First Saddle Design

[HannahT]

I hope my first saddle turns out as well as yours! I have all 3 Stohlman books and I've ordered the Harry Adams book. Hopefully I can get everything right. I think I'm going to try a totally plain, smooth, wade with a straight cantle binding. I like the W&C drum dyed skirting so I may try that for this one. Squilchuck, did you cut your own stirrup leathers or buy them precut? I've seen HO leathers on a couple sites and if they're all I need of the heavy stuff, I may buy them as blanks.

I'm really starting to get a feel for how complicated a saddle is. Luckily I don't want a show saddle--I just want to be able to trail ride and do a little occasional ranch work (not that there's much of it to do here in central Kentucky, but I enjoy it). I'm hoping that if I can give the tree maker a good enough idea about the kind of horses I ride, he can fit their general back type and then I can focus on not making too much of a mess. 

[Squilchuck]

I cut my own stirrup leathers from the same 11/13 oz. side.  If you want heavier 13/15 oz. leather, then the blanks would be a good option, unless you're building the saddle from 13/15 oz. then cut your own.  To help cut this long stuff I bought a 6 ft. metal rule from the hardware section of Lowes (they are surprisingly cheap - maybe less than $20)  and use a regular utility knife/box cutter with expendable blades.   (Jeremiah Watt cuts his freehand with a round knife on the video - wish I had the confidence/skill to get a straight line freehand for that length!)  With a plain saddle be careful with scratches and other marks because they are not hidden by tooling/stamping.  Trim your fingernails!    Use some denatured alcohol to clean off oils and smudges before oiling.  One thing I found is not to rush.  Sometimes you get to a point when you just want to finish a piece and sort of rush, then make a mistake.  I learned the hard way it is better to stop and come back when you are fresh.  Good luck!   

[cowboycolonel]

Hannah,

 

I build for cowboys - not normally arena riders.  The leathers that I build are normally 11/13 oz leather, and There has never been a problem with them.  In Fact, if you are going to use Superior (Kreger) QC buckles (as opposed to Blevins) you will find that the medium size fits 11/13 while the larger ones with longer shanks are required to fit thicker leather. Not to discount Sioux' advice, but remember that her work centers around big urn horses,  Daily cowboy work, including brandings of over 500 calves per day, every other day, for four months at a time will arrest to not having to go to the heavier leathers.  ...and if you're just going to be trail riding or riding for leisure, do yourself a favor and stay lighter.  See what Keith Seidel has to say on the matter.

 

In addition to trimming your finger nails, watch out for the buttons on your cuffs.  They leave impressions that will be hard to hide without tooling.

Also, go to your local Ace hardware store and buy a flexible ruler - 24 inch will work nicely.  It really helps in marking centers.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

4 hours ago, cowboycolonel said:

Hannah,

 

I build for cowboys - not normally arena riders.  The leathers that I build are normally 11/13 oz leather, and There has never been a problem with them.  In Fact, if you are going to use Superior (Kreger) QC buckles (as opposed to Blevins) you will find that the medium size fits 11/13 while the larger ones with longer shanks are required to fit thicker leather. Not to discount Sioux' advice, but remember that her work centers around big urn horses,  Daily cowboy work, including brandings of over 500 calves per day, every other day, for four months at a time will arrest to not having to go to the heavier leathers.  ...and if you're just going to be trail riding or riding for leisure, do yourself a favor and stay lighter.  See what Keith Seidel has to say on the matter.

 

In addition to trimming your finger nails, watch out for the buttons on your cuffs.  They leave impressions that will be hard to hide without tooling.

Also, go to your local Ace hardware store and buy a flexible ruler - 24 inch will work nicely.  It really helps in marking centers.

I'm not sure what big urn horses are?

[HannahT]

I really appreciate the advice I've gotten from all of you. It shows through that you're well accustomed to horses and riding and leather, and your experience and knowledge are exactly what I needed to help me understand what my saddle will have to be able to do for me. I look forward to posting progress pictures as I build.

[cowboycolonel]

Hannah,

I caution you to pay particular attention to how you build the seat cover.  If you cut out what you think it should look like, I will almost guarantee you that you will have cut away too much leather at the bottom of the swell.  Use a very sharp knife and cut away tiny portions until you have the fit you want.  Take all the time you need, as this is a very large piece of expensive leather and you don't want to ruin it.

I'm looking forawrd to progress photos and questions.

[HannahT]

I'm going to be super careful with the seat--I watched Bruce Cheaney's video and it helped me see some of how to make sure I don't cut out too much.

Where do you guys get your Hermann Oak? I see that Montana Leather sells #1 11/13 oz for $225, which is cheaper than some of the other distributors. Hide House is about the same. Part of the reason I'd wanted to go with Wickett & Craig is because I could buy straight from them and avoid the mark-up (and I can't afford HO's minimum orders). And they're great to work with.

Edited November 1, 2016 by HannahT

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

1 hour ago, HannahT said:

I'm going to be super careful with the seat--I watched Bruce Cheaney's video and it helped me see some of how to make sure I don't cut out too much.

Where do you guys get your Hermann Oak? I see that Montana Leather sells #1 11/13 oz for $225, which is cheaper than some of the other distributors. Hide House is about the same. Part of the reason I'd wanted to go with Wickett & Craig is because I could buy straight from them and avoid the mark-up (and I can't afford HO's minimum orders). And they're great to work with.

As much as everyone hates Weaver these days, I gotta confess, I buy a lot from them. If I have enough of one kind of leather to order at one time I'll order direct from HO. I've never tried any of the other distributors.  I use so many different kinds of leather, and if I get my order over a grand at Weaver, everything gets a whole lot cheaper.  Quality can vary widely from them though, as they buy TR.  Last order I was on the fence over some russet harness.  Weaver could ship immediately and HO was going to be a little bit of a wait. I ended up ordering from Weaver because I was going to come out around $100 ahead with the all the other stuff I needed. The leather left a lot to be desired.  If I had been cutting reins I would have been in trouble, but as it were, I could cut around the defects because nothing needed to be over 32", and most no more than 22".  Montana Leather's price of $225 doesn't sound too bad.  I've never ordered from them but heard nothing bad neither.

[Squilchuck]

Both of my saddles were made from HO bought from Montana Leather.  They have the best price I have found for #1 grade. if you can get #1 grade for that price why gamble on TR selection.  I buy most other leather from Hide House - great selection, service, and fast shipping to WA.  I've bought from Weaver too but prices for small quantities and shipping to WA have been higher than H House.

[oltoot]

Let me add a little consternation. I would forget about all the template, etc stuff and remember that if you get too specific to a particular horse, that horse will probably only be in service for another 6-10 years and a good saddle, well cared for, should last 30 or more so ask Sonny Felkins or somebody as well informed to fit the type of horses you will be riding over time and invest in a good pad if it doesn't fit a particular horse perfectly. Saddle fitting beyond getting the appropriate gullet width and bar configuration is a big waste of time and energy, IMHO. Thankfully, horses are remarkably uniform in their conformation in the area where saddles sit. And learn to skive cause you can always take a little off but it's purt near impossible to add it on. And you pretty much get what you pay for when it comes to leather and most other important things. So don't plan on this turning out cheap cause it wont. You will, of course, use cheap labor so it will all come out in the wash and plain is plain and not much can be said for it. Add whatever level of decoration you can do and please yourself. Life's too short to dance with ugly women or fellas. Only initials or monograms will affect the resale.