It was broken!

[3equines]

Had a fun time last night dissecting Thunder's old Herford saddle. We came to the conclusion that it was broken about a month ago, the horn had been loose for some time and it was riding lower and lower on the front end. When I double padded the saddle to try and lift it off the withers I could feel it spreading wider as I rode in it.

My camera's flash quit working (:rant:) so the pictures that show the extent of the damage to the tree are really grainy and poor quality. The tree looks to be a Ralide resin tree, we did an online search of resin type saddle trees and the Ralide ones looked just like it. My fiancee wants to get a new tree and put the saddle back together, just for the heck of it, not because the saddle was in that great of shape or anything.

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz241/susnakela/DSCF4335.jpg

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz241/susnakela/DSCF4337.jpg

the horn just lifted right off the tree

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz241/susnakela/DSCF4341.jpg

http://i832.photobucket.com/albums/zz241/susnakela/DSCF4340.jpg

Anyhow, I have always favored wood-and-rawhide trees to the composite and flex threes. Usually if a wood tree breaks it is at a joint and can be repaired. Plastic, especially composite, has limits on what kind of impact it can take. Obvoiusly what did this tree in was using the horn, ponying reluctant horses dallied off the horn and hanging heavy stuff off of it when packing in to elk camp and hunting.

[vicklynn]

Yup, Id say it was broken. So, what are you going to do? Get it repaired? Keep it for decor?

[mare]

I'm a fan of bullhide covered wood trees for most of my riding. That said, there is a material that one of my saddle maker friends uses. It the same as used in the nose cones of jet fighters. Those puppies don't break under very heavy use according to the people who've bought them.

I've busted some ralide trees just by saddling a green horse with them and the horse pitching a little. My last one, that I used to sack colts with, broke right behind the pommel after only a couple years of not real tough use. I've seen ropers sheer the horns off more than a few, too.

I don't use my good saddle on colts or re-trains in case they topple over or roll with it. Funny, but I don't want it all scarred up.

[Fork]

I'm glad you decided to take a look :). What about the Haffies? Are you going to have a hard time finding another well-fitting saddle?

[3equines]

We'll probably just use the saddle as a breaking saddle, right now it is an educational expereince. We're treating it like a cadaver :innocent: My fiancee really wants to learn how to build saddles, and Ralide trees are less than $100 so it would be worth it for the adventure. He's lucky he got 4 years out of the saddle, it was 2nd hand when he bought it. We need to find an exact match for the tree or the leather won't fit.


Someday I will be able to send him on a spring vacation to somewhere cool like Montana to spend a few weeks with a saddlemaker.

We've been enjoying Thunder's "new" saddle, a bull roping saddle made with wood, steel, and rawhide.

[3equines]

I'm glad you decided to take a look :). What about the Haffies? Are you going to have a hard time finding another well-fitting saddle?


Well, Peach has a saddle that fits her like a glove. It is a wide gaited horse tree from Steele Equi-Fit. I have a saddle that fits Sweet P "ok" with shims, its a light draft tree, I would like to get a custom built Aussie saddle for her.

Crystal is another mystery. The semi-QH tree fits her back but tips forward in the front. A standard Aussie fits her nicely, though. We don't plan to keep her forever so I will probably break her in the Aussie.

Each horse is different, even among the Haffies and QH's. That's why it would be cool to learn how to build saddles. We could make our own trees and everything:cowboy:

[Remali]

Oh ouch that must have been nasty for the horse! Good thing you took it apart!