Replacing girth please don't

[Mulesaw]

7 hours ago, TomE said:

I've been happy with the chrome tanned billet bends from Naudin and Booth.  https://boothandco.com/products/booth-saddle-strap-leather-rawhide-cow-billet  The leather is stiff with little stretch.  I believe it is tanned by Thomas Ware and Sons in Bristol.  Perhaps it is available from UK suppliers?  It seems that dressage saddles have a wide range of billet lengths and hole patterns that I like to match.  My personal record is 33" billets on a Hermes saddle.

  

33" That is a long billet! 

The lengths that I can get from Laederiet (my supplier) are 13", 18" or 26"
So far I mainly get the 18 and 26" ones. My only gripe is that the holes are a bit elongated on the 18" ones, and not one the 26". It is only a visual problem, when I need to use a long one on the front part of a saddle and a shorter one near the middle (on Kieffer dressage saddles for example). I have only heard of Hermes saddles, never seen one in real life :-)

1 hour ago, Goldshot Ron said:

I haven't read any comments about her tool use. (Or, maybe I missed it.)  When replacing billets, I punch my holes in the leather first, before attaching them to the webbing, and gluing them doesn't help much in my opinion.  But, what bothered me the most was her use of tools.  Using a cobblers hammer on stitching irons, or hole punches, to set the holes irks the hell out of me.  I know it's "anal" of me, but I even polish the face of my cobbler hammers so not to leave marks on my leather.  I agree with Mulesaw, trying to glue a patch on to this saddle probably won't hold. 

Ron

I agree on the maltreatment of the cobblers hammer. It should not be used as a regular hammer, I have a ball peen hammer with a polished ball end, I only use that one for peening copper rivets. 
The sad thing is that despite her shortcomings in tool treatment and repair knowledge/execution, she seems to have a large audience. 
Maybe it is because people are more likely to watch someone telling them that "this is just a simple job that anyone can do" compared to someone who knows what he/she is doing and telling people that "this part is better left to someone who has a basic understanding of saddle repair".

I guess it is just rare that a good craftsman also makes good videos, I know that there are some out there capable of both, Lisa Sorrel is a prime example. Her boot making videos are top notch, and she really seems to know what she is talking about. Once in a while you manage to come across a video made by such a person, and it is almost reinvigorating to watch it. Sadly this saddle repair video was the complete opposite 

Brgds Jonas 

 

[JDFred]

I agree her use of tools was horrible.  Her stitching was equally so, not only was it just a plain running stitch but it was a fairly loose one at that.  So even if this would be an acceptable repair the stitching would make it not so.  It really just shows her lack of knowledge in horsemanship.  Setting a rider up for potential equipment failure not puts the rider in danger but also sets the horse up for failure weather through loss of confidence or through an injury.  I’ve was in a horse wreck dragging calves to the fire and had the rope get under my horse which led to equipment failure, my fault for thinking it the reins were ok, I ended up pretty cut up over the deal.  I can’t imagine what it could have been if my latigo of off billet had failed.

Edited 8 hours ago by JDFred

[Tove09Tilda]

I cannot agree more with all of you. There is a reason that in most places in the world being a saddler is connected to getting qualifications and even long apprenticeships. And seriously, I personally cannot stand for the life of me, most saddle fitters, as even they are often undereducated. A saddle fitter (with unknown qualification, probably a weekend course at one of the saddle manufacturers here in Germany) just sold a friend of mine a jumping saddle with a broken saddle tree. But she kind of beats that! I mean you shouldn't miss that the tree is broken, but it can happen. She willfully patched and even made a tutorial out of it. 

My first thought was: "Hopefully she has good insurance!" The second was seriously questioning why one would patch a billett? That is critical equipment and I learned in riding school that you renew everything that is a safety risk  ASAP. If that would have been my saddle, the whole straps would have gotten renewed! Just to be sure, and by someone licensed, also as they are insured for failure of equipment. Just to be on the safe side. 

Do you Americans don't have to pass training and official examen to be a saddler? I mean no saddle fitter would hopefully do such a job, they are certainly not qualified for that or whatever she calls herself. I'm a bit confused and maybe thinking too European. Can someone explain? 

[BlackDragon]

15 minutes ago, Tove09Tilda said:

I cannot agree more with all of you. There is a reason that in most places in the world being a saddler is connected to getting qualifications and even long apprenticeships. And seriously, I personally cannot stand for the life of me, most saddle fitters, as even they are often undereducated. A saddle fitter (with unknown qualification, probably a weekend course at one of the saddle manufacturers here in Germany) just sold a friend of mine a jumping saddle with a broken saddle tree. But she kind of beats that! I mean you shouldn't miss that the tree is broken, but it can happen. She willfully patched and even made a tutorial out of it. 

My first thought was: "Hopefully she has good insurance!" The second was seriously questioning why one would patch a billett? That is critical equipment and I learned in riding school that you renew everything that is a safety risk  ASAP. If that would have been my saddle, the whole straps would have gotten renewed! Just to be sure, and by someone licensed, also as they are insured for failure of equipment. Just to be on the safe side. 

Do you Americans don't have to pass training and official examen to be a saddler? I mean no saddle fitter would hopefully do such a job, they are certainly not qualified for that or whatever she calls herself. I'm a bit confused and maybe thinking too European. Can someone explain? 

There are no State or Federal exams or licenses here in the US. There are trade schools, apprenticeships, and self taught.

I'm one of those self taught but I wouldn't take on jobs that are critical unless I know what I'm doing. I focus on small repairs and if I see something that needs a pros hand I'm not afraid to admit it.

There's a couple saddlers in my area. One is an old timer that's been doing it since he was a kid and his father showed him. Another is around 30-40 and he was taught by his father and he was taught by his father. I tell people to go to them for major repairs.

[fredk]

afaik its the same in the UK and Ireland

[Tove09Tilda]

 

8 minutes ago, fredk said:

afaik its the same in the UK and Ireland

What's with the SMS? At least they have some rules on how you are allowed to operate your saddlery business. And then there is also the Guild examines and Chapel Manor. 

In Germany, Saddler is a protected profession, that requires you to do 3 years of apprenticeship, several tests and examen. Comparable to the Millennium scheme in Britain. That also means, no self-thaught saddlers in our country, only here and there some saddle fitters (not protected) with some questionable education aka non at all in some cases. I guess the max. you are allowed to make and sell, without being a saddler, is bridles, halters, dog collars etc, but certainly you are not allowed to make a saddle and sell and also no repairs, as you have no insurance for doing such things. We Germans seem to love insurances! XD