Wade Tree

[Trapper]

Hello

Thank's Jon, Rod Nikkel is just discussed in our forum ( Vaquero-horsemanship ).

On this Web Site are good informations.

The Site from Mr. Frecker's I have not viewed, but i do it.

Very much Input )

This tree has a lot of history

But, what are his advantages over other trees?

I have read, he should be especially good for long rides and for Roping.

Roping ... OK. But why for long rides?

Thanks for your Help.

Trapper

[jonwatsabaugh]

There are a lot of mysteries concerning tree shapes, styles, etc. The reason being, most people never get to see a tree sans saddle leather, let alone inspecting one in the wood. Just having the opportunity to hold one and place it on a horses back would answer many questions for them. Most folks aren't aware that any style of fork can be attached to any style of bar, and that those pieces constructed by the tree maker are open to interpretation. Although all the custom, hand made tree makers I know of are very consistent with their own patterns and construction techniques, there are no standards in our trade to define a standard or “base line” for rock, twist, and flair for a particular horse type (not breed), as well as the fork design( I believe Dennis Lane's card system will definately move us in the right direction for fit). However, after having the opportunity to inspect and evaluate a number of trees from different makers there are only subtle differences in the bottom side profiles of the bars among the well known custom makers( and I stress custom makers). Most of the difference is in the angle and spread they have. Makers of hand made trees have the ability to translate their rock, twist, and flair profiles to any width of bar, whether it be a wider(Northwest) bar or a narrower(Arizona) bar and ending up with the same fit, only less surface area contacting the horse. Northwest and Arizona mean about as much to me as Semi-Quarter horse, Quarter horse, and Full-Quarter horse bars. These are terms that have been, in my opinion, used unsuccessfully in the equine industry only adding to the confusion and mystery of the saddle tree. The same goes for a Wade front. When someone orders a Wade tree or complete saddle from me, I speak to them in terms of dimensions. Sometimes they will have a picture...that's easy to interpret. I have yet to see any of the mass producers of trees that have been able to interpret a true Wade, with the exception of Sonny Felkins, and I'm not wild about all of his.

Jon

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

Here is our understanding of what makes a Wade, a Wade.

The Basics:

1.) It has a wooden horn. If it has a metal horn, it is NOT a Wade, regardless of what it is called.

2.) The stock thickness (thickness front to back of the block of wood the fork is cut from) is longer. Most metal horn trees have a stock thickness of 3 ¾” or 3 ½”, while the Wade is traditionally 5”. We don’t know if this was the original stock thickness, but it has become the standard now. However, we commonly build what we call “Modified Wades” with stock thicknesses from 4 ½” up to 6”. (This is where some of the other names may come in. For instance, as far as we understand it, a “Ray Hunt” Wade has a 4 ½” stock rather than the traditional 5”.) The way we see it, the thicker stock is needed to have enough wood available for larger horn cap sizes and to balance the “look” of a larger horn.

3.) A Wade is a slick fork, not a swell fork. Again, we don’t know the exact shape of the original tree, but now it is pretty variable. You can order different fork widths from very slick to almost swell. This may also the source of some of the other names. Rather than giving them a numerical width (which really doesn’t mean anything as there is no real place to measure a slick fork), someone gave them different names to distinguish the shapes.

4.) It has a thin gullet. Because it has a wooden horn, there is no need for the thickness that is necessary for the length of screw used to hold a metal horn into the fork so the gullet itself can be made thinner. This means that for the same amount of clearance at the hand hole, the horn is closer to the horse’s back, reducing the leverage when roping. (On our trees, this is almost an inch difference.)

5.) THE FACT THAT A TREE IS A WADE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW IT FITS THE HORSE. Can I emphasize this any more??? You can get the same low clearance with other fork styles if you order them correctly, and other than a longer bar tip to accommodate the thicker stock, there is no “standard change” that makes the fit of bars attached to a Wade fork different from the fit of bars attached to any other style of fork. Most hand made tree makers we know have one or maybe two bar types total. This “bar type”, for us anyway, has to do with the shape of the outline of the bar. (The absence of a back stirrup groove can be another factor influencing “bar type” if the tree maker chooses to build them that way.) The width and angle at which they are placed and the amount of rock, twist and the curve of the bottom of the bar are all completely independent of the shape of the outside of the bar. I would assume that if one were using duplicating machines in producing the bars, it would not be easy to change these in an independent manner, so one “bar type” may fit in a specific way while another may fit differently. But this is all because that one maker builds them that way, not because the “name” has anything to do with the fit. And, as may have been mentioned once or twice, every tree maker does things differently. Hand making bars individually gives you the flexibility to change every one of the variables independently. The fork style or horn type you put on a tree HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BARS with the exception of a longer bar tip on the Wade bars. And we even cut this back to “normal” when requested for bulgy shouldered horses.

Further Explanation:

6.) Because it has a wooden horn, the diameter of the horn must be greater to be strong enough to handle roping. This gives more surface area per wrap, which is an advantage when dallying. If you tie hard and fast anyway, there is no advantage of a wooden horn over a metal horn. We don’t know the specs of the horn on the original Wade, but the height of the horn, pitch of the horn cap or cap size are all variable now.

7.) Along with the thicker stock, which of course means a longer gullet lip, comes a change in the angle of the top of the fork. If the same angle were used on a 5” stock as the more common 3 ¾” or 3 ½” stock, it would look like it were running severely downhill simply because it goes out further, and would be more likely to contact the wither. The angle is changed so the gullet lip is raised compared to the angle on a metal horn tree. This also gives more clearance at the gullet lip, since you have lowered the gullet lip by decreasing the gullet thickness.

8.) There is no such thing as a set “Wade bar” that is consistent between makers. Most “Wade bars” have a longer bar tip to accommodate the extra stock thickness of a Wade fork. This is the biggest difference. They are often also a bit deeper or, in other words, the bars themselves are a bit wider. Since these saddles are meant to be all day using saddles, this is a benefit as it distributes the pressure over a wider surface area. This would be the only reason they may be seen as being better for long rides. Honestly though, if the length of ride is a factor in what bar you order, something is wrong with the bars you don’t order!! Any good fitting tree should be able to be used for long rides.