Anatomy of Prototyping a New Saddle Pattern

After a bit of research, I found solutions to the stirrup and  cinch issues. This is the first use of the overgirth and single  billet type of rigging which is standard with Australian stock
saddles. As for the stirrups, you can't see the modification because it is under the front decorative reinforcement panel.
But there is a cutout in the 2oz upper flap that allows room for the stirrup leathers to slip under. This way it is not just  the skiver holding the leathers into position. Not only that, there is room for stirrup bars without adding too much bulk. Notice the changes to the front of the saddle. It looks more finished. But we are not there yet. Also notice the addition of padding to the back of the seat for a more vertical back.

This is a different saddle from the one above but made from the same materials. The front looks much better. I think this is the solution I have been looking for. As for the back, I didn't place the lower padding correctly so there is a gap between the flaps and the leather that covers the back of the lower pads. 
I need to change the position of the slit for the overgirth as it should not be so close to the stirrup leathers. But that is a  minor adjustment.

09/15/05

While researching the types of Australian Stock saddles, I  realized that with the same pattern, and a few modifications, I could easily make the Western style (often called a hybrid)
with an Australian Western style fenders, rear cinch rings and (not yet attempted) a horn. The Hybrid doesn't have the rear poleys and also doesn't have the English style skirts. Aside from that the pattern is basically the same. To create the skirt flaps for the back of the saddle, I added that part the to Upper flaps pattern. The upper flaps are then glued to the tree  instead of the skirts. This is the first attempt at the Hybrid and it went very well.

Here's another Hybrid prototype. I didn't add the rear cinch rings as I was already certain I had the solution. It's another  step closer. The front and back have pretty good shape, but there is a blocking tool issue to work on with the addition of the extra seat padding.  If you are wondering, I created both the fender and overgirth patterns from scratch. The fenders on this one are upside-down for a reason -- the strap part for the stirrups was thinner and I wanted to see if the overgirth would fit better with thinner straps. Still not thin enough, but closer.

I actually started skiving the leather with this one which is why you can't see the color of the upper flaps around the padding on the tree. It's subtle. but does make a difference. 

The overgirth needs to be rounder in the front near the pommel of the saddle. That will be another minor change in the next set of prototypes.

A few adjustments that really made a dramatic difference. Obviously, there is a dramatic reduction to the bulk in the middle of the saddle. I used a leather tree instead of aluminum. I like the added flexibility to the seat part of the tree. But the pommel collapsed and has a problem keeping shape. This is the first attempt at a horn for the Western version. Since the pommel won't keep it's shape, I can't be certain if the horn pattern  needs to be angled instead of straight. I suspect it will need to be angular or the horn will point to the horse's ears instead of neck. I added additional padding to the font poleys and forgot to make a larger hole in the upper flap slits. Consequently the poleys are being pressed forward in an incorrect direction (center picture). That  should be easy to correct.

On the positive side, the seat looks more close contact style. The  Western style fenders are looking good. I do need to check for the correct length, now that I have the correct width. The back and front of the saddle are looking very good. All-in-all, I like the progress so far. But there is still so much work to do! I haven't even started with any of the finish work!

Here's the English version. It has many of the same issues as the above version. Only this time, instead of al leather tree, I used a leather/aluminum combination. Basically, the leather in the seat  allows for the flexibility needed to get the correct seat shape and the front and middle arch has the support of the aluminum so that it holds the shape. It's a layering of materials and not a change of shape so I don't have to make any changes to the blocking tool (yipeee!).

I still have the same problem with the poleys as above, here even worse because of the English skirts. Strange how adding one layer of 2/3 oz leather can make such a big difference. And I'm not entirely pleased with the stirrup bar solution. And the addition of the leather layer to the tree has created extra bulk in the very front of the tree that I had to skive down. I'd rather not have that step in the final product. Better to find a way to reduce the bulk without adding it in the first place.

The prototypes have advanced to the PSQ phase, so it may be possible to sell these on ebay for a tad bit above cost and get back some of the money I've spent on materials so far. I figure it costs about  $6-$10 per prototype (If you're keeping track, I've already spend  about $75-$100 in materials so far). Add $6-$7 for the English style  stirrups. If I can sell some of these at $10-25, I can make back my  cost. These won't be included in any auctions because the edges  are not finished and there are glue issues everywhere. But I  figure in about 2-4 more saddles I will be working on the details and not the shape. Once I start adding the hardware, it will be time to begin selling the prototypes.

09/18/05

Here's the Western style with horn. There isn't much difference between this and the above pattern. The stirrup leathers fit better and the bulk from the middle of the saddle is gone. The horn is made with a straight pin covered in skiver. The  horn pattern needs quite a bit of refinement as I made the original pattern way to large. I'm not please with the way the pommel flattens out after training. I remember I had this same problem with the English saddle pattern and devised a foam and aluminum solution that helped, but with the Aussie pattern and the addition of the horn, I don't think that will work here.

Another English style. With this one, the poleys are better as I took the time to skive and add some padding. But I don't think I need to skive both sides (too thin at the top). There is still a problem with the shape of the back of the seat. And when I shape the seat, there are wrinkles because the skiver is glued to the foam on the seat. It's much closer, but I'm not completely satisfied with the tree solution.