Advice needed want to rework the seat on a McCall

[TerryE]

Hi everyone,

I am messing with the girlfriends McCall saddle. I really hurts her and my sitbones to ride it.

I have pulled the screws and saddle strings off.

I want to pull off the cheyenne roll, can i just cut out the thread and hand sew it later.

Also the seat is glued down. is there a certain way i can remove it without doing much damage?

The plan is to reshape the seat and put it all together. Any advice would be very appreciated.

Thanks,

Terry

[grumpyguy]

Terry,

I would bet the seat is glued down. (Most are unless they have been subjected to weather, wear and tear that caused it to come loose.) The cantle binding or roll would have to be disassembled as well. These are not really easy to reassemble and would have to be done by hand. This would be a job best left to a competent saddler. In my experience they would likely tell you to sell it and recoupe the money you have invested and go buy or order a new saddle that fits your girlfriend better. If your bent on taking on the project you are talking about major changes in the ground seat, requiring knowledge and tools made to tackle the job, skivers and shaves as well as a drawdown stand to mention just a few. Another consideration is the tree it self has much to do with how a saddle fits both horse and rider and there is a limit to the adjustments that can be made. It can be done but you'll invest more time and effort than it will be worth plus if it does not come out well the value of your saddle will be less. (McCalls do carry a pretty good value even used if they are in good condition, as they are one of the better production saddles and quite popular in the West Coast, Rocky Mtns., and Northwest, You should have little difficulty in finding a buyer.)

[TerryE]

Thanks GrumpyGuy,

I was getting the impression that was going to be the answer. Thanks for the info on the Mccall being pretty popular. I have worked on Canadian Trooper saddles and have gotten pretty good at reworking them and making them more comfortable for the rider, but western saddles are a whole different world.

Terry