Shorten Horn On A Saddle (How Do You?)

[Deuce]

Morning y'all, don't post often, but I guess I should...

I have a client that needs a horn shortened on his saddle. Has anyone done this before? How would I even start with this (it is a finished saddle...).

I think that I need to strip the horn down, cut it, reinforce it with a bolt through the horn and gullet, then recover with leather ( of course!!) This seems to me to be the strongest way to get this done. The gentleman is a team roper, so the horn will be put through some good hard use...

Does this sound right?

Any tips??

Respectfully

Frank B.

[oltoot]

Try to talk him out of it. If you can't and elect to proceed, don't gaurantee the work. Then

1) remove the fork cover and gullet cover and save them.

2) remove the horn cover and discard it

3) Take a piece of really wet rawhide and tie it around the rawhide horn cover, neck and cap. Keep it wet until the horn cover can be unlaced, taking care not to get the horn base wet as that is the key to strength

4) Saw the neck off where you want it allowing for the new cap.

5) Carefully drill a hole down through the neck, just barely exiting the metal neck then tap the hole to receive threads on the bolt you will use. Cut a steel washer the size of the cap desired. drill an off center hole in it so this it will result in making the cap you want. make a plywood horn top with a big hole to accommodate the bolt head and epoxy it in place filling up the hole on top. Rasp the new horn cap to desired contours then relace the rawhide the best you can. As the rawhide dries, every hour or so rub the cover and the laces down with a hammer handle so that rawhide dries smoothly.

6) Recover horn with leather, taking care that your new cover has about the same contours at base as the old one did so the front cover will fit.

7) recover gullet, you may need to start new if you had to mess up the old cover to get it off.

8) replace the fork cover, wetting it and letting it dry down. I would use carpenters white or yellow glue liberally

[Deuce]

Awesome! Thanks for the reply! As it turns out, the gentleman wanted the cap circumference shortened, not the actual horn. That would involve removing the leather, perhaps filing down the rawhide (?) and then gluing and recovering, right??

[oltoot]

If he was going to always keep rubber on the horn anyway and understood that you were going to do what follows and was OK with it:

1) Using a fairly long and sharp knife, carve through the horn cover all around from the edge of the horn hole in the fork cover to the rawhide cover of the horn being careful not to score the rawhide.

2) Remove the leather horn cover.

3) Grind and/or rasp the horn cap to the desired size

4) Recover the horn, using the regular approach with tails pulled and tacked under the gullet. It will have a big, ugly hump in it but don't worry

5) Dry the assembly, the faster the better, if you can't set it outside in the sun, use a fan

6) When it is thoroughly dried take that same knife and cut through the new cover flush with where you cut off the old cover. Take some little cobbler's tacks and tak around the base of this new cover.

Now it's ready to receive the rubber wrap and go home or it could go home and the 'gentleman' could do the rubber to his taste. BTW, I'm 70 nd haven't known many team ropers who were gentlemen. They are usually are a notch above bull riders though. Back to business. No, I didn't say anything about weting the rawhide and pulling it back then replacing it in this approach. I didn't forget I just don't believe it is necessary in this approach.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

I would only make this change by changing the whole horn. You can get a new horn from most of the tree makers. strip the fork cover off being careful not to ruin it as you will be re-using it. Dampen the lacing on the raw hide horn cover, if it has one, and once the raw hide is pliable, unlace it and remove the horn. Mount the new horn the same way the old one was mounted, and then re-lace the raw hide cover. Then cover the horn with leather the same as if you were building a new saddle. This a lot of work and not worth the effort for a run of mill saddle. Be sure that you are charging a fair price for doing this job. Chances are once you tell him it will take several hundred $ to get this accomplished, he will change his mind. If not, at least you will give him a product that is sound and he can use.

Bob

[Deuce]

I just thought I would circle back around (taking way to long to do so!!) and thank y'all for the advice. I ended up recommending replacing the whole horn and explaining why ... he decided to rewrap in rubber and leave it at that!