Checking a saddle tree

[RichardCollmorgen]

What is the best way to check a tree in a saddle? Should I pull the jockey and lift the seat to visually inspect it or can I stress it in a particular way and see if it gives? My nephew has a factory saddle by NRS. I suspect it has a fiberglass tree in it. His calf horse works well the first couple of runs each practice and then starts to quit working rope. A PRCA roper that he took a lesson from suggested that either the saddle might not be fitting well or the tree might be cracked.

[AndyKnight]

test the bars:: place the saddle nose down( horn down) on the floor and apply your weight to the cantle to see if there is any movement/flex.

test the fork :: place the saddle on its side on the floor and apply your weight on the top side to see if there is any flex in the fork ( usually would be under the horn) or cantle. You may have to apply all your weight .

I suspect it may be more of a horse issue that may or maybe not caused by the saddle.

It is usually hard to see a broken tree by looking under the jockeys..

[RichardCollmorgen]

Thanks Andy. I'll take the advice.

Edited October 23, 2009 by RichardCollmorgen

[Double U Leather]

Richard........I agree with Andy all the way around. If you got a saddle stand or rack, you can grab the horn in one hand and the cantle in the other and push them toward each other. If the tree is broken, you can see and feel alot of movement. To visually see if the tree is damaged, you'd have to tear it down quite a ways to expose the tree.

As for the horse not working, I've run into the same dilema with my son who is 16. When he first started tying down, he had a horse that was supposed to be a real good tie down horse. The horse would work for a few runs and then quit. Finally, after alot of practice, when my son was stepping off better, the horse began to work again. Alot of calf horses quit working due to pilot error. Another factor may be his hocks and/or stifles. They can get sored up pretty quickly if you're running alot of calves. I'd probably lean more toward horse issues than saddle issues. And of course, every now and then, those horses just need some ol' fashioned tuning. You can PM me if you want about some of the methods we've used that work really well.

Good luck to you.