Traveller

Downhill horses can sprint, which is exactly what cow horses have to do. They need to go from zero to a milion miles an hour, even if only for the second it takes to stop a cow from going the wrong way. Thoroughbreds are also built downhill, though not as much as quarter horses, and quarter horses are faster over a quarter-mile than thoroughbreds. Presumably if being downhill impeded speed, it would have been bred out of thoroughbreds and racing quarter horses, as speed counts for more than anything when it comes to racing (well, yeah). Well-trained, downhill horses with good conformation (and yes, that includes being downhill) know how to get their hocks beneath them to lift their shoulders up to move a cow, as a good uphill dressage horse does, though for different ends. I don't know the mechanics of why being downhill makes them able to sprint the way they do, but it seems to count. Like anything, of course, too much downhill is not a good thing. Much in the way a short back is better than a long back, provided it's not too short. But downhill seems to count. A lot.

Congratulations, Darc, on taking first and second place at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival last weekend! I'm particularly proud that the saddle you built for me took first place. Now I want it back so I can ride it in again... ;-) The second place rough-out is very nice, too. Good work! Joanne

oops... double post... I must be extra excited about my penning runs!

A quick update: I took this saddle cattle penning on Sunday and was amazed at how much better I sat the horse, and how much better the horse moved on the cows. I wasn't riding my own horse (the appaloosa in the photo) - he's decent on cows but doesn't really have the training. Instead I ride a horse that belongs to a cowboy friend of mine. I've been riding this horse for over a year now and this was by far the best he has ever been under me. I give the saddle full credit! Plus it looks darned good, too. Thanks, Darc!

I'd be proud to have the saddle shown at the Kamloops Cowboy Festival! Aren't all the saddles new, though? I plan to take excellent care of my Kabatoff saddle but it won't look fresh off the bench for long.

Thanks for the great saddle, Darc - it's even better in reality than it is in photos! It's incredibly well balanced and easy to ride in. Here are some photos of it on Traveller (I'm sure he's excited, too, though he hides his excitement much better than I do...). It's beautiful. Joanne You can see I've rolled the strings up until they're needed.

I always enjoy seeing your saddles, Steve. Thanks for posting! Joanne

Wow. Thanks, Darc!

Me too! I ride with my cellphone in one of those jogging iPod gizmos - you know, the ones with the elastic strap that wraps around your upper arm. Only I put it on my upper calf, since I figure it's less likely to get slammed into the dirt should I get slammed into the dirt myself. I don't always wear a belt, so a belt phone holder wouldn't work for me. But it's the same principle. But your leather case is much prettier than my stretchy fabric one! Nice work. Joanne

I'm no Aussie saddle expert but there was a time a few years back when I tried very hard to find a good quality Aussie saddle to fit my broad-shouldered Appaloosa but the right saddle didn't seem to exist. My Appy has particularly broad shoulders (he's halter-bred quarter horse on top, which is a strange way to build a riding horse) and of course I didn't put every brand on him but my conclusion nonetheless is that Australian horses are more thoroughbred-types and so they don't build saddles for broader horses. Has anybody else discovered that? Or have I jumped to a conclusion without a whole pile of facts worked in? The closest fit was a Porter saddle but even it pinched, and it was relatively wide. Good luck! Joanne

What a terrible shame. I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, Connerd. I'm sure you must be reeling. My thoughts are with you. Joanne

What does it mean to "rod" a tree?

Thanks, everybody. Very informative. Now get on that horse and ride, Bob, or I'll take him off your hands, saddle an' all. (Thanks for the pic, too - nothing like a photo to illustrate a point.) Joanne

Are you using a 28" cinch on smaller horses, or small-barreled horses? Or do you find that works for most average horses? Thanks, Steve.

Hi everybody, Goldpony's post got me thinking about how long/short a cinch should be. I've heard people say that the cinch should be short and the off-billet/latigo long, but goldpony's thread had me thinking that it might be the other way 'round. So how long do you folks think the cinch should be? And if you could post photos of what you believe to be the ideal balance of cinch length to latigo length (assuming the latigo and off-billet are equally balanced), that'd be just great. Thanks! Joanne