Shortening Fenders/ Stirrup Leathers

[oldtimer]

nice tip!

and may i ask what you call "Nevada twist"?

Is it similar to what is called "wyoming twist"?

If different = what's the difference?

It is similar to " Montana twist "

[Aurelie]

It is similar to " Montana twist "

thanks!

Another "thought":

i guess a twist is a twist and can have different names for the same thing....

or are there different ways for "twists"?

and if so : what are the "pros and cons" if there are some?

[joe59]

If you have the opportunity to look at some old saddle catalogs you will see the easiest way to put a twist on your stirrup leathers. Before the stirrup leathers are laced or buckled, the leather below is turned. The left one is twisted counter clockwise and the right is twisted clockwise. I've used this method on numerous saddles, both restorations and brand new. I soak the entire fender, put them on the tree, twist the stirrup leathers below the fender and use my draw down to set the twist.

Hope this helps.

JOE

[mauifarrier]

I have a saddle in in which I will be doing just that. The owner isn't concerned about resale. I will remove the two rivets holding the fender to the stirrup leather at the top, then remove about two inches of fender and reshape the top of the fender making it narrower again near the top and reattach. The fender was up against the tree and still too long. The bottom edge of the fender was at the top of the stirrups so the hobbles weren't able to function as they should.

I agree with Saddlebag in the necessity of doing this. I usually remove 3" of fender, and have done it to three different saddles belonging to short legged riders. I'm a huge fan of the "twist", but sometimes it bumps the fender up higher above the stirrup and necessitates trimming all the more. Dusty Johnson's lovely $20 book on saddlemaking instructs you how to to the twist by building a cuff of leather and lacing it up tight. If you don't already own his book, it's very handy and informative for the money. A useful reference even for making repairs or replacing parts on a saddle.

[Saddlebag]

I was working with a saddle with leathers that would not budge even with dribbling neatsfoot and hot water in there. Then an AHA moment. Two empty clean tall yogurt containers were on the counter right in front of me. I cut the top rims and bottoms off and also down one side. I now had two roughly 4"x7" flat plastic strips. (I also rounded the corners) I worked them up into the tree, one on either side of the leather. This enabled me to bring the free end up in to the gullet area to clean and lubricate and get the leather sliding back and forth. I then repositioned the "slides and fed the leather back thro the bar, slick as you please. The slides have been a valuable part of my tool collection since.

[mauifarrier]

Great idea, Saddlebag! Thanks for sharing.