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Important things to consider before choosing
your saddle
1.
Do you need a hair lined saddle or a fleece lined saddle
Hair lined or counter lined saddles have been in use in
Australia pretty much since the country was first settled. Hair lined saddles
do have some very good points eg hair can be added or removed to allow the
saddle to fit different shaped horses. Another good point is that the hair lining
of a new saddle will compact with use to take the shape of the average horse
you are using it on. The downside of the hair lined saddle is that when you
start stuffing hair into the under side of a saddle, it has a balloon effect
and simply lifts the riders centre of gravity, along with the saddle. The
surface area that makes contact with the horses back is relatively small when
compared to say an American style saddle or a fleece lined Australian Stock
Saddle. The main advantage of the fleece lined saddle is that it allows for a
much closer contact saddle. The surface area on the horses back is much larger
meaning less rider pounds per square inch and less chance of soring up a
valuable horse and of course you don't have the ongoing cost of counter lining
that you have with a hair lined saddle. One of the comments I get from people
considering a fleece lined saddle is that they seem fairly hard on the under
side when compared to a hair lined saddle. However, if you look at a hair
lined saddle after some use you will find that the compacted hair has become
very hard as well. The point is that even thought it is hard the hair has
compacted to the shape of the horse and despite the hardness no sore back
problems or rubbing occurs. So provided your fleece lined saddle fits the
horse you are using it on there wont be a problem. Remember though that a
horse constantly changes shape depending on diet, the amount of exercise or
work it gets and of course the ageing process also causes body change and bone
calcification. It is up to you, the rider to constantly monitor your horses
condition to make sure the saddle you ultimately choose still fits your
ever-changing horse.
However, today's popular saddle is the fleece lined
saddle. It is close contact, less likely to sore up a horse and is maintenance
free.
2. Do you need a horn on your saddle?
Horns on an Australian Stock Saddle are an option.
however, unless the saddle is being adapted to rodeo work no one orders a
saddle with a horn. It all comes down to the way cattle are worked. In the US
cattle are roped and branded one at a time, for this you need a roping saddle
with a horn.
In Australia the cattle properties are just too big
and the cattle too many, so the cattle are initially herded with a helicopter
into a desirable area and then into yards with horse or motorbikes. Once in
the yards they are put through a race with a cradle at the end. They step into
they cradle and they are locked into position. The cradle holding the cow
pivots to any position to allow branding to be quickly and easily done.
The best saddle for roping is the American Western
Saddle. It is long and the double girth system makes it hard to pull off a
horse.
The horn on an Australian Stock Saddle is close to
the rider to allow the rider to dally up or to wrap the rope around the horn.
The horn gets in the way of the riders hand when he is trying to properly
control the horse via the reins. If a rider is thrown even a little into the
air, he or she can land on the horn. Mostly the horn causes stomach injury,
but there are much more vulnerable areas of the human anatomy that are at risk
of a very painful injury.
So the answer is horns in Australia just never get
used unless for special purpose. These saddles hang onto you, you don't need to
hang onto it.
Fixed Horn
Detachable Horn
3. Do you need a fender or stirrup leather?
Australian Stock Saddles have traditionally had a
stirrup leather 1 1/4" wide. It has been mounted on a steel hook bar, which is
a huge safety factor. If the rider falls and is being dragged, there is a good
chance the stirrup leather would pull off the stirrup bar, thus releasing the
rider being dragged. The narrow 1 1/4" leathers were very flexible and allowed
the rider great freedom of movement. The downside is that the leathers
sometimes pinched and the buckles could rub on the inner leg. A wider 2"
leather became popular and did solve some of these problems. They were also
stronger. It became apparent that the wider the leather, the more comfort and
security was provided for the rider and the American style fender was
introduced to the Australian Stock Saddle design. This proved to be a huge
success. The fender when mounted on the stirrup bar still comes off if the
rider falls and with the protection provided by the extra width of the fender
you can virtually ride in shorts if you want to. The downside of the fender
was that its width and wider 2 1/2" straps made it very stiff and it would not
move freely like the old style stirrup leather. Trevor James recognised this
problem and designed a stirrup bar which is mounted on a steel roller bearing.
The result is that the fender can now move freely to suit any rider style or
unexpected situation. With this adaptation the fender is strong, provides
rider protection and is absolutely friction free. It has been so successful
that orders received by Trevor James these days are for fender saddles with
the rotating stirrup bar. For more information on the rotating stirrup bar,
click here
Below - The narrower inch and a quarter stirrup
leathers, which tend to pinch and the buckles can rub.
The wider fender, which fully protects the rider's leg.
4. Do you need a sweat flap on your fleece
lined saddle?
The Australian Stock Saddle has evolved into a fleece
lined fender saddle, but the traditional Australian saddle has always had an
under flap or a sweat flap. Competition riders often prefer close contact
saddles to get a better feel of the horse. In order to do this, the under flap
is often eliminated. To get even better contact sometimes the panel is cut
away under where the fender is situated. The problem with this is that the
area that is cut away is where the rigging D is situated. This means
that the rigging D is often placed higher on the horses side or on the top
side of the curve of the horses back. In this case when you girth up
the position of the rigging D means you are exerting pressure in such a way as to try to
break the ribs of the horses backbone. As the competition rider may only be
riding for a few minutes at a time, these things may not represent a huge
problem. However, if