Manufacturing

1. Each tree is tested for dimensional accuracy and symmetry.
   Our philosophy is that it is the fit of the tree – the internal frame on which the saddle is built – that determines overall saddle fit.

1. Once the optimum tree has been selected it is ‘webbed up.’
   The seat of a saddle is perhaps best described as a tight hammock. As a rider you are not sitting on the tree but rather you are supported just above it. The webs are the base of the seat and create the “hammock”.

1. Then the ‘soft’ part of the seat is made.
   The picture shows the white top layer of open cell foam. A seat can have several layers made from selected rubbers and foams to create tailor-made shapes and levels of softness.

1. At the same time, the leather parts that go to make up the saddle are cut out and prepared.
   Soft hide leather is used for the panels and pads. Other parts, such as the flaps and skirts, are solid “butt” leather, which requires a finishing process on the edges. First an edge strip is used to round the corners and then they are stained and veined to colour match the leather and give a smart polished finish.

1. Next, the saddle skirts need holes for backing stitches.
   These “tunnel” like stitches attach the skirt to the skirt backing so that the seat and skirt can be attached to the tree. Also at this stage any edge of leather that will be joined to another is “taken down” or thinned so that any seam between two pieces of leather is neat and smooth. There is still a way to go yet by way of machining and assembly.

1. The next job before the panel can be turned is to complete the ‘casing.’
   This is the hand sewing of the “facing” to create the round piping that you see down the front edge and around the back of the panel. Now we have a product that is starting to actually look like a saddle. The panel will now be turned the right way and have the sweat flaps on. The picture shows the panel being finished (inside out at this stage.)

1. The last process with the panel is to “flock” and to stitch on the girth straps.

1. Finally the saddle is ‘laced’ together.
   This involves joining the two saddle halves together – the wool flock panel that touches the horse’s back is stitched to the top half (seat, skirts and flaps) that the rider sits on. The “lacing” stitches run over the arch of the pommel and around the back of the cantle. They are always hidden so the finished saddle looks neat and no joins are visible.

Each saddle is as individual as you and your horse.