BondoBobCustomSaddles

Hi Chaed, sorry to hear that you are having trouble finding a saddle o fit you horse. Actually from the pics, you shouldn't have too much trouble fitting you horse, however; since you are in Austria, it is hard to speak to what is actually available. I would suggest a custom saddle for your horse, and of course the key part of "custom" is the tree. As for getting one that fits, there are several really good tree makers here on this web sight, and I am sure one of more of them will chime in here. Once you have a tree that fits the rest is a lot of work, but; do-able. If making your own, is the course you decide to take, then I would suggest the Stohlman Encyclopedia of Saddlemaking as your text books to achieve this. If you decide to have it done make sure that your saddler contacts one of the tree makers on this sight and they will get you guys going in the correct direction. Now there is one more suggestion, that would be to get a set of Lane templates and use them to measure your horse. Once that is done, a good tree maker can give you advice on what angle, gullet width, rock and so forth that you need to have in a saddle that you purchase so that it will fit. Short of making a saddle for you, that is the best advice I can give you. If I were making a saddle for you, the first place I would start is to make templates of the horses back and send those along with pics of your horse (you already have) to my tree maker to have the tree made, so that would be my advice for you. Good luck, and of course don't hesitate to ask your questions here. There are some of the best saddle and tree makers in the world in residence here. Bob

This subject piqued my interest, so I did a little searching and I found this pic. For what it's worth, the boot on the right is a size 5, originally made in 1863 and is unworn. It is an Artillery Driver's boot. Information says that it , unlike today's boots, has a pegged sole. It also says that this boot is 10" tall from the sole to the top, and has a molded front. Information also says that this boot was replaced as issue in 1872, with a taller boot that was 14" tall and meant to reach above the calf, and was also issued to mounted cavalry. There is also a lot more information out there, just search Pictures of 1880's Cavalry Uniforms. It sound like short of having a pair of boots that some relative wore during that time, a case could be made for almost any style, and was OK with the US Quartermaster, since the Quartermaster Corps, had soooo many regs on the subject, (anyone having been in the service can attest that this still exists today). Hope that helps! Bob

Tim, very nice work. The work exemplifies the reason you should take your time to plan out properly the steps to achieve a nice professional result. Once again, nicely done. Bob

Nice job Tim! Very clean and professional. I like them a lot, and I am sure that the owner will also. Keep up the good work. Bob

Sorry CW, I mistyped, what I meant to say is that I use Weldwood Contact Cement, not rubber cement, on almost everything including sheepskins. Bob

For me, the difference between Masters, Elmers, and Weldwood ( the brand I use) is negligable . I live a mile down a dirt road, and fortunately for me, there is a hardware at the end of that road that carries lots of stuff I use, like cut tacks, stainless screws, and of course weldwood rubber cement. It is reasonably priced, holds very good, and more can be obtained in just a couple of minutes. Since it produces a good bond between leather to leather, leather to wood and leather to rawhide, you can guess what I use. Bob

Most of the time I do use Bowden trees, however; I always have them custom made. I specify all that I want and pay the fee for having them made to my templates and they are and have always been made by Dave Bowden. I have never had one that didn't fit correctly , or that I had complaints about. While they are a factory manufacturer, Dave is also a custom maker , and does a nice job, especially for the money. I am sure that Rod, Jon and the others really make nice ready to use trees, but; like JW said, it is a matter of cost, and up here, there just aren't a lot of folks that want to spend the extra for a tree. Bob

That last sentence is a mouth full of words! I think it says it all. Bob

Well, from the law suit side of things everyone pretty much have covered it, however; believe it or not, that is just the tip of the iceberg! I am a retired advanced seat system engineer from Lear Corporation, and Ford Motor Company. I have spent thousands of hours in the test lab, evaluating and designing seating systems and their related safety features and equipment. Seat Belts are no longer seat belts, but; part of a much more complicated and intricate safety restraint system, and while it seems simple, these systems are designed and federally regulated to IIHS and FHSS mandated standards. These "Seating Systems" next to the engines and trans' are the most complicated and intricate systems in the automobile. The Auto companies, all of them, not just the big 3 spend billions, annually to protect the consumer against himself and the misuse of the equipment that is federally mandated in the vehicles. Even something as simple as that strap circumvents the design and negates the test results that they worked to achieve and validate the seating system. ( they stopped being just seats a long time ago, thanks to Ralph Nader) As a Seating System Engineer, and someone who has seen the lengths that are gone through routinely to prevent modification of even the simplest component, by the auto companies and their VERY EXPENSIVE TEAMS OF LAWYERS, my advice is to stay as clear as you can of that item. Sorry, to bust your bubble, but; the days of doing a good turn just because you want to help are long gone. Bob

