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Topics Covered
on this page:
Changes in Conformation
Tightening Conchos
Cleaning Your Saddle
Fitting Your Saddle pads
Modifying Saddle Pads
Tie Strap Lacing
Black Saddles
Adjusting Fenders and Leathers
Saddle Packing for Shipment
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CHANGES
IN CONFORMATION
DUE TO “CORRECT
SADDLE FIT”
We, here at Caldwell Saddle Company,
have personally noted some interesting developments recently. A
correct saddle that fits absolutely perfectly may not be the end of
your saddle woes. Three months ago, our barrel racer employee found
a nice five year old that fit under our TG Racer just right. Now,
after working the mare 3-5 times a week, she has put on about a
hundred pounds, obviously mostly muscle. She has gone up two saddle
sizes and is now riding with our Rocket tree. I have long suspected
that too narrow of a tree can restrict muscle and bone development
much like a corset can cause a woman’s rib cage to bend inward
distorting the bone and muscle structure. So, although after
waiting a year to receive your new Caldwell that fits perfectly,
please keep an eye on the way it continues to fit. As well as our
employee, we have had at least 4 other customers have this happen –
that we know of. While this may be discouraging news because you
thought you had solved your saddle fit problems, being a responsible
horseman has to keep a constant vigilance for the benefit of our
four legged partners. All of us at Caldwell will work with our
customers to properly re-fit your horses when this occurs.
But, please be patient, we are custom builders with over a hundred
saddle orders to work through. We do not have a line of workers
that can just knock together our product. |
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TO TIGHTEN OR LOOSEN YOUR CONCHOS, PLACE THE POINTED END OF A SCREWDRIVER
IN A GROOVE OR RIDGE ON THE CONCHO. TAP THE HANDLE END OF THE SCREWDRIVER
WITH A HAMMER TO TURN THE CONCHO. BE CAREFUL TO NOT OVER TIGHTEN AND BREAK
IT. SEE PICTURE BELOW:
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DON'T FORGET TO OIL AND CLEAN YOUR SADDLE!
CLEANING YOUR SADDLE and tack is imperative
to the life of the leather. Remember that dirt and sweat is
what rots leather and, after several years, will cause the breakdown
and severe depreciation of your tack. With proper care and
maintenance, your saddle could last a lifetime. To clean
leather, we recommend using a lot of water and elbow grease combined
with the glycerin soap of your choice and a stiff plastic bristled
brush such as a dish brush. Keep in mind the wetter the
leather, the easier the dirt will be to remove. Also, the
dirtier your saddle, the longer it will take to get all of the dirt
and sweat out. The most susceptible parts of the saddle are
the inside of the fenders that are against the horse, the rig area,
and the seat so take extra time to make sure you get these parts
really clean. Be sure to scrub in circles using a lot of soap
and water and wash ALL parts. When the saddle dries you will
probably see some areas darker than others. The dark areas are
still dirty and need more attention so go back at them with
diligence! When you are confident that your saddle is clean,
make sure to oil it well to preserve and condition the leather and
prevent dirt and sweat from penetrating as badly next time.
Generously oil ALL parts and sides, including roughout, but be sure
to stay at least an inch away from suede seats if your saddle has
this. We also recommend using Blackrock ($7.95) as a finishing
for smooth leather and conditioner for the elk seats. Dilute
it a little with water and rub it on with your hands, avoiding
roughout and suede. It doesn't hurt to spray the mud, dirt,
and sweat off of your saddle regularly as long as you oil it
regularly.
OIL YOUR SADDLE AND OTHER LEATHER TACK
AT LEAST EVERY 6 MONTHS TO PRESERVE IT'S LIFE! WE HAVE OUR OWN
OIL MADE CALLED MIRACLE JUICE ($39.95/gal) THAT PENETRATES DEEP INTO THE PORES OF THE
LEATHER LIKE NO OTHER OIL AVAILABLE. WE RECOMMEND USING THE WOOL THAT WE
SEND WITH IT TO APPLY THE OIL BECAUSE OF THE ADDED BENEFITS OF LANOLIN. THIS IS
THE SAME WOOL THAT WE USE TO PROTECT HORNS WHEN WE SHIP SADDLES, SO KEEP IT, CUT
IT TO DESIRED SIZE, AND USE IT AS AN OIL RAG. REMEMBER THAT OILED LEATHER BENDS,
STRETCHES
AND LASTS, WHILE DRY LEATHER TEARS AND BREAKS. PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT AND STAY
SAFE BY TAKING
CARE OF YOUR TACK!!!!
