Saddle Epilogue~

Kachees Lake

The water level in the reservoir was down - from our last trip over Snoqualmie pass in April~

Kachees on April 12th

This was a mufti-purpose trip - to pick up another load of hay.  First cutting this time & probably the only cutting, Everett's water will be cut-off the first of Aug.  Second cutting isn't usually ready to bail until the first part of Sept.  Farah was with us too, so that Everett could fit her for a saddle tree & proposed new saddle.  I'd also asked him to access the fit & lack of workmanship in the saddle I'm returning to McClintock.

Ben bucking hay!

It was HOT!  104 when we arrived & still going up!  Ben was a great help!  The bales were just a little lighter, they were so dry, enough that a ton was 22 bales rather than 21.  Once the truck was full, we all hurried into the air conditioned saddle shop for a cold pop!  Farah was in the barn, able to roam from stall to stall, where she cleaned up any & all food stuff left by Everett & Carolyn's horses!

We came to several conclusions.  The first - the McClintock saddle is being shipped back today!  Even the tree itself - was not the same kind/type of tree that was in Linda's saddle.  Linda's saddle has stirrup slots, in the bars, which is what gives me the tremendous freedom of movement in the fenders.  We considered the option of new sheepskin on this saddle...  With the age of the saddle, craftsmanship etc., the leather would not hold up & we'd basically end up with a tree.  Regardless - it would be very time consuming & costly to make it look as good as it should.

We pulled out books of trees, trying to find one that would match Linda's saddle.  We couldn't find one, which may be part of the reason I didn't get one!  It seems that they are just not being made by any of the major saddle tree manufactures.  Everett referred me to Rod Nikkel's Saddle Trees, so beautiful that they are works of art & priced accordingly.  After sizing Farah again for a tree, with plenty of wither clearance/pommel height - we were ready to head home.

Yesterday, Butch helped me to re-fit Linda's saddle with all my stuff.  My new Supracore Coolback Endurance sized pad had arrived last week from Riding Warehouse at a really decent price & two-day shipping for $5.  It fits perfectly under the saddle, so - I'll be hitting the trail again soon (hopeful that the heat clears out?) & so happy to be!

Back In My Saddle Again~

My Saddle

It arrived yesterday - back home from it's final visit to Idaho.  Eighteen weeks it's been gone, since our trip to Olson's Saddle Shop, where we began the quest to figure out what was wrong, what was right & what needed to change.  After our accident, I wasn't moving too fast & my right arm doesn't want to be used for much of anything!  So I asked the UPS driver to lug the box up to the barn for me.   When Butch got home, we unpacked it & were both amazed at how good it looked!  A new tree, new seat - padded this time, new fenders, strings, pommel - about the only thing left original is the skirting leather & sheepskin!

Farah Saddled~

 Joyce & I had planned to ride today, I was going to show Joyce my training loop - a first for us, since we all know I'm directionally challenged & anyone with any common sense knows that riding with me - there's always the possibility of getting lost!  :-)  Karissa, a young friend of Joyce's accompanied us - riding Jesse, while Joyce was on Target.  Farah was just flat out thrilled that her two favorite geldings were with us today!  All three horses go so well together & we were just over 3-miles out, when two black bear came out of the brush on one side of the road & ran across to the other!  First time I've ever seen them that close to the parking area!

Joyce on Target, Karissa on Jesse

The views were just outstanding for Karissa's first visit to Victoria!  There wasn't anything about this day not to like!  I was stiff, but the further we went, the better I felt & the more I loosened up.  At one point, going on a trail with heavy growth - I noticed that Farah seemed to be paying a bit more attention to the ground - though we both knew there were no bridges on this trail!

Tide was Way out!

I don't know if we had a minus tide today- but the water was the farthest out I've seen it in a long while.  We stopped for a short break at the Monument, then rode through the Dark Woods, over to the Lake McMurray side.

Farah & Connie

Farah was really moving well...  really well... I was loving my seat, I had worried that the padding would be uncomfortable, or maybe make the seat too small, but it did neither.  The combination of Randy's tree, with the amazing seat that Mike puts in a saddle seems to be working great.  (Last evening - I wrapped my fingers & put on a glove & worked cleaning & conditioning Linda's saddle.  I'd planned to take it to her today, but Butch reminded me that it might be a while before I know if all the issues with mine have been resolved... )

My new seat~

 We were all the way to what I call the Main Line trail & trotting right out - Farah in the lead, when I heard the sound of scattering gravel & hooves...  I turned to see that Karissa had come off Jesse!  Joyce was behind her & had already jumped off Target to run to her aid.  Jesse had stepped into a mole hole - right in the middle of the road.  It took them down & down Hard!  Karissa had hit her head/helmet on the ground, skinned her hand, elbow & hurt her leg through her tights.  Jesse had skin off the point of his hip, but no blood & otherwise was unhurt.  We were both proud of the way Karissa stiffened her upper lip & took the fall in stride!  I pulled out my emergency kit again - freshly replenished from Monday & doctored her up.  We still had about 6-miles to get back to the trailers.