Well, I am 5'9" and currently my work/tooling bench is set at 34". Guess that this post has made me re-think the height, so next time I am working in the shop I think I will raise the bench 4" or so and see it there is any difference. currently I use the back end of my stitching horse as my stool, been doing that for 20 or so years now. Guess I'll re-think that also. We'll see. Bob

Bob Park is at the very least, one of the very best out there on floral and Sheridan tooling. He has a book out and if you PM him, he will let you know how to get it. We are lucky to have him on this web sight giving advice and tips. Bob

My comments are the same as Bill's. I think he must have read my post before I posted it! LOL Bob

There are lots of Vets on here that range from Korea to present, not too sure about WWII, however I just visited one the other day and amazing he is still kickin" pretty good. Anyway, I am sure that your work is appreciated by all. Bob

Simply put, hand sewing is a talent you will always be able to use. (as long as you are getting the book for holster making, get the book on hand sewing also) There are parts of a saddle that I hand sew because I can't get a sewing machine "in there" and get the look that I want unless I hand sew it. I am sure that you will find that it will serve you well in making holsters also. Bob

Bob, great job of recording the event on film! There is something there for every one. It gives those of us that couldn't make it, a chance to see what we missed and more importantly, some incentive to try to make it next year. Great Job, thanks for posting. Bob

Nicely done Ruf. It has a nice usin' look to it. I imagine it is also very light. These days that seems to be what everybody wants. Good job. Bob

All I can say is, keep showing us you work, please. It serves as an insperation to us all. Bob

For me everything Jim says is the same way I see it. I make my saddles the same way. I only vary from my norm when I am making something for someone that is a real horsemen and knows what it is that he wants. Even then, I feel the need let them know what they are asking for iis not the normal. Bob

Keith's advice is rock solid. I won't even make a saddle for a horse that is that age. There is too much change. As for the breed, your type of horse has a much more prominent set of whithers once he is fully mature than most Quarter horses. Once again, Keith's advice is rock solid. The specialty pads under a plain middle of the road western saddle will get you by till he has grown. Once he has grown closer to his finished out size, you can spend the dollars to get a really well made saddle that you will be able to use from there on out, and your horse will appreciate the difference. Bob

Joel, that's the best way to look at it. You do your best to give a good quote, and then supply what you promised, even if it turned out to cost more than you figured. It's like sewing seeds for your your pumpkin patch. You get those "big" seeds, prepare the ground, fertilize, plant them, add water and nutrients and some time it really gets you what you want, sometimes you learn what you will do different next year. Lessons learned that way, always stick better. Personally I usually charge $35 / hr, plus material. That usually gets it done with a good profit. If I am not sure about how much I will have in it, because it is a first, and still have to give a good quote, I do the best I can, and stick to it, and when the customer picks it up, that's the price he/she pays, however; if it has proven out to be more than I expected, I let them know not to give out the price they paid, because future product will cost more. I usually make out good, unless I have given out a price and then find out that there has been a price increase on something (like sheepskins!) . Anyway that's the way I do it. Bottom line, you can't give it away because you don't want charge too much. If they want top quality goods, they should pay for it. I hate when someone comes to me with a "sows ear" they bought on ebay and want me to make into a "silk purse" and complain that the cost is too much. The old saying "you get what you pay for" Is alive and well. Bob Bob

Certainly as the guys suggest, thickerer (lol) and heavier, and braced makes it a better surface to put your tooling work on. Mine is 3" thick laminated 1 1/2" by 3" hard maple glued and bolted together with a base of welded steel heavy wall tubing which has a height adjustment system incorporated into it. It is 3' by 5'. It is so solid that I only need a 3/4" plate of steel to actually stamp on. I also use it for mounting a splitter and small arbor press on. Bottom line is that it can not be too sturdy. Bob

Without question, a unique work of art! Must be a good friend. Bob

The best and simplest directions I have seen are in the Stolhman Encyclopedia of Saddlemaking. You don't have to have the whole set, I believe the information you are looking for is in volume 2. Bob

My experience is the same as Denise and Rod. While i do not make my own trees, I send very detailed templates of the horses back and pictures of the horse to the tree maker. The results have always been good fit, and that goes for Paso Finos, Tenn Walking horses and all the others. A good fitting tree that speads the weight evenly over the largest area on the horse and allows for movement without "poking" has always been just the trick. Bob