7/8 Flat Plate Rigging

[rdl123]

Quick question on flat plate rigging - Had an old timer tell me that all properly built, heavy ranch saddles will have a piece of nylon webbing material riveted to the 7/8ths rigging at the front. The webbing runs over the ground seat just behind the horn, creating a continuous rigging is what he tells me - Anyone ever heard of this? Seems to me like you could run the risk of crushing your ground seat...

He says just screwing the rigging up front isn't strong enough? I've understood that that was all that was necessary...Can someone please comment?

I have attached a rough sketch of what he is talking about...I am making myself a saddle for roping and want to ensure it is strong enough to handle anything I might latch onto so wondering if this nylon is necessary.

Many Thanks,

rdl

[harrington]

My opinion is that a heavy doubled and stitched flat plate properly molded and attached to the base of the fork at the junction of the bars, then covered by the fork cover, will be as strong as anyone will ever need. Attaching this piece of nylon strap would be hard to do given where the handhole is. The fewer synthetic materials in my saddles, the better.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

I rig my saddles the same way that I have seen them done and was taught. No nylon strap etc. I have rebuilt, and worked on easily over a thousand saddles probably more like several thousand, and aside from English saddles and excersize saddles for the race track, I have never seen nylon used in the rigging. That's not to say it isn't done, just not seen it nor would I used it myself. The old fashioned way has been good for all these years and I can't see doing it any other way. Bob

[Goldshot Ron]

Older flateplate rigged saddles will have the rear part over the bars laced together. This creates a continuous rigging; however, like Bob, I've never seen webbing or leather over the seat. This would interfer with your stirrup leathers, and as mentioned, it would be in the way of the handhole.

Ron

[oltoot]

Well, being one myself I can authoritatively say that oldtimers aren't always right, they're just always old and having been around a few saddles in my life time, this is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing. In my experience what makes a plate rig strong is its position and the resultant line of pull, that and keeping it properly set and cinched. And looking at the nylon strap, I'm pretty sure that an engineer would tell you that it wouldn't add a thing to the strength of the rigging in use.

[rdl123]

Hello All: Thanks for the responses - Makes it simple for me - I will rig my saddle the way I have been taught - No nylon webbing!

This old timer is someone I respect, very good horseman, has taught me a lot but this is the one piece of advice I wondered about...

Thanks again for the info,

rdl

[HumbleHombre]

This is good. Just looking at building myself a saddle and this helps a lot. Dont know a whole lot about the process yet.

HH

[rdl123]

Using rigging plates - How far down from bottom of front bar pad do you set your plates? I have heard of 6.5" - 7".

Is this measurement to where the latigo would ride or to the actual bottom of the plate? In process of drawing my rigging pattern and would like to make sure im on right track...

[oltoot]

My focus is the point of pull or usually the attachment of the latigo which is pretty close to the same for all the different shapes of plates. The object of the position being that that point sets just enough below the bottom of the traditional pad to make for a smooth connection, no lump but at the same time being high enough that it wont bite into the horse.

[rdl123]

Thanks Oltoot:

I took my tree and threw it on a horse yesterday - seemed to work out - Here is picture with the pattern attached:

Edited December 27, 2013 by rdl123

[rktaylor]

Ron,

That looks lower than mine, but I think my plate is too high. It cinched up just fine, but I feel like there is room for improvement. Congratulations on the progress.

Randy

[oltoot]

Assuming that on a horse the pad would be pulled up all the way into the gullet, that might be about right. Remember that the end goal is to have the lump that will be created by the latigo looped over the rig plate just past the pad so it wont make a hump to bite the horse and catch moving stirrup leathers