Rod Nikkel Saddle Trees
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Saddle Tree Blog - From Shop and Desk
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What keeps treemakers amused
What keeps treemakers amused
Posted by
RodandDenise
on
September 3, 2011
Double Flips!
When things go wrong...
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2020
July
Proper Position of a Western Saddle Video
May
Video for the Dennis Lane Equine Back Profiling System
2017
March
Western Saddle Fit - The Basics is for sale!!
Already, but not yet...
January
"THE VIDEO" - It's coming, it's coming...
The "Trinket"
2016
December
An Academic Study on Dennis Lane’s Equine Back Profiling System
Introducing Greg Cymbaluk
October
The downhill horse
September
The Table
Mysterious Barricades Concert
August
The effect of the rider - Part two
The last tree
Semi-retirement
July
Introducing Dusty Smith
The effect of the rider - Part one
Introducing Harry Mari
11:10 am
Getting to The Lasts...
June
Myth Busting - Cranial Nerve 11 and Saddle Fit
May
Are you still building trees?
The most important tool in the shop
Springtime in Alberta...
You're sitting on his kidneys! Get off!
Behind the scenes of "the video"...
April
Cinches - what more I have learned
Myth Busting - the "External Abdominal Vein"
You're saddling your horse wrong...
March
It's not the pattern...
Center of pressure under a saddle
February
There are still firsts...
What do you call a group of tree makers?
How do I measure my horse for bar angles?
January
Kids these days...
Bridging
2015
December
Merry Christmas!!!
Once upon a time...
For the past twenty five years
Flat on round and round on flat - a paradox
Western Stock (Aussie) trees for sale
November
Angles - it just isn't that simple
Waiting...
And thus begins...
October
Around the shop today
Saddle fit video
How do you spell "relief"?
September
It's been a wood post swell fork month...
You know things are changing when...
August
Visiting, visitors and what we've been doing in between
"The student"
July
Rethinking saddle fit and shoulder blade movement
Yup, we're still working away...
Position - Why it is so important
June
Position - Seeing the shoulder blade under saddle Part one
May
Position - Seeing the shoulder blade
Around our place lately...
The effects of “flare” - and it's not pretty...
Modifications
April
Wither conformation - seeing the damage
Ya think it's time?
Wither conformation - variations on "normal"
March
Rod's new toy
Spring
Why does my saddle lift up at the back? Part three
Why does my saddle lift up at the back? Part two
Why does my saddle lift up at the back? Part one
February
The five for five challenge
Strength testing - or - Why we use yellow poplar for our bars
January
Behind closed door...
It's been a rawhide kind of week around here...
Desk? What desk?
Happy New Year!
2014
December
Snow showers
When the shop gets crowded...
Padding doesn't fix mismatched "angles"
November
Warmth
If you think it might be broken...
What we would do
What would you do?
October
It's been a while
So ya wanna build saddle trees? part four
So ya wanna build saddle trees? part three
September
So ya wanna build saddle trees? part two
August
So ya wanna build saddle trees? part one
How did you get started building saddle trees?
Old and new
July
Around the shop this week...
Side Saddle at the Bar U 2014
June
Evaluating a horse's back for saddle fit - part three
In process...
Flex in a wood/rawhide tree
May
Cantles, cantles, everywhere!!
Evaluating a horse's back for saddle fit - part two
Extracurricular activities
Evaluating a horse's back for saddle fit - part one
April
At the ugliest stage...
You know it is getting to be spring...
I need to move lumber...
March
Around the shop last week
Of saddle fit, shoulder blades, and "flare"
If they only knew what was inside...
Just because it's PUURRRDDYYY!
A Pony Express reproduction tree
February
More trees-that-aren’t-Wades
Of storms and non-Wade trees
January
A couple announcements
Under Renovation...
2013
December
Spontaneity is not an option…
Another Charro tree
What happened to November?
November
A good link to an equine skeleton drawing
October
Around the shop plus
Cleaning the filters
He's gotta lotta rock...