Heading back up~

Our trot up the hill turned into a nice walk, our original good pace, now backed off - the 17-miles took us just over four hours.

We're DONE with any further accidents now!  Joyce had taken a fall over the weekend, hurting her elbow & leg, then mine on Monday & now Karissa today.  That's THREE by anyone's reckoning!

The Tree Fits!

On our way~

We've been just darn lucky with this entire saddle journey...  A dry pass the first of February & a dry pass today - late March.  Perfect weather for our second round-trip to Olson's Saddle Shop.  This time - to check the fit on the tree that's been made to fit Farah on the bottom, me & the leather (of my saddle) on the top.  I was hoping that Randy would be a miracle worker & also give me the narrower twist that would make the ride much more comfortable.  All this while keeping the rigging, dish of the seat etc. exactly as it was.

Mr. Olson checks the fit~

I have to say that these trips have been as fun as we could make them...  A lot of miles & expense for a saddle - but all will be well worth the effort if everything comes together as we all hope.  Everett said that when he unpacked the tree - it was still tacky with the sealer - so we know that Randy was doing his level best to get it to us!   After putting it on/off & every which way - it was unanimous - a Good Fit!  There had to be some wiggle room - because the tree is far from done.   It's lighter & more streamlined too.

Leather over & under

Will the leather work?  Looks like it will!   My poor saddle (Can I still call it that?) looks really poor at this point  - almost a Frankenstein saddle.  Rather than discouraged - I'm encouraged.

 A man in a white hat rode up out of Idaho & made us an offer that was hard to refuse!  His expert help in the reconstruction - Mike of Meridian Saddles.  Mike had never had a saddle go wrong & once he realized that this one had - he was ready to make it right!  Now - the tree goes back to Randy to be finished.   Next - it will be shipped back to Everett - who'll box the whole thing up & ship it all to Mike.  Mike will have the task of turning all of this work back into a working, riding saddle!

A Beautiful Saddle!

My hope?  To have Farah wearing a saddle that is comfortable for her, secure & comfortable for me.  Then - if the the winds of fortune are blowing at our back - to have it back & on her back in time for Mt. Adams!

Saddle Trees~

Mine on the left, more "standard" tree on the right~

Again - I find that the more I thought I might know about saddle trees - the less I really did!  What an interesting process this is becoming.

Cantle view - Mine on the right

I've been referred to this link for a education in how Western Saddles are made.   American Saddle Makers Association.

Pommel view - My tree on the left.

What we noticed is that my tree had almost no angle to the bars...  much flatter than in a standard tree & very little flare.  The bars are also too long - creating some bridging.  The gullet may actually have been too wide, which allowed the saddle to drop in front - causing the shimmy in back & lack of contact there.

There's very little twist - not what I had ordered.  The pommel size of my saddle, narrower - & the shorter bars in front of it - are what is fairly common in an "endurance" saddle.  Western saddles have a wider swell, or at least that's my understanding as of today.

Rear view - mine on the right

Not many people have a custom saddle torn down - so you don't often have the opportunity to see what's inside.  I enjoyed my conversation with Randy of Timberline Trees today.  He said that we breed the type of horse that we use for the part of the country we're riding in, along with the job that they're intended to do.  If I'd shipped my saddle down to Texas - for instance - it might have sold.  There - where the terrain is relatively flat, the horses are built broader, with much lower withers.  Riders aren't concerned with saddles slipping up over the withers - since there are no steep mountains to climb or slide down.  As those of us in the more mountainous areas of the country know - we need those withers to keep the saddle in place & us with it!

As a horse ages & the miles start adding up - their back will respond by hollowing a little at the wither & becoming more defined.  With all the variables involved - it's difficult to find any one saddle that will work for all.  (We don't all wear the same kind or size of shoe.)

The next step in the process - the tree is being shipped to Randy - so that he can take it, along with Farah's measurements to produce a raw tree.  (The original tree is important - in that the hope is to re-use the leather that was on the saddle to save $.)   Once the raw tree is made - Randy will ship it back to Everett, so he & I can check the fit & make any adjustments - before the tree is completed.  This will take a bit longer - but at least we'll be sure of the fit.  There is little bar difference between my "endurance" tree & a "standard" one.