I made a purchase a couple of weeks ago and I sure am happy I did!
I got a set of ice spikes to slip on my barn boots. They work great! But I am looking forward to the day I won't need them.
They fit nicely over my el cheapo barn boots.
My catch and release program is working well with Sophie; the last couple of days she just stood and let me walk up and catch her.
I took my saddles to a local saddle maker/repair guy. He thinks my saddle with the broken tails on the ralide tree is fixable, and on my new saddle he is going to make the hole where the latigo attaches to the cinch ring larger so I won't have to change out my cinch rings to a different style.
I also had an old Saddle King of Texas saddle given to me last summer- it was in deplorable shape, having been left out in the weather. It was all dried, curled up leather and it was moldy. I stripped it all down and cleaned it up; the saddle tree is in good shape and the leather responded well to all the treatment I gave it. It needs a few things to make it complete; new sheepskin, new stirrup leathers and blevins buckles to replace the old method of lacing to adjust the stirrups; new saddle strings and conchos. I opted to have straight leather sewn onto the skirts instead of sheepskin. He showed me a couple of saddles he did that to that have seen a lot of use and it does just as good a job as sheepskin, given the quality of saddle pads that are available these days. Will also probably hold the saddle in place better than sheepskin. I will post pics of it when it's done, but here is what it looked like when I got it.
11 comments:
Looks like it will come back well. I am glad you got cleats, if I might suggest , add a velcro strap over the arch or bale twine , they have a habit of slipping off now and then and suddenly you are surfing! I wear mine all winter now, I cannot afford another fall, the last one had me out for the count several months. I don't love them as they change your walking gait and it bugs my back , but way better than falling
Sherry- I have been meaning to do that, guess today will be the day! I had one come off at the gate to the mare's pen, so I had better get on that!
I have those exact ice cleats. They work really well. I'm glad that the saddle is fixable.
Glad I don't need ice cleats. Boy, that is a lot of work for a saddle. Hope it turns out well. Who leaves a saddle outside anyway?
I'm intrigued by the swapping out of sheepskin to smooth leather. I've not heard of that.
Yes, what Sherry said. I just lost an unstrapped one on my recent photography lake adventure.
Totally impressed with your dedication saving that saddle. Interesting sheepskin option.
Oh, saddle restoration, fascinating! And I love the idea of replacing the sheepskin with leather - when you can get a sheepskin pad (one you can put in the washing machine), why not? In my opinion sheepskin is the stuff that should be touching the horse. My saddle tree looks like yours underneath, except it has strips of velcro for attaching neoprene panels and neoprene wedges. I had someone tell me my sheepskin saddle pad was not as thick as it should be, pointing to his traditional square Western pad (a good 2 inches thick!) and I didn't think to show him the 1" neoprene panels on the bottom of my saddle *lol*
the ice cleats are a really good idea. i never thought about owning a pair myself. im inclined to falls, especially on ice.
Yes I have a dedicated pair of snow boots with yak trax on them! Wow that is so much work on the old saddle good for you, I bet it will be real nice when it is all done:)
Catch to have breakfast, let go again, catch to go to grassy paddock, catch to come back to yard for dinner. I always tried to catch my horses far more for fun stuff they loved than for riding. I also tried to ride or vet before I let them into the bigger paddock for the day, so they always knew a catch from the paddock meant a good thing. In an emergency, of course, you would catch them from the paddock for anything you needed, but lots of happy catches meant they come running. Of course there will always be horses who love being ridden and canter to the gate, but i suspect Sophie is not currently one of them. Also, hoo boy, that is one opinionated bottom lip, but I think if you earn her love with quiet leadership aka Mark Rashid, she will be super opinionated in your favour, too, and super loyal from there. :D Her expression and facial build is so much like my old ex-rodeo horse, Mono. Man he could do some faces, and the same upside-down neck thing, but a year or so down the track, he was a gentle, mild-eyed darling with good development on his topline, and to look at his face, you wouldn't know he was the same horse. And I could catch and transport him too. We never did get him so we could drench him unsedated though. Some things old horses never forget.
I used old shoe laces on the YakTraks without a strap. At least when it came off the boot in deeper snow it was still tied to me!
I love the old saddles like this. Keeping saddles in condition is work!
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