September
Bar spread and how it works on horses
Division of labour
Contrasts and Comparisons...
What's happening at the Nikkel's?
August
She wasn't a keeper...
Mickey Mouse!!
Our life has been filled
The top line doesn't match the rock line
A study in contrasts
July
What's new at the Nikkel's?
Yup, riding a horse does make his back extend...
Around the shop today
Some more saddle trees
Charro saddle
High River Saddlemaker's Benefit
Once every ten years...
June
Taylor the Wonder Dawg
It's not just ancient history
It doesn't matter...
Different rigging types - a quick explanation
Totally unbelievable...
May
The "twins" are on their way...
When you live where we do...
The problems with too-short bars
What's up in the shop
Shipping Trees
Sentinels
April
Twins!!
The things we record and why - part four
Something different!
Some more pictures
Haven't made one like this in a long time
The things we record and why - part three
Just some shots around the shop
March
The things we record and why - part two
They come in waves...
The things we record and why - part one
Saddle fit and your new saddle - from a tree maker's view
What makes a Wade, a Wade?
Measuring a rider for a side saddle tree
Let's do the twist!
Change
February
Side saddle design
Before, after and another kind of FULL
Some special marking tools
Thigh Length
The name of a bar - what it really tells you, or not
FULL
What do Quarter Horse, Semi-Quarter Horse and Full Quarter Horse bars mean?
Safety equipment around the shop
January
Cutting lace - a mundane, but important, part of the job
This week in the shop
They Saddle (Treed) the West
They Saddled the West
So why was it soring horses?
So how did the duplicate work out?
Every tree maker does things differently (part two)
Of cantles and angles - again...
2012
December
Every tree maker does things differently... (part one)
Clearing out the shop still more
Amazing the difference ten days makes
Saddle trees and gravitational pull
Finished!!
What the shop looks like tonight
Reason #10 to order a hand made tree - Education
The belt sander
November
We told you it would be good...
For those interested in skeletons and muscles...
Of trees, and trees...
Reason #9 to order a hand made tree - Detailed record keeping
Of cantle width and dish
Reason #8 to order a hand made tree - special requests are honored
Back movement and muscle contractions
From here to there
Off to the Heritage Ranch Rodeo
It's coming...
October
Five years worth...
Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 3
It's been a week...
A few trees from the past weeks
A few more trunk muscles
The jointer/surfacer - planer/thicknesser
September
Of single backs, double backs and crown
Of sawbucks, jigs and angles
Reasons 6 and 7 - Communication with us directly and good customer service
Just a neat looking tree
Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 2
Ya gotta look inside...
The Longissimus Dorsi
Saddle fit - Western compared to English Part 1
We now have printable pages!
August
Of Arizona bars, and why we won't make them...
What Rod did today
Reason #5 to order a hand made tree - time saved and ease in building
Now that's a fancy horn cap!
Yesterday in the shop
The Medial Gluteal muscle
Priorities, priorities...
It's been a year...
The BIG BAND SAW (said in a low, deep voice...)
All western saddles extend over the loin
Checking out a flex tree
July
The Pectoral muscles
Our new curiosity satisfying (we hope) acquisition
Speaking of cantle angles...
The Serratus Ventralis muscle
Drying calf hide for lace
Pro Roper saddle tree
Cutting up rawhide
Finally, pressure research on horses!!!!
June
It's been metal horn swell fork month
Some things that have been keeping us busier...
From This to That - Part 2
Reason #4 to order a hand made tree - better fit for the horse...
Around the shop
The Rhomboideus muscle
From This to That - Part 1
Increasing our repertoire
The Latissimus Dorsi muscle
May
Proper position of a western saddle - new page on our website!
