Strip Dwn Saddles

[oldtimer]

Ok

i am quite interested in this post since here in France, Weight is a real aspect that you must take into account with customers

They want everything : quality, resitance and extra light weight (and the horse's health) ..not always easy to get all those parameters to work together.

Something said several times up there in the post striked me

Here what i ve been taught about skirts:

you want to get the edge of your skirts between 5" and 6" from the back cantle (no more , no less) if you want the best baring surface

too short = no baring

too long = some hurting to encounter at some point

so my question was : what about those extra short skirts on those extra light saddles??? is that ok?

The skirts have nothing to do with weight distrubution to the horseback, that´s the job for the saddle tree. You can ride a saddle without skirts , for example the McClellan cavalry saddle, and that´s OK !

What you need to ride, as a minimum, is a saddle tree, a rigging, a cinch, a seat, stirrup leathers and stirrups.

/ Knut

Edited December 15, 2011 by oldtimer

[Aurelie]

The skirts have nothing to do with weight distrubution to the horseback, that´s a job for the saddle tree. You can ride a saddle without skirts , for example the McClellan cavalry saddle, and that´s OK !

/ knut

:D

ok

so then another interrogation:

so what is the purpose of the skirts? if not participating into weight distribution?

[oldtimer]

:D

ok

so then another interrogation:

so what is the purpose of the skirts? if not participating into weight distribution?

You have something to sew the sheep skin to. ( also the skirts creates areas to decorate )

[Aurelie]

You have something to sew the sheep skin to. ( also the skirts creates areas to decorate )

LMAO!

yeah that a fair enough reason!

[oldtimer]

LMAO!

yeah that a fair enough reason!

Intersting reading: http://si-pddr.si.edu/jspui/handle/10088/2438

[Aurelie]

The skirts have nothing to do with weight distrubution to the horseback, that´s the job for the saddle tree. You can ride a saddle without skirts , for example the McClellan cavalry saddle, and that´s OK !

What you need to ride, as a minimum, is a saddle tree, a rigging, a cinch, a seat, stirrup leathers and stirrups.

/ Knut

Yeah, but McClellan (at least those from the US army - around the late 1800's) have not been the best fitted saddles for long rides (if i remember well what i ve been taught , that's was 1 reason why they stopped often enough on their long trips) regarding the horse 's morphology and health

and that's one of the reasons why they modified them

that's part of my wondering about the evolution of western saddles from the beginning to nowadays

why's , how's

and if oldtimer's saddles were used now...what could be the "negative" aspect to watch for

Intersting reading: http://si-pddr.si.ed...ndle/10088/2438

thx!

got it

going to read it now

[oldtimer]

and if oldtimer's saddles were used now...what could be the "negative" aspect to watch for

My thought on that question : The main, general difference between the old time saddles and the saddles of today is design , and I don´t see much differences in function more than the saddle trees of today in general are more well shaped to fit a horse´s back. Horses have changed a lot the last century so you can not use an old time saddle , say from 1880 on a modern, grain fed horse. The tree is too narrow.

My 2 cents.. / Knut

[Aurelie]

Horses have changed a lot the last century so you can not use an old time saddle , say from 1880 on a modern, grain fed horse. The tree is too narrow.

My 2 cents.. / Knut

that's for sure!