kypeep

Hey Guys, Turning to the experts here to help me out (once again!). I've got a Sean Ryon 2004 model that I'm getting ready to sell. I've cleaned it with Fieblings soap, put a little neatsfoot oil on it, and buffed it up. Looks good but still doesn't have the "shine" that it would if I sent it back to Ryon's and had them clean it. So, how do the saddle shops and ya'll experts do it? And how do I get the conchos gleaming too? Thanks in advance!

BJ - Very helpful information. Doesn't sound like this will be a difficult repair even for a dummy like me. We'll see what we can do at home right now. If it looks to be more difficult than anticipated, I'll hold off and have a professional do it. I suspect it's about a 5-minute repair for someone who knows what they're doing!

Okay guys, I've gotten home and taken a REALLY close look at the saddle. The only place that the skirt is pulling away is at the gullet. It looks like there are spots for at least 2 screws, maybe more (I'm sure I can pinpoint the number exactly with a little bit more examination). What is standard? 2 or 3 screws? And where would they typically be located along the gullet? One side still has one of its screws, although I'm not sure its the original. So, the next question is, do I need to take this saddle to a professional to put in the screws or can I buy them and put them in myself? If I can put them in myself, what kind of screws do you recommend? If nails (which I don't think it was), what kind of those would you use? And where do you get the screws or nails? Finally, how do ya'll recommend cleaning the saddle? I have wiped the dirt off (including using a toothbrush to clean the borders), saddle-soaped it, and put some oil on it, 100% neatsfoot. I don't know if it's been oiled in its lifetime - I think it could easily soak up about another half a gallon, but I'm doing the oiling slowly. I figured this saddle has lasted 9 years, and I would just as soon it last another 29, so I'm trying to take care of it right. BJson - I understand about the paint. Hard to sell the good ones but also hard to keep because that's what everybody wants!

BJohnson, thanks for those ideas. The saddle is serial #0100799, which I guess means it was made in '99? It's seen some use, but not bad compared to some cutting saddles I've known. I bought it 'cuz, even though I love the Ryon for cutting, it's hard to ride in on a day-to-day basis - the pocket throws me back too far and makes my old back hurt. I like that flat seat on the Coats, and the saddle wasn't spend-y as far as used cutting saddles can go.LOL, yes, Cletus Hulling. Cletus Jr was around our neck of the woods (Southeast) for awhile but then took off for Oklahoma a while back. Do you ride cutters? That's a pretty paint horse on your profile! I've tried to attach some photos to this, from when I bought the saddle. Don't know if it worked. I'll still have to go home tonight and pull away the front so ya'll can see where the problem is. saddleunderside.bmp saddlefront.bmp saddletop.bmp saddleunderside.bmp saddlefront.bmp saddletop.bmp

JWWright - Thank you! You answered exactly what I needed to know. That explains the two little loose screws in the gullet area:-), one of which was obviously a replacement and which I ditched already. That may be the only real problem - I'll check the skirt attachment to the bars of the tree and see if it's loose there too. The saddle is the Cletus Hulling cutter, if that helps any - http://www.coatssaddlery.com for photos. I'll post photos later tonight or tomorrow. Thanks again!

Jennifer, I don't know much about constructing a saddle, but I do ride cutting horses, and I can tell you that Leddy's is the creme de la creme for cutters. Leddy's actually does still make some saddles - you can see them at the Nat'l Cutting Horse Futurity in Ft. Worth (Will Rogers complex) every December. They are very pricey saddles. Yours is older and, to the best of my knowledge, more of an all-around vs a cutting saddle, but you still have a quality product. Hope that helps a little bit.

I just purchased a used Coats cutting saddle. Overall, the saddle is in very good shape. However, I desperately need some advice on how to repair one thing about it. Please bear with me, this is hard to describe, as I am not a saddlemaker, just a cutting horse rider:-) The fleece on the underside is still very well attached to its leather (skirt?). However, that leather has come loose from its attachment to the gullet and the "main frame" of the saddle. My question is this: how is the leather that holds the fleece attached to the saddle? Is it sewn to the gullet and the rest of the saddle? Is it glued? I have looked at my other cutting saddle, a Sean Ryon, and I still can't figure it out. I can't see stitch marks on either saddle, that's why the question about whether it was originally glued. That would seem strange to me for these types of handmade saddles, but I honestly know nothing about saddles except from a riding point of view. If it needs to be sewn, should I send it back to Coats or can most saddle-makers perform this repair fairly easily? If photos will help show where the problem is, I'll be happy to get them. Thanks to everyone in advance. Your work is very much appreciated, even by us dummies who just ride and don't know anything about constructing saddles!