Doug Mclean

I agree with Tim on the lettering. Very clean work.

It's been some time ago. Weaver Leather had some braided poly halter rope but I think it was 3/4" diameter. They sell two styles so watch the braid pattern.

I'm looking for a supplier for some midrange priced silver conchos and other pieces.

Nice clean work Mark. I like the makers stamp. I'm always trying different ways to dress up the border. Looks good. DMcLean

I like your creativity. Most things that work started from someone's need. Looks to me like you did a remarkable job with few tools.

Hi Bruce. Nice work on the rope can. I too can remember when the galvanized tin cans were the real deal. Wish we could still get some of the grass ropes we had back then. Very nice work. D McLean

Does someone have these tools online? Would like to see the impressions. Thanks.

I have been adding a few of Barry's stamps as I go. No doubt the quality is unsurpassed. I don't seem to get enough time spent doing leather work!! Seems like I get driven every year about this time. Wonder if it has anything to do with the weather ???

I know the older craftool stamps are made of a higher quality than some of the stuff out there today. What compares that is available now?

Hope everyone is having a Happy New Years! Thank you for your feedback. Always got to check and see if there is something new. Most everyone here is sleeping with their snow shovels just so they can get out of bed in the mornings. (not quite that bad!!!) Dang sure has got winter.

Hello from Montana: Been a while! Hope everyone had a nice holiday. I'm just about to finish a leather cover for a rope can. What works the best for glueing these in place? Barges is what I have on hand. I have used this in the past and gotten by. Just wondering if there is something better out there? Also planning on some silver conchos. Can you get away with drilling a hole in these without them cracking in between over time? (The lids) Thank You!

Thanks again for everyone's help. When you sit in this saddle the cantle seems to be more straight up and tends to push on you just above your pockets. When a tree is ordered with this tall of a cantle. What would be the normal amount of dish?

Thanks for the picture Gordon. This tree had a 16 1/2" seat 5" cantle w/ 1 1/2" dish. I ended up building my own strainer and didn't have much if any shape to it. Is there some place you can get a strainer for an extra long seat? This whole project has been an attempt at replicating a saddle that the customer already has from another maker. The tree measurements were the same and the tree maker the same. The 5" cantle w/ 1 1/2" dish seems like it might have been causing some of the problem. Thanks again for the help.

Thanks Keith and Bruce for the quick response. Do you mind me pestering you with some more questions?

These are the pictures of the remake on the groundseat. I'm interested in all of the feed back I can get, so if you see anything at all. Thanks in advance!!

Thanks everyone for the feed back on the stifle problems. When these horses were sore in the stifle, were they sore to touch and also was it off and on?

This horse that I'm talking about has been giving me fits for several years. We raised the horse so he doesn't have a history that we didn't give him. I think he will be 8 years old in the spring. We started roping calves on him a year ago, and he was really coming fast. Then as we got further into the summer we started losing ground with his training. I never could find a sore spot on his back and he was never lame, just acted like he didn't want to stop and take a jerk. This summer I tried heeling some steers on him with somewhat the same results. When you first went to the arena he would be fine. The longer you roped ( 45min. or more ), then he would start to get short on the left hind leg. Take him back to the barn and unsaddle and in 15 min. he was plumb fine. I swithched saddle pads. Started with a 1" felt pad that was split all of the way down the back and a kodel blanket. Then I went to a solid 1" felt pad and double navajo on the bottom. The saddle is one that I have ridden for 10 years and have ridden a number of different horses with no problems. Even this horse seems to go fine in the pasture. We had one of the best horse chiropacters in the area work on him with no real change. It has to be a pinched nerve, not sure what we can do!! What brought this conversation about, was my boy pulled the shoes off of him the other day and he was pretty ouchy on the left hind. Just looking for some ideas or if anyone had any similar experience. We didn't take the saddle apart but from all testing on hard surface we can't get the tree to give.

Traveller: We are probabaly giving you a lot more free advice than you had hoped for. Here's the deal! 14" snow -10 to -20 and wind blowing. What else is there to do!!!! Maybe what you should do is post some pictures of your horse's back just after unsaddling from a normal ride. Then everyone would see first hand what you are describing.

First of all, you have a nice horse. One thing that I can see from your pictures, he has a nice long shoulder and a short back which should make him a very athletic and useful horse for a lot of different events. But the short back will cause your combination of pads to rub some hair. Here's a couple of simple things to try. When I choose my pads I always make sure whatever I'm using on the bottom is bigger than the one on the top. Your saddle being a factory saddle, the skirts probably were'nt blocked very good when built. You could take the saddle in where it's warm over night at least. Soak the back of the skirts with a wet towel and mold them up over the back of the bars. Over years of use this will happen on it own. But where it is a new saddle and your having some problems it is worth a try. My personal preference in the winter time is a kodel blanket on the bottom. They make two weights of kodel. I like to take the lighter one and fold it over and sew sides and back. This makes a nice blanket that will conform to your horse's back after just a few rides and they are not to thick ( Have your local saddle maker or shoe repair shop make you one the size you want as some of the ones that are available aren't big enough. ) Then you should be able to use the felt pad that you have on the top. I have had horses that I rubbed the hair off every winter and it didn't seem to make them sore. They looked kinda funny. Come spring when they shed their winter hair the problem goes away. Now if your horse is getting sore and acting up then all of these suggestions can be filed. I have used this combo of pads for years. The kodel is not all natural but it sure gives a nice cushion for your horse back. You might have to adjust your top pad as for thickness. Hope this isn't too far off of the trail. Just a few more idea's

Troy You are a very accomplished saddle maker. The workmanship show the pride you have in your craft and your saddles are ready to go to work. I have never seen a saddle finished on the OY tree. I would like to try one from the looks of this one. Very nice work and thanks for sharing.

If you haven't already done this. It wouldn't hurt to pull the skirts off of this saddle and take a good look at the flare and shape of the bars. I have repaired some factory saddles on cheaper trees and even some hand made saddles on production line trees where the bars didn't match from side to side. It might not be the way your wife is riding at all. Just another thing to check into!!!!!

Is your customer truly asking for Mule hide? Or are they just confusing the heavy apron splits because everyone calls it a mule hide wrap when it is used on a saddle horn.

About 8" here in Miles City and 22" in Billings, MT 40" in Red Lodge, MT makes you wonder!!!! I'm guessing we can't complain about it being dry anymore.

I'm starting to see what you mean about the low spot in the seat. Maybe when I start working on this I will take a before and after picture. Thanks everyone for the help.

Thank you for posting the pictures JoHanna. When I try and put more than one picture on a post of that size it tells me there is not enough room. Am I doing something wrong??