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FITTING PADS TO YOUR
HORSE
After years of
discussing and attempting to create the proper design for
saddle trees, I have discovered another issue that can have
adverse effects on both fit and performance....the pad.
I am only going to
discuss 100% wool felt pads because others, such as air,
gel, foam; I consider "gimmicks". All of these have too
much give and can create sore spots. The protective layer
can easily move aside under pressure leaving no protection
from a high spot. If you can press your thumbs together
form each side of the pad there is no protection for your
horse. If you can push through the air, gel, foam; so can a
pressure point on the underside of your saddle. Felt is
much more dense so can disperse any pressure area.
A side view of the
pad should match the spinal contour your horse. A low
withered flat-backed horse often referred to as a Quarter
Type is easier to fit because the shape of most pads match
this type. See Example A. While the high withered
low-backed Thoroughbred Type (Example B) has to have the
same pad contour to match him, but there are very few pads
for this type.
Example A
Example B
Supreme Western
Products had one a few years ago but I have not checked
lately. Diamond Wool Pads has done one for us with an
adjustable velcroed wither strap as well as an extra long
cutback; which is great because the straighter the shoulder
the lower the back and the longer the withers. I am seeing
horses whose withers are as long as their backs.
Due to
changes in conformations of racing
and performance horses, saddles themselves have had to change.
Adding to conformation changes, fitness levels will also alter
whether the saddle sits level and balanced on the horses' back.
"The more fit, the harder to fit." As well, pads should
have had to evolve to work to equalize the pressure points on high
withers, straight shoulders, and/or low backs, but they have lagged
behind the better fitting saddles. Sometimes it may require a
specialist to help get the customer the right combination of saddle
and pad for their horse. Here at Caldwell Saddle we will work
with our customers, giving all the information at our disposal.
We offer evaluations of saddle, saddle tree, pad, fit, and usage.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODIFYING A PAD TO HELP YOUR SADDLE FIT A
LOW BACKED/HIGH WITHERED OR UNEVEN SHOULDERED HORSE. WE
RECOMMEND USING A 100% WOOL FELT PAD WITH A CONTOURED BACK.
THIS IS ONLY A GUIDE, YOU MUST MARK THE AREAS ON YOUR PAD
SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR HORSE. THE CIRCLES IN PIC 2 SHOW
APPROXIMATELY WHERE THE SHOULDER BLADES ON A HORSE BULGE (JUST BELOW
THE WITHER). THIS IS THE SAME AREA WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE WHITE
HAIRS OR DRY SPOTS. EITHER OF THESE SYMPTOMS ARE SIGNS THAT
YOUR SADDLE IS NOT FITTING YOUR HORSE PROPERLY. THE PRESSURE
IN THIS AREA NEEDS TO BE REDUCED TO ALLEVIATE OR PREVENT PAIN.
THE THREE REMEDIES ARE TO MOVE YOUR SADDLE UP, USE A THINNER OR
MODIFIED PAD AS SHOWN BELOW (WHICH ALSO FILLS IN THE BACK TO ALLOW
THE SADDLE TO SIT LEVEL), AND/OR GET A SADDLE WITH A WIDER GULLET.
