We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

One of the first posts on our blog was about research done that shows a horse's back is extended (more hollow) under weight than when he is just standing in a field.  This goes contrary to the commonly taught "rule" that a horse will round his back when he is ridden, or at least when he is asked to collect.  Since that study was done with dead weight and not a rider, the objection was that a rider would ask the horse to round and dead weight doesn't.  Therefore people could still hold onto their belief that a horse rounds his back under the saddle, despite the reasons given by the authors that a rider wouldn't make a difference.  Well, I finally read a study done with a rider that shows the same thing as the one done with dead weight, and guess what?  A horse sags under a rider too.  Here's the scoop...

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

It was raining outside today, like it has for the majority of days in July so far, so I decided to snap some pictures of what was going on inside of the shop.  Rod rawhided a couple of trees today.  You've seen lots of pictures like this before, because this is a very common scene around here, but hey - you hadn't seen a picture of Rod today till now, so it is still something new, right?

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

Here’s some pictures of some of the more unusual trees we have shipped out over the past few weeks amidst all the “normal” trees we have been building.

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

A while back we posted pictures of a Charro tree we had built.  That post has had more inquiries than any other on our website.  So today, we can finally show you pictures of the finished saddle!!  The description below is what the saddle maker, Frank Zera of Spring Grove, Illinois, has sent us.  Mr. Zera has been making custom saddles since 1985.  He terms this one a Charro style saddle.

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

Rod builds a saddle!  Well, I can't say for sure how long it will be before he builds another one, but it took 10 years between the first and the second anyway...

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

In some circles, there is a lot of discussion of where the ideal position of the rider on the horse is located.  (Whether or not that position is practically attainable is another question altogether.)  I have heard that "you should be in the same place as you would be bareback because that is where the horse puts you and therefore must be the correct place".  (Actually, that usually ends up being the lowest point of the horse's back - not because that is some magical spot, but simply because gravity always works...) I have also read some statements to the effect that there is a "traditional proper place" that has been forgotten by people who don't remember history, but must be used if you are going to be a "good rider".  But when you go back in history, it appears that people sat in a lot of different positions over time and in different cultures.

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

Rain...

We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.

I'm intruding into the territory of the saddle maker here, but I discovered this write up I did a while back to explain rigging types to someone who probably knew little to nothing about them and I thought maybe the information would be useful to someone.  Saddle makers, of course, know far more about rigging and their designs than I do, but maybe even they will find this helpful for their customers.  Anyway, that is why it is here.