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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.

The last tree

Posted by RodandDenise on August 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 Aug 21 1 last saddle tree being built.jpg

has been built…


Semi-retirement

Posted by RodandDenise on August 3, 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 Aug 2 2 nor more orders.jpg 2016 Aug 2 1 orders are done.jpg

Well, Rod rawhided his last tree on July 23rd. Now not only is the orders-in-waiting clip empty, but the working-on-orders clips are all empty as well.


Introducing Dusty Smith

Posted by RodandDenise on July 27, 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 July 26 1 Dusty Smith saddle trees.jpg

Dusty came to visit us in February to learn to build saddle trees. We knew he was high energy when he wanted to get here so much that he made the plane arrive early and was standing on the edge of the curb waiting for us when we drove up with what should have been lots of time to spare…


The effect of the rider - Part one

Posted by RodandDenise on July 23, 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 July 22 1 Jeordie and Denise.jpg

Daring to walk into a lion’s den here… When discussing “big picture saddle fit”, we have to look at more than just the tree and the saddle. There are other factors that affect the pressures on the horse. (We give a run down on these on our Troubleshooting Saddle Fit page.) One of the main ones that can be touchy to discuss is the effect of the rider. But here goes…


11:10 am

Posted by RodandDenise on July 12, 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 July 12 1 Rod rawhiding a saddle tree.jpg

Around about 11:10 am today things in the shop looked pretty much like they may have looked any time in the last quite-a-few years. Rod was rawhiding a tree…


Getting to The Lasts...

Posted by RodandDenise on July 4, 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 July 4 1 getting to the last saddle trees.jpg

Like we said last November, this has been a long winter of goodbyes, as one by one we have made The Last tree for individual customers, some of whom we have been supplying trees to for twenty years. But now we are getting down to the final few trees, and we are hitting some of The Last times we are doing certain parts of the job.


Myth Busting - Cranial Nerve 11 and Saddle Fit

Posted by RodandDenise on June 3, 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 June 3 false cranial nerve 11 story.jpg

The Story

I saw it again this last week. Another website/video talking about Cranial Nerve 11 and how important it is regarding saddle fit. The story is that there is a triangle behind the shoulder blade, in the center of which is Cranial Nerve 11, also called the Accessory Nerve. If you put pressure on that nerve, there is a “reflexive action” which causes the horse to “become agitated… twitch, pin their ears,” and which makes the horse stop and hollow through the back and the croup, preventing them from going forward. So, how much of this is true? Not much, actually. Let’s look at real anatomy and physiology and try to sort out truth from fiction…


Are you still building trees?

Posted by RodandDenise on May 28, 2016

We are no longer building saddle trees. We have two saddle fit videos available on our westernsaddlefit.com websiteWestern Saddle Fit - The Basics, aimed at riders, is available either on DVD or streaming on Vimeo while the six hour series Well Beyond the Basics, aimed more for professionals but understandable by anyone, is available by streaming on Vimeo. (We left this website up because we have had many requests to keep the information available.)

2016 May 28 1 still making saddle trees.jpg

We had a question a few days ago from an old customer. He was wondering if we were still building trees as he knew we were shutting things down. The answer - yes, we are shutting things down and yes, we are still building. The key is the time line. The shop will close at the end of July and we will be finishing out our orders by then. But until then, we are still making trees, so I thought I would show you some of what has been going on in the shop, as I have been sadly remiss in that lately…


The most important tool in the shop

Posted by RodandDenise on May 25, 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 May 24 1 big band saw.jpg

So what’s the most important piece of equipment in the shop?  Is it the Big Band Saw, that makes those oh-so-important cuts on the bars?


Springtime in Alberta...

Posted by RodandDenise on May 21, 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 May 21 1 May 19 2016 11 49 am white rain starting.jpg

Thursday, May 19, 11:49 am - Four days after mandatory evacuations due to wild fires were in force less than 100 km (60 miles) away from us.  The rain was definitely appreciated and desperately needed, but just rain would have been preferable…