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

Kids these days...

Posted by RodandDenise on January 20, 2016

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

2016 Jan 20 1 marking out fork.jpg

We’ve had an additional body around the shop the past couple of weeks.


Bridging

Posted by RodandDenise on January 7, 2016

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

2016 Jan 7 1 Bridge.jpg

This is a bridge. It contacts at both ends and has lots of empty space underneath it.


Merry Christmas!!!

Posted by RodandDenise on December 23, 2015

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

2015 Dec 23 1 Christmas trees.jpg

Merry Christmas everyone!!  OK, so the shape isn't quite right...


Once upon a time...

Posted by RodandDenise on December 19, 2015

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

2015 Dec 18 1 Rod 1988.jpg

back in the ‘80’s, there was a cowboy…


For the past twenty five years

Posted by RodandDenise on December 15, 2015

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

Denise wedding picture.jpg

I've had the privilege of being able to ride my engagement ring...


Flat on round and round on flat - a paradox

Posted by RodandDenise on December 12, 2015

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

2015 Dec 12 1a round muscles.jpg 2015 Dec 12 1b flat muscles.jpg

Some people think that when we get Dennis Lane measurements or back drawings of a horse, we make the bottom of our bars the exact reverse of the back shape of the horse. Nope, we don’t. We have to make a tree that fits that horse, a tree that works whether the horse is standing still or moving, is walking, trotting or loping, is going uphill or down, is dragging a calf to the fire or holding the rope while the cowboy is doctoring the animal. This means that we learn the basic body type of the horse from the drawings or DL measurements and then we make the tree with the allowances built in that are needed to fit that body type.


Angles - it just isn't that simple

Posted by RodandDenise on November 25, 2015

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

2015 Nov 26 1 angles are not simple.jpg

When people discuss saddle fit and try to label trees or saddles to describe their fit, you can get into a real quandary. The old Quarter Horse, Semi-Quarter Horse and Full Quarter Horse labels are so inconsistent that they are not very useful. (We wrote about that before.) Now people like to talk angles, figuring that saying 90 degrees or 93 degrees will mean that all trees with that label will fit the same. Nope. T’aint so…


Waiting...

Posted by RodandDenise on November 11, 2015

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

2015 Nov 11 1 saddle trees drying.jpg

I snapped some pictures around the shop this morning and realized that pretty much everything there was waiting for something. For example, the trees sitting under the bench are waiting to be dry enough to varnish...


And thus begins...

Posted by RodandDenise on November 2, 2015

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

2015 Nov 2 1 Rod on phone.jpg

the long goodbye…

Rod has spent a lot of time on the phone over the last week calling customers,


Around the shop today

Posted by RodandDenise on October 27, 2015

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

2015 Oct 26 1 four saddle trees drying.jpg

Yup, we’re still working around the shop. Just haven’t been taking the time to post pictures lately.