Anatomy of Prototyping a New Saddle Pattern

I had started making the final saddles before Breyerfest but never got the chance to finish a complete set. Since I (like everyone) needed to pay for the trip, I took along a bunch of tack and sold what I would sell.

This Western version didn't sell, but the English one did. I don't have pictures of the English one. I spent more time on the details with the pair, making certain of finished edges, glue control, the best of my hardware, proper oil conditioning and sealer coat.

This also has little adjustments like Western stirrups and stirrup keepers that are nicer than just a strip of leather.

This saddle has the easy tooling pattern and the raised areas are painted. It is tan and black. I like that combination. I put this saddle on the Stone Arabian just to see the fit. Id didn't have to make any size adjustments to the pattern and it is just small enough.

I didn't make the bridle or crupper until December of 2006. It's just time now to get this project completed so that I can move onto the next.

Not included in the book, but here is one of my hand woven saddle blankets. I bought a lap loom and have made about a half dozen of these woven blankets. It's a nice - no brains required - type of thing to do, especially when I am physically and emotionally spent but can't get my brain to wind down. That happened quite a bit between March and November of this year. Making tack takes too much thinking. Weaving is repetitive and boring, but creative.

I had planned for this to be the Western version of one of the easy tooling patterns. The leather I used had been dyed tan one and then dyed black twice (I had run out of black for the Pleasure and Parade book). After working the tooling and stitching and soaking, the black dye just would not hold onto the leather and the tan started to show through.

So the pieces for the saddle stayed in a baggie and was the very last of the 10 to be assembled. It was during that assembly that I decided to paint this saddle black. I don't know if anyone would even know if I didn't make that confession...

I didn't put in that much finish work because I decided from the start it had finish problems so why waste the hardware.

The Dees are missing around the cantle and I only put one pair of Dees in the front for the breast strap. I didn't bother to make a crupper. I'd give this one a PSQ rating just because so much hardware is missing. Other than that, It's actually a very nice saddle.

For the book, I usually have one saddle for each type that I assemble while taking pictures of each step. Occasionally in the process I have to figure out what the next step should be and certainly don't want to have to start over again on a new saddle if I mess up. So I keep an additional saddle off to the side that I can assemble at the same time (without taking the pictures) that helps me figure out what each step should be in advance of taking the pictures. Does that make sense?

Okay, so this saddle and the English one that will show up in the book, were assembled at the same time. Only, I didn't take pictures of the assembly of this saddle. I just used it as a way to plan what I would take pictures of with the other saddle.

Since I knew this was a disposable saddle, I used scrap and damaged leather. After the assembly, I took a good look at it and realized that if I painted the raised tooling areas in a dark brown, no one would really even know that the leather had those minor flaws. I really like this saddle.

The one little issue I have is that I didn't place the studs in the right place and a couple disappear under the skirt flaps. Oh, yeah, the headband for the halter bridle is too big for this horse. But that is easy to fix.

This is the advanced tooling pattern in dark brown. The tooled areas are painted in white acrylic and then finished with a mahogany antique finish paste. I started using the antique finish with my pleasure saddle book. This is a new color that suits the English saddles well.

This is of course the English version. Why I decided to give the bridle Western reins is even beyond me... Well, maybe not. I need this for the options and suggestions part of the book, like a mix and match type of thing.

I'm keeping this one. Sometimes I actually make a saddle and say to myself, "This one is all mine."

I used cast metal Western stirrups painted to match the rest of the saddle. No horn or rear rigging on this, but it does have the Western fenders.

The tooling pattern and finish work is the same as the above, but I simplified the tooling pattern for the book with this version and it came out a whole bunch better.

I don't plan on making this saddle ever again. That is why I plan to keep this particular one. I made a halter bridle because I plan to keep that as well.

This is the English version of the second advanced tooling pattern. This is the most difficult of the tooling patterns. I like the pattern, but not as much as the advanced leaf pattern.

This is the Western version of the second advanced tooling pattern. Another nice saddle. The leather is a British tan and it looks really good on this model.

Easy tooling pattern number two in two toned brown. This pattern came from the 6" saddle book, or sort of. I modified it slightly.

The western version assembled and photographed in the book. The studs came out nice. I should use that detail more. Well, maybe on the next one that I decide to make for myself.

I don't have this saddle on a model yet because I haven't decided what model to use. And I haven't made the halter bridle yet. That is the last piece I need to assemble and photograph.

This one will go off to ebay to help promote the book.

I haven't decided if there will be another chapter to this prototyping process. I pretty much figure that I've shown the process and I don't know what more I can show.

I have two other projects in mind for next year (aside form the Breyer and Stone CDs). I'm looking into side saddles, both Western and English. I just might show that process. It won't go as smoothly as I haven't found a pattern. Everything will have to be from scratch. That should be fun.

And for the Halter show people, I'm starting a breed book and CD combination to help us figure out what breed those strange Stone colored horses belong to -- as well as options for the not quite type Breyer molds. The breeds project may take as long as two years to complete as there are images involved.

Thanks for the interest in my tack making. Take care!