In Skirt Rigging And Riders Leg

[Anna]

Hello,

I need some advice on a saddle I am building. This is a first for me for many reasons. Two of those are, this is the first saddle I have built on a wood tree and this is the first in skirt rigging I have done. Which thank you to all who have provide input on these topics already on this forum.

This saddle is for my husband, so I built it to the point where we could have him ride it, to try out the ground seat, so it is unfinished in these pictures. The stirrup leathers/fenders are not the ones that will go with this saddle when finished.

The question I mainly have is, if there is any advice on how to fix or what to do about the in skirt rigging plate and where it rubs the riders leg? The skirts stick out and fallow the line of the saddle tree, hopefully you can see in the pictures. When my husband rode the saddle and it was cinched down on the horse it still really rubbed his leg. Should we wet the rigging and try to pull it down? Would pulling them in help or did I just get the rigging plate in a bad spot, or my leather too thick at the spot of the rigging plate? Once the seat is in, will that change how his leg sits over the rigging plate?

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated as this is only the 4th saddle I have built and like I said there are a lot of firsts for me on this one.

Thank you,

Anna

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

First, you have the cart before the horse! I think you said that these are not the fenders/stirrup leathers you will be making for this saddle. That being said, I assume you will have your fenders a little longer, maybe 2" or so, that will go up under the seat leather, and at the same time guide the knee over the rigging, protecting the knee. Oh yeh, you should try it out with the seat leather tacked in place. That will also move the leg out over the rigging. If you are not comfortable with nailing the seat leather in place just yet, use some 1"drywall screws to secure it in the places you would normally nail it. That way they come right back out and you can still nail/ screw it in when you are finally installing it. Between the seat leather and the correct fenders, your/his problem should go away. Riding a saddle without the proper pieces is kinda like driving your hot rod before you have the body on and you are sitting on a milk crate for a seat! I've done that too! You have to make allowances. Good luck, if he doesn't like the finished product, tell him to make his own!!!!

Bob

[oltoot]

Bob is right on a lot of fronts. This one is not a loss. I would add a couple of things:1) Consider using drywall screws for most applications instead of replacing them with nails/larger screws. 2) In the future, yes the rigging could be better placed. Think about where the horse's barrel starts to curve in and the bend of the average rider's leg at the knee and aim for the point of pull when cinching up to be just below that point. Too achieve that and keep the skirts from being too large I have used 3 1/2 inch dee rings hung on the bottom of the skirt for the last 20+ years with good results. By using a combination of 1 inch leather bars and a sheet metal hanger between skirt and top rigging piece, I have never had any complaints

Edited July 26, 2015 by oltoot

[Anna]

Thank you both for your advice. I think I have some ideas to go from. Bob, I was planning on doing about 2" longer fenders and that should help them cover the rigging a little better, I hope. Thank you though for confirming that I should do so. We will see how everything fits after I get the seat leather tacked in place.

Having him ride this saddle early was mostly to check on the shape of the ground seat. We also had some concerns about the rigging before the ride, but thought the rigging would be pulled down enough after he cinched up that it wouldn't rub so bad even without the fender change and the seat in. Oltoot, thank you for the picture of your style of in skirt rigging. I hope to be making more of these saddles and that will be helpful.

I still might try wetting the rigging skirts and try to shape them down a little so they don't stick out so much. They should form that way anyway once the saddle is used. Is there any reason I shouldn't do that?

Anna

[rdl123]

Hello Anna,

I have included a picture here showing an approximate seat line - I think with the seat installed most of the rubbing issues will be eliminated because the seat jockey will be there.

If you make your seat jockeys as deep as I have shown you may not need to add too much to your fender length...And if it was my saddle I would try to wet the skirts / rigging and give it a barrel shape to help it pre-conform to the shape of a horse...I know on the plate rigs I have built that is what I have done. Once everything was solid I wet the rigging plates and worked more curve into them.

R

[oltoot]

Yes and as much as I love the 5053 style rigging plate and have used it a lot, it has some limitations. Another hint with it: switch to nylon tie straps instead of leather latigoes and there will be less bulk under the leg. I have used them (nylon) with everything for years. Though they are not very traditional they are stout, thin and light.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Between Toot,r, and my notes you should have a good base to get past the issue. One last note, in the Stohlman books, I think volume 1 there is a chart for fender lengths to use as opposed to a given riders leg length. The chart is right on and I have used it for years and always get it right.

Bob

[Anna]

This has all been a lot of help! Once I get the saddle a little further a long I will try to post pictures of its progress and let you all know how the rigging is working.

I appreciate all who took the time to comment.

Anna

[oltoot]

where in wonderful Wyoming?

[Anna]

where in wonderful Wyoming?

About 25 miles out of Casper. Where are you at in Wyoming?

[oltoot]

Rawlins

[kseidel]

Anna,

First of all, your work looks nice and clean. It looks like you did not block your skirts under the tree. If you did, probably could have been higher. After blocking your skirts, and before making your rigging top plate, while the skirts are still wet, you should put your draw down strap over the saddle and pull the skirts down to help shape them to the shape of the horse. I even put several pieces of filler leather under the strap to set the skirt in the correct shape. This greatly reduces the amount of break-in needed on the finished saddle. Then, your rigging should be made to conform to this shape.

At this point, due to glued surfaces, it is difficult to get the skirt wet enough to properly shape it. However, get it as wet as possible and try to shape those skirts to the shape of the horse. My main concern with those skirts is the slope behind the cantle. It comes off quite straight and does not appear to follow the rock of the tree bar. If it is too low, it will rub on the horse and may lift the bar off the horse. This pressure can be a real problem for the horse. You may have to cut the skirts apart at the back and leave them loose.

As Oltoot says, a 7/8ths rigging position would be better, but your placement is workable. I agree with BonboBob that your fenders should be a bit longer. Even an inch would be better. A shaped fender does give a lot more support under the riders knee. An exposed stirrup leather can rub the rider also.

I too advise getting your seat shaped and tacked onto place when doing a test ride. The feeling of everything- rigging and ground seat- will feel different. You do not have to have the seat final cut, just rough cut and shaped.

Hope this is helpful.

Keith

[Anna]

Thanks for responding Keith. So far I have gotten the rigging skirts shaped down a lot more than they were just by wetting and strapping them down with the draw down strap. We have been on the go a bit lately so hopefully in a week or so I can get the seat shaped up and tacked down. Here's a picture of the skirts pulled down.

Once again thank you to everyone for all the help on this.

Anna