AndyKnight

When you are finished ... the stirrup hobble strap will not usually go around the stirrup leather after it comes out of the buckle..just around the leathers that go around the stirrup. When adjusting stirrup leather length the bottom end by the stirrup should never be moved. The only time that hobble strap should be removed is to clean or oil. The leathers should be slid around the bars at the top when adjusting stirrupleather length . It pays to keep them well lubricated ! Hope this makes sense. The stitching either side of the buckle can easily done by hand however you can also choose to leave it without stitching and just use the rivets.

I build for 5'8"- 5'6" 17" 5'8" -5'10" 18" These will vary somwhat and are approx. and will depend on inseam and riding style. If you soak everything below the fender you will find it the easiest and will probably not get a noticeable water mark. Reoil the whole saddle when done. It may take a while ( half hour or so) to get the leather wet enough . It will depend on the oill content in the leather. You can usually drill the rivets out. although if I am cutting off the leather where it is riveted I will grind them of .

You would have to rework the twist , After shortentening the end where the buckle is .and reattaching the buckle you would have to soak and then retwist allowing them to dry in the correct position. I am guessing by the pic that you would probably gain 2-3 " for shorter inseam without shortening the fender. Not sure if that explains it or not..... . Andy

You would have to shorten the end where the buckle is riveted in. Shorten to as little as 10-11"

You have a lot of stirrup leather that can be taken up below those fenders. The botom fold where the strirrup hangs should only be maybe 2 inches belowthe fender. Not sure if that will make it work for you or if you already adjusted that. Otherwise you could sure rebuild those to where any cuts/adjustments would be hidden.

Marble or granite. Marble is quite fragile altghough both at 1"thick will be prone to crack unless laminated to perfectly to a substrate that has zero flex. .. I have seen 2layers laminated together with epoxy to stand up well and give the advantages of a thicker stone . Maybe cutting in half and doubling is something to consider. .3'x2' would make a very usable size. for glassing and skiving. I use 4" thick granite and for heavier saddle stamping I wouldn't trade it , I would tend to go with solid legs. Again if you are stamping wallets it not an issue. A large basket stamp or flower center on 16 oz leather requires a good whack! I have also seen stamping rocks beaded in a thin layer of sand . Have fun

don't see too many better reiners on here so I thought I would post these pics .. Just finished this.

all silver was done by Richard Tenisch. ph 250 378 0936 oops got the wrong pic it is kind of large.. don't know how to remove it.

A) what is the minimum thickness of the leather rigging in order NOT to compromise the strength of the saddle rigging. full thickness. How deep do you go in and where do you place your screws? usually a minimum of 1.5 ' it sounds like you didn't plan ahead when making your ground seat to allow for the thickness of your rigging insets. just install rigging and then smooth out groundseat with another piece of leather.

Thanks for the compliments. Darcy , no worries about seeing that in Kamloops it is in Switzerland..... I have committed to having 2 saddles in Kamloops so I am the one that maybe get to work,. Troy, the rear dees are JW cast SS . I generaly don't put a screw under the fork on slick forks (and reiners.) Ross, I build all my own trees. Bea, enjoy.

new saddle just finished. ostrich seat. customer was suppling braided strings with horse hair tassles.

Hi joanne, I would say you have it right. The fleece may compact a little however if the tree doesn't fit time won't help. Stiff skirts that aren't blocked properly may cause the saddle not to sit as nice as it might after some use. Andy

Over all good job. A few areas that I would watch and maybe do differently. Block the rear of your skirts up higher between the bars. This is an area that is really important if you build saddles with longer skirts. The front of the seat above the conchas could be improved. Stitch your cantle binding with 2needles rather than pop stitch. twist your stirrup leathers. You must of had fun stamping the gullet!! Good job of lacing the fork.

IMHO Just a run of the mill factory production saddle era..1960 's ( my guess) not sure of the maker.. Definitely not related to any "wade" The red seat leather sure hasn't faded! If you are lucky it may have a rawhided tree but without looking I would guess canvas covered...

Read Keith's post again !!!I totally dido his post. Just because something is " handmade" doesn't mean that it is built properly.

Antlers work very well... deer..elk etc.

HI Darcy, Just my regular cantle...... The fenders are lined however the seat jockeys are not..... Looking at juggling orders so that I might have something to show in March. ...... Andy

Ialso haven't posted any pics for quite a while so here is one that I built this month... I also built the tree which would probably be called a 3b... The stirrups that are covered and stamped to match are not pictured.

test the bars:: place the saddle nose down( horn down) on the floor and apply your weight to the cantle to see if there is any movement/flex. test the fork :: place the saddle on its side on the floor and apply your weight on the top side to see if there is any flex in the fork ( usually would be under the horn) or cantle. You may have to apply all your weight . I suspect it may be more of a horse issue that may or maybe not caused by the saddle. It is usually hard to see a broken tree by looking under the jockeys..

Good luck with the heel shave! I quit using heel shaves and spoke shaves about 18 years ago now... I use these ( osborne skiver ) almost exclusively for ground seat construction. I have noticed the last box of blades that I got are thinner and I go through them quicker. My link

Amen! to Denise and David

I usually, but not always stamp mine after my seat is glued down. This way my lines are perfect. Slickforks are the easiest to basket stamp with very little distortion. .. The way Darcy does it you get the nicest cased leather. As later it is a little more difficult to get it cased well. Take your time and it will turn out well.

Very nice Jon.

I would probably put a new cantle back on + filler + new cantle binding to get it back the way it should be ..

OK I will throw a new loop in here...... I build all leather almost exclusively however...I am building a cutting tree right now with very thin bars and have covered with epoxy and fiberglass and built a fiberglass strainer that is now part of the tree.. I will use a little leather to dress the seat to a desired shape but the closeness to the horse will be far less than a traditional saddle and as the ground seat is now part of the tree it makes the tree that much stronger. Clint, I wish I were close to you as I would sure like to visit with you on riding reining horse and what you prefer in reining saddles.. I believe I may have built you a couple of headstalls with Richard's silver. Yes we all use short cuts. I call it getting more efficient ...some favorites a sharp knife, and ,,,power drill, sewing machine, clicker ,prewaxed polyester thread, (Some of you buy your own trees) . A true craftsmen/ businessman will get to know where and how to make shortcuts to increase the margins in his products while increasing the quality. If you aren't trying to make a living then you may take the longest way to get to the destination ...enjoy the ride.!! "If you don't want to be boxed in you must at least start thinking outside of the box" My thoghts...Not intended to offend anyone... Have a Great day!! Andy Knight