All The Saddles Built By Aurelie

[Aurelie]

Hello guys!

Here is a post where i will post all the saddles i have built and the ones coming....

So that everything stays in 1 thread and does not "pollute" the whole section.....

I have seen that many of my pictures have disappeared from several of my posts ( surely my mistake) so maybe with 1 thread i will stay clear and avoid to destroy my pictures :D

Enjoy!

And as usual => none of them are perfects

I am "mad" with all of them for 1 or several reasons

things i've done, things i would do differently and some "scientific tests" .....

Every piece of advice, tips or anything are welcomed

and i would repeat something told to me not that long ago : "Rome has not been built overnight ..."

I wish there will be a day when i tell you : "this one is "perfect" but i fear that it will be "a cold day in Hell" :D

[Aurelie]

#0

a roping saddle :

Flat creek packer saddle tree with flat plates and the scalopped "crazy french touch"

the one i built in Montana during my training (this one does not really counts because it was not in France, i had support even if it was only psychologic, and i had all the good tools underfoot)

[Aurelie]

#1 saddle built back in France while i was pregnant and thus with a little help of an extra pair of hands (delivered right in time before Charlotte poking her head out )

In-skirt saddle built on a "wade" saddle tree for a girl going into the country with her horse

this one, i am particularly happy with the basket on the fenders : for any reasons i kept damn straight (and for any reasons, i can't keep straight my basket on small areas...)

Edited January 11, 2013 by Aurelie

[Aurelie]

#2 saddle

Sid special saddle tree (i had a devil of a time putting on the fork cover)

In-skirt saddle ( i wish i could built another flate plates because they 're my fav' and way easier to built IMO)

1st padded seat => learnt the hard way not to use too tough leather for that BUT "Impossible is not French"....I did it with that oiled leather i had :D ( but not really by the book tough i guess)

[Aurelie]

#3 saddle (the one i brought with me in Sheridan 2012)

Old Mexico saddle tree

inskirt

1st inlaid seat (thanks to all the advices i got here ) => to be honest, i mixed several kind of tips and did it my "mixed way" turned out really nice

and to be honest : I find it easier than padded seat AND I find it nicer too

[Hombro]

C'est magnifique !

[Aurelie]

#4 saddle

ordered specifically by a customer after seeing the #3

This one is the one i am "less" happy with for several reasons (esthetically speaking)

Legcut bowman saddle tree => this shape gave me a helluva troubles with the fork cover

Plus, I had a serie of troubles , had to stop, think, undo , redo ....in a nutshell : this one almost drove me to drop the job....

Make to myself = i will try again a leg cut ....but in some years...

The leather was not H and O as usual (chahin ) it was really great to carve but what a S***T to mold ! heavy and dense stuff

came with the whole "shebang" : back cinch, headstall, breast collar and mohair cinch

those were "calming" to do

and Chaps too (used Goligher leather : what a terrific leather to work with

[Aurelie]

Coming soon (but do not know which one 1st) :

1 saddle made from endurance saddle tree

1 saddle from a bowman roper (surely #5)

1 saddle from a Reiner 12 (#6) for a reinning saddle

and 1 saddle with a Barrel saddle tree .....

might be totally crazy

Note : All my saddle trees come from Randy Alexander (rawhide saddle tree)

except the barrel one : it's a ralide and wanted to "try" it myself

for the ones who can afford it => try Denise and Rod Nickel saddle trees => terrific stuff too!

(1 day, i will have 1!) :D

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

Thanks for the kind words, Aurelie. It was good meeting you at Sheridan this year! It will be fun watching the progression of your saddle making skills as this thread gets more and more saddles added to it.

[Aurelie]

Thanks for the kind words, Aurelie. It was good meeting you at Sheridan this year! It will be fun watching the progression of your saddle making skills as this thread gets more and more saddles added to it.

that's my pleasure :D

I really think that you build terrific saddle tree

If i were living in the US or Canada, i would do business on regular basis with you!

but regarding the shipping + terrible customs in France.....i will had to wait .....but i keep in mind a "special saddle tree with a nice polished horn...."