddle it was and was just happy to see it go). I'd only make the saddle for my own personal use. I ride endurance/LD trail so comfort for both horse and rider is my major concern. Anyway, I'm wondering where I'd find a suitable tree for making such a saddle? Also what sort of resources do you suggest I read? I know the Al Stohlman books are highly recommended for western saddle construction but what about other stock saddles out there? I'm in no hurry. I'm still learning the ins-and-outs of leathercraft. I love restoring older saddles and from my dressmaker days, I have a good eye for seeming how the pieces fit together to make a final product. I also have a good friend that makes her living in the leathercraft trade, so I'm not completely out in the dark on my own here. For refernce, my own saddle:

Did you find your sheepskin? I have a factory in town that sells sheepskins and remanent bags. Really top-notch stuff. As for the shanks, I haven't seem them anywhere, I use 1 1/2" rings, two of them because I don't like the bend in the generic shanks, it leaves me with conflicting cues. If I finally get someone to teach me how to weld, I'm going to weld some rings together, gag-style to get a touch of leverage on my hackamore.

(Brand-new here) I really like that saddle. That's my ultimate goal, to make a half-breed saddle. I fell in love with the Australian hybrid saddles when I was desperately searching for a saddle that fit my horse and being on a limited budget. Found an old unstamped saddle in the basement of the local shop. I had to repair 3 other saddles and sell my favourite western saddle to buy it and now I'd never go back. What kind of rigging did you place on this one?