First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated

[First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated]

The Dusty Johnson book says skirts should be no longer than 29". Is the back of the cantle tooled? Your ground seat looks great.

[7/8 Flat Plate Rigging]

Ron,

That looks lower than mine, but I think my plate is too high. It cinched up just fine, but I feel like there is room for improvement. Congratulations on the progress.

Randy

[New Drawdown Stand - Modifying The Stohlman Design]

I am getting ready to build a new stand based on Stohlman's design. When you say it should be 2 1/2 inches higher in the back, are you sticking with the pattern and then raising the back plate this distance when mounting it? Thanks,

Randy

[First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated]

Ron L.

I hand stitched everything. If I bought a sewing machine, my wife would get it in the divorce. I used a jig similar to the one in Dusty Johnson's book. However there is a really good discussion about rigging placement in one of these threads. I need to review it again.

Ron, I have done some tooling, but not a lot. I did some leatherwork when I got out of high school, but just got back into it a couple years ago (about a 30 year layoff). Keep in mind that I took the pictures. There are some areas that are better than others. I was more interested in construction on this saddle than tooling. My next one will have more.

Thanks for the compliments.

Randy

[First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated]

You asked about time. Its hard to measure because I have a full time job and family already. I got my tree around the second week of September and finished last week. However, there were three weeks straight that I didn't touch it. Plus I stood around scratching my head a lot. I have about $1k invested in materials and another grand in labor if I got paid 50 cents an hour.

[First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated]

rdl123

Here are some photos of my saddle. It is based off Dusty Johnson's patterns I have his package (book, video and patterns) and Volumes I and II of Al Stohlman's books. I started with that and a general lack of common sense. I learned more than I care to type right now, but I am done and it is really comfortable to ride. It is a Bowman tree from Batie's Custom Tree in Welch, OK. The leather is all Hermann Oak. There are several mistakes, but none were 'deal breakers' for me. Plus, now that I know what they are, I can avoid them on #2. I have a friend who will buy the materials, so I get another shot at it. Plus I want to build one for my wife. She would probably rather have furniture, but what the hell.

Stay warm. Artic air is moving our way tonight, but you would probably think its spring weather.

Randy

[Hill Saddlery]

Here is the photo I promised. Thanks for the backgrond information. The number on the latigo holder is 444421615 if that means anything.

[Hill Saddlery]

Thanks very much. I will post a picture tomorrow. I live about 50 miles from Chandler, so I bet you are right.

[Hill Saddlery]

Can anyone provide some history on this saddle. I bought it at a garage sale and really like it. It is a very solid saddle. I will definitely keep it as a backup to my new saddle.

[First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated]

Once I am finished, I plan to post some pictures and a recap of the project (time, cost, mistakes, what I learned, etc).

[First Saddle Project - Advice Appreciated]

Thanks for the update. I hope to finish my first saddle this weekend. Then I am going for a ride.

[Leather Choice]

As I am wrapping up (about 75% done) my first saddle, I am thinking about a second one. I would like some opinions on leather quality. I can buy import leather for about 1/2 the price of what I would deem as higher quality leather. It seems like a waste to use good 'tooling' leather on a ground seat. Any opinions?