From the ancient period, making the saddle was art and creative engineering at the same time.
It’s related to many things to join together
Whether it’s your body balance horse fitting or attaining a game, a quality saddle is mandatory in all cases.
Which simply takes many tools like leather, tree, tooling, beech wood, fiberglass, laminated wood, aluminum, steel, iron, etc.
And the question arises of how to make a saddle that perfectly fits your body and horse.
No more wonder!!!
This article will cover every step to making a professional saddle that you can use for a long.
Let’s get started here…
How to make a saddle like a pro craftsman?
Here, we will discuss how anyone can make a great saddle without becoming an expert. And before we dive in so deep, here are the steps to make an incredibly comfortable saddle to experience the safest ride.
Take a note, organize your material, and assemble your saddle you may not have ever imagined it possible now!
Let’s start right off the bat….
Step -1:
Start with the layout of your saddle.
Use both the left and right sides to calculate the appropriate thickness. Maintain the balance; because each hide has a specific area to cut out. This means it works for swells, jockeys, and skirts all along.
The first thing is fast; to get your job done you need Gullet and Cantle. Now, as every part is wetted, wrap the wool blanket on overnight most people know it as a ‘Leather Casing”.
The wool blanket helps the leather to spread the water as long as it brings accurate tooling and ideal shape.
Now skived the edge of the skin. So it can easily adjust with the tree entirely.
See also: If you’re wondering why saddles are so expensive, this article has the answers. Get informed on the 6 most common reasons for the price tag.
Step – 2:
It’s time for Rigging…
Every expert focuses on it. Because it requires keeping both sides the same, make sure to fit it exactly the way it pulls right.
Primarily the ground seat carries 6 steps on a larger scale.
Which naturally allows the rider to balance the horse every time. Obviously, the ground seat is quite different from any roper saddle, cutter, or Reiner. But it takes full control.
Remember: As the ground seat is entirely dried and perfectly shaped, now sand it to ensure clean and smooth furnishing.
Step – 3:
It’s time to cover the Swell.
After that, you can place the skirts to confirm both sides are staying on the same ratio.
Most commonly, we sewed the leather to stop the skirt to prevent every form of curling. Then fit the tree for proper shape to make the horse body structure.
Now add the jockeys to the tree to fit in. After that, parallelly cut it to give the saddle an attractive look.
See also: If you’re looking for the unbiased truth about Arena Jump Saddles, then look no further! Read this article.
Step – 4:
Next, go for the seat. It’s oxygen for your ride.
Remember:
The center line is designed to balance the saddle properly. So you can ride without effort.
As you remove the wrinkle while shaping, confirm you “cased” the leather.
Let’s pull the seat lines both front and back of the jockey to keep it straight. Cut the boy out and bring the seat below using a strap, then rub it out.
Most craftsmen keep the cantle shaped adequately. Which is okay and fits your hand every time you grip it. To protect the stitches, recover the cantle binding leather. So it stays strong for a more extended period.
Want to give the saddle a unique and attractive look? Draw the structure on your own hand without using any leather for every one of your toolings.
See also: Are Simco Saddles Good? Discover Review Today! If you’re looking for a reliable, comfortable saddle, Simco may be the brand for you.
Step – 5:
Let’s play with the horn.
First, ensure the saddle is designed the way it properly keeps the horn shape precisely the way it is.
Now the horn is glued to the center part of the leather.
Use ring shank nails to nail down, then glue down the top.
At this time, you must rub the stitches to avoid recessing the leather. When your stitch is completely round all edges, rub it for a smooth gesture.
When the stitching is done, now it is time to trim the leather. Then round every single edge and rub it as long as it gets smoother. To confirm your dallies go to Horn base.
We create a funnel that looks exactly like the horn.
Cut the length based on customer needs. So they can ride it following their style.
As you case the leather, rub all the extended parts and stirrup it when trimming it every way down. Before drawing, you must wrap the stirrup leathers to remove the stress between your ankles and knees.
Now pull it down tight and dry it long enough to discover the perfect shape for the rider.
As the leather is drying, cut everything out no matter whether it’s carriers, conchos, cinches, rear, billets, or everything in between. Drill the holes inside skirts through jockeys, skirts, and the tree where the strings come along.
To prepare the leather for sewing, lace the strings skirts and glue the sheepskin first.
Step – 6:
Next, oil it up. Apply the oil for several days as much as it required to bring an outstanding saddle look. Most people do it first, but for the perfect look and shape, you must invest the time.
As the saddle looks good, just apply the cream on your stirrup leathers and saddle skirts because it will remove from squeaking.
Step – 7:
Now everything is in one place; the last step is to wrap the horn. Craftsmen do it in many ways, such as latigo, chap leather, and mule hide.
Stretch the leather while you wrap each horn around.
Remember to all stretch out, even if it requires multiple wraps. Finally, tighten it using chinaman strap all the way strap down.
This is how you finally make your own saddle.
Conclusion
Now, you may wonder and ask yourself; there are many types of saddles on this planet; why should I make this one?
The answer is simple.
I’ve just shown you the very simple… yet professional one.
…and if you explore other content on this blog, you’ll also make any other saddles as well.
So take every step we talked about here…
I guarantee you’ll be surprised making saddles is not rocket science anymore.