(NOTE THAT TRUE GULLET WIDTH CANNOT BE MEASURED WITH THE SADDLE
INTACT.) THESE 100% WOOL FELT PADS ARE MADE IN LAYERS SO YOU
CAN USE A SHARP KNIFE TO CARVE OUT THE AREAS WHERE THE SADDLE
PRESSURE NEEDS REDUCED. A LARGE-TOOTHED PAIR OF CLIPPERS CAN
BE USED TO SMOOTH/EVEN OUT THE CUTOUT AREA (BE SURE TO HAVE A LARGE
CAN OF "COOL LUBE" AND USE FREQUENTLY SO YOU DON'T BURN UP YOUR
CLIPPERS.) UNTIL A QUALITY PAD IS MADE TO BE THINNER OVER A
HORSE'S SHOULDERS AND THICKER OVER THE BACK, MOST BARREL/RACE-BRED
HORSE OWNERS WILL HAVE TO RESORT TO THIS TECHNIQUE, REGARDLESS OF
THE SADDLE USED, TO KEEP THE HORSE SOUND AND THE RIDER MORE
BALANCED. WE CARRY AN ECONOMICAL LINE OF THESE PADS IN 3/4"
AND 1".
Our newly
designed by Caldwell, made by Diamond Wool, custom 1" 30x30 100%
wool felt pads with extra cut-out for withers, adjustable wither
strap, and more contour in the back.
WARNING: WRONG
TIE STRAP LACING
Dear Folks,
The photos above
were taken of a child's saddle sent to us for clean-up. Note the
lacing had slid back and wass mostly undone. This would have come
completely undone during the next ride, possibly injuring the little
girl
Lacing tie straps and billets properly is
extremely important to us so we have diagrammed the proper
methodology for this.
Please follow the correct procedure…your life
could depend on it.
1)
start with pointed tips cut on lace
2)
go through bottom sets of holes, pull tightly, and hold
leather together with your other hand while lacing
3)
take both laces up and back through the single top hole, pull
up tightly
4)
at this point, some people will tell you to pass the loose ends down
through the loop of lace between the bottom two holes – do not!
This is very important not to lace this way. It will not stay
tight and could cause the tie strap to slide off.
WRONG! – no matter how tightly this is pulled,
it will come undone
5)
pass each of the loose ends back through the bottom holes so that
the ends are again on the rear side
HINT: use an ink pen or narrow Phillips head
screw driver to push through the holes to move the lace over and
slightly stretch open the holes
 
6)
to lock in place using your pen or screwdriver lift each loop a
little and pass the loose end under the loop crossing sides, pull up
tightly and cut no shorter than ¾”
7)
we like to hold something like a hammer head under the lacing and
firmly tap the top lace with another hammer to lock the lacing in
place
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Regarding
Black Saddles:
We are
often questioned about coloring or making saddles black. This is
not something we recommend due to the overly dry condition
created by the black dye that has to contain formaldehyde usage
to set the pigment. We can offer a “near black” called Show
Finish for those preferring that dark of saddle. This color
looks better to most than true black; creating a more natural
and less chemical look.
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ADJUSTING YOUR
FENDERS/LEATHERS
To raise or lower the
length of the stirrup leathers, it is not necessary to remove
the hobble straps, which means you are less likely to loose
them. Riding without hobbles is extremely dangerous!
Follow these steps for an easy solution:
1)
Grasp the stirrup leather (referred to as "the leather" from now
on) below the Blevins slide with your right hand between the
fender and the leather
2)
Next, with your left hand, slide the Blevins slide up the leather
3) Take the pronged Blevins post out of the current hole position
4)
Place it up or down as needed. If you are shortening the leather
(moving to the holes above original position) it may be necessary,
as shown in this shot, to grab the end of the leather under the
hobble with the left hand pulling downward to take the slack out.
5)
Push Blevins post into holes wanted and...
6)
Lower slide back over post
7)
This is probably the most important for a good ride - If shortening
the fenders, use the right hand to push the fender upward under the
seat jockey while pulling downward with the left hand on the
leather. If the fender will not go high enough to take the bow out
of the fender (this can happen with very short riders), take it to a
saddlemaker to shorten. If lengthening, simply reverse the pull
going up with the leather and pulling down with the right hand and
fender.
**There
should always be only 1 or 2 fingers width at the bottom of the
fender above the stirrups for the hobble strap**
Correct Packing Procedure
Improper Packing
Saddle stood up on end |
Box too
narrow,
box too long,
saddle upright
DON'T USE PEANUTS
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Box too big |
Saddle upright
(should be upside down)
DON'T USE PEANUTS |
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