bebah

Hey Ray. Here are a few snaps of my '05 Ford 350 duely. I use it to pull my horse trailer and pick up grain, hay, bedding, fence posts, etc. I also have it outfitted with a 9' Western snow plow. Don't know how I would get along without it. Some people over here call these "Cowboy Cadillacs"

Hey Darc, Thanks for the response. Actually I think the layout is correct. This saddle is a bit under 25". It's for an Arab. So, if you are used to looking at quarter horse saddles, my rear rigging would look like a bucking strap. I'm kind of an old school rider. I always have the rear cinch loose. I know many riders keep them pretty tight. The front sinch rigging is full double. So, it affords me some adjustment from horse to horse. I have an old Circle Y that is rigged like this and it has made the saddle fit more of my horses. Mine should be considerably stronger than the Circle Y rigging. I hope ! Thanks again. Bebah

A few years ago I made a nice canteen cover. Nicely tooled and laced on. When I filled it with cold water on a hot day. Well, you can guess the outcome. The condensation soaked the leather. Compromised the tooling and I was not please. I had thought of putting an insulating liner between the leather and the canteen or a moisture barrier. But then I am afraid I will be creating a mold environment. Has anyone experienced this ? And is there a successful solution to wraping a metal or plastic canteen with leather and not have this problem. Thanks for any help on this. Bebah

Geeeeeeez ! I'm impressed. Great workshops. Well organized and look very functional. I'm sure I speak for a host of us out here that are envious of the excellent workspaces you have created. No wonder I can't get anything accomplished. Spend more time looking for tools than using them. Anybody hire out to organize ? Thanks for sharing. You really have been an inspiration. My shop is still in the planning stage. About 5 years of planning and procrastination. Soon.

I hope I am getting this in the Sheridan carving section sorry if I messed up. These are some of my first attempts at Sheridan carving. Saddle still not fininshed. Bebah

This is my first saddle. Still not quite finished. I am planning to do a fully carved Wade when I finish this one.

Fred and his buddy,Don, are out on the seventh hole of the local golf course. Fred shows a golf-ball to Don and asks, "Ever seen one of these" ? As Don looks up at the, bright, orange golf ball he replies "Yeah, that's an optic ball. Everyone is using them". "No, not only that", says Fred. "If this ball goes into the water it floats and chugs over to the shore so you can just pick it out." "Really" !, exclaims Don. "Not only that", says Fred. "If you hit this ball in the woods, It will emit a beep until you can locate it." "That's amazing ! You'd never lose a ball like that" says Don. "Where can I get a ball like that "? " I don't know", says Fred. " I found it on the third hole.

Thanks Denise, That thread answers many of my questions. Bebah

I am still in the process of assembling my first saddle. It will have a full padded seat. I am contemplating building a Wade with a padded insert. Can anyone give me some how to info on how that's done ? I have some ideas on it but I would like to see, hear or read how you have done it successfully. Thanks for any help or reference you can give me on how to accomplish this. Bebah My current saddle.

bear warning Bebah

Hi Serena, I would be glad to post it on one of the Arabs when I have it finished. If you would like to see some of the arabs without the saddle, you can see them on my website. www.ancientoaksarabians.com Thanks for the kind words. Bebah

Hey, thanks for all the words of encouragement. I might add, that if the skirts appear short, it's built for Arabs. I took several measurements from my horses and had Bowman build a tree to my specks. So the overall length of the saddle is about 25". I am in the process of putting together the full rigging. Then I can assemble. I am in a quandry regarding the stirrups. I am leaning toward matching, carved, leather. Rather than metal. I still have to to the padded seat. I find that a little intimidating. I did have trouble finding a 3/4 foam with good density for the pad. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I might obtain such material ? Thanks for any help on that. Bebah

Mornin' Go2Tex, I use a variety of bevelers. I use primarily Tandy/LeatherFactory tools. I did buy a few from the Al Stohman line. As you can see on the undercutting of the flowers I have about 4 different sizes of undercut bevelers. I like the way you can get more relief on the flowers. I like what it does to shadows and textures. In the broad open areas I use the larger bevelers and go smaller as the work requires. I don't know if that answers your question. If not, let me know and I will photograph them and indicate where they were used. Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Bebah