Shipping trees
The value of an objective standard
Home from Sheridan
Understanding Saddle Trees seminars
Packing up for Sheridan
The Trapezius muscle
Boil and bubble and jigsaw puzzles
Reason #3 to order a hand made tree - The overall look and shape of the tree improves the overall look of your saddle
A word (or a few) about muscles
April
Working on an exposed wood post horn cap
Movement of the rib cage
Reasons #1 and #2 to order a hand made tree - materials and workmanship
This past week - inside
This past week - outside
The rib cage
Some good reasons to order a hand made tree
Of sagging backs and tickling tummies
Exposed Padauk wood horn cap
Wood Post Will James saddle tree
Speaking of surface area...
Movement of the lumbar spine
It's spring!
Cantles - making them symmetrical
March
A couple of changes
This week in the shop - so far
Pack Trees
Can the loin of the horse carry weight?
What happens before what happens, happens...
Rawhiding - again...
The lumbar and sacral vertebrae
It's amazing the difference a year makes
You never know where, or when
Life, death and blog posts
Thoracic spine anatomy, movement and saddle fit
One of these things is not like the other...
February
Wade Wade Wade Wade Wade Waaaaade
The thoracic vertebrae
This week in the shop
Of cutlery and saddle fit...
The handiest "tool" in the shop
A stood up Wade fork
The cervical (neck) vertebrae and how they move
Side Saddle Trees
One of these things is not like the other...
And the vertebra is connected to the...
If you have it sitting in the shop…
Taylor versus regular cantles – see the difference
Today in the shop
How does pressure cause tissue damage?
January
Is this what a horse feels?
The basic design of the vertebrae
Taking the shoulder to hip measurement
To be sung to the tune of Hockey Night in Canada…
Itty Bitty Kiddie tree
Rawhide Soup, anyone?
Checking the RSS feed
The major segments of the equine spine
A special saddle for a special lady
Putting the spine together
This is what is left...
"It's the dust that kills tree makers."
2011
December
Merry Christmas!
Of pivots, lollipops and springs - movement of the horse’s hind leg
BIG equipment, careful cuts
Saddle fit - How much pressure is too much?
Preparing deer hide for rawhide lace
Tools used when rawhiding a saddle tree
Bones of the hind leg - part two
Anyone know who built this tree?
Things to see on a broken saddle tree
November
Bones of the hind leg - part one
Making rawhide isn't fun
Saddle fit and the bell curve
Four Wades - or are they?
False "saddle fit rules" regarding the shoulder blades
A Charro saddle tree
Today in the shop
Movement of the shoulder blades and saddle fit
The Artisans Show at the Heritage Ranch Rodeo
How does the horse's shoulder blade move?
Artisan's Show at the Heritage Ranch Rodeo
October
Last week in the shop
Cantle slots
An interesting link on equine anatomy
Rod's been busy...
Foreleg of the horse - bones and attachment
"The cupboard was bare..."
Last week away from the shop
This week out of the shop
Where do you start with a table full of bones?
Hamley Hangers
September
Meet Arnie
Crunching the numbers
A special saddle tree for a special lady
This week in the shop
How we use the Dennis Lane Equine Back Profiling System numbers
Duplicating trees Part 2- making the replacement
Duplicating trees Part 1 - taking them apart
This Week in the Shop
What keeps treemakers amused
August
Effect of weight on the horse's back - Part 2
Effect of weight on the horse's back - Part 1
This Week in the Shop
Saddle Trees - from Shop and Desk
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Shop talk
fun!
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relief
(1)
construction materials
(8)
saddle fit
(79)
Swell forks
(29)
fun!
(25)
bars
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pack trees
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Reasons to order a good hand made saddle tree
(9)
rawhide
(20)
The business of trees
(5)
Saddle info
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Wades
(21)
saddle fit myths
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crown
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cantles
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saddles
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For Sale
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factors that affect fit
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duplicates
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Dennis Lane Equine Back Profiling System
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equine anatomy
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measurements
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Pressure sensor mat
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special requests
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bar angles
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horns
(9)
Fitting the rider
(5)
wood post swell fork
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Side saddle
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dust collection
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shows/seminars/presentations
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Rider
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rock
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equine biomechanics
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western saddle fit video
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Resources
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tools and equipment
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Shop talk
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slick fork
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new saddle tree makers
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