Gig saddle

[Aart]

Hello Everybody,

New to this forum. I have so many questions that I (almost) do not know where to begin.

I've started some weeks ago on a Gig saddle -for a two wheeler I mean-

Could anybody tell me some do's and do nots as I've checked my old Hasluck and other books on saddlery

from the old continent but so far there are no real plates or measurements and I'm alone in the woods.

Great to have "found" you

Eagerly waiting for anybody to reply

Best Aart

from Southern France that is.

[barra]

Aart. What sort of tree do you have. Wooden or metal?

[Aart]

Aart. What sort of tree do you have. Wooden or metal?

Morning Barra,

Thank you

Euh. I don't HAVA a tree.

I'm making one out of wood and aluminium.

Best Aart

[HorsehairBraider]

Wow. This is wide open because the size of the gig saddle is determined by the size of the horse, and that is all over the place for driving horses. Is this for a mini? A draft horse? A Morgan? You need to figure out the size of the horse.

This is a website that has a harness I would dearly love to have: Camptown Harness and there are some pretty good pictures of the gig saddle. Notice that one is longer than the other. The longer one is better for the horse, and I think she says somewhere she stopped offering the shorter one because the longer one gives the horse better protection and comfort to do his job, and no one wanted the shorter one anyway.

If you can, build it right on the horse. That way you'll know it's right.

[barra]

http://www.proleptic.net/products/view/6

This might be of assistance. Please be aware any measurements in the Hasluck book are for 1904 era horses

[Aart]

Wow. This is wide open because the size of the gig saddle is determined by the size of the horse, and that is all over the place for driving horses. Is this for a mini? A draft horse? A Morgan? You need to figure out the size of the horse.

This is a website that has a harness I would dearly love to have: Camptown Harness and there are some pretty good pictures of the gig saddle. Notice that one is longer than the other. The longer one is better for the horse, and I think she says somewhere she stopped offering the shorter one because the longer one gives the horse better protection and comfort to do his job, and no one wanted the shorter one anyway.

If you can, build it right on the horse. That way you'll know it's right.

Hi Horsehairbraider, but sorry the saddle you are pointing at is not a gig saddle.

It is a (nice looking) saddle to be used for a four wheel carriage.

The one I'm making is to be with a running back band for a two wheeled carriage.

The horse is 15 -16 hands (158 cm sorry) so the saddle is to be about 16 inch wide.

I'll post pictures during the fabrication.

Best and thanks again.

Aart.

[HorsehairBraider]

Hi Horsehairbraider, but sorry the saddle you are pointing at is not a gig saddle.

It is a (nice looking) saddle to be used for a four wheel carriage.

The one I'm making is to be with a running back band for a two wheeled carriage.

The horse is 15 -16 hands (158 cm sorry) so the saddle is to be about 16 inch wide.

I'll post pictures during the fabrication.

Best and thanks again.

Aart.

You must be talking of a different style harness than I am used to then. I use a set-up virtually identical to this one, and have for about 30 years, to pull my two-wheeled carts. We have always called that a gig saddle, and that is how it is labeled on the site itself and in all my books on the subject. There are lots of different ways to harness, so I guess this is the way we do in the USA and you have a different style.

Looking forward to your pictures! I wish I could make my own harness but I don't have the right tools, all I can do is repair mine. It must be so much better when you yourself can decide how long, how wide, how much adjustment etc. and make it fit your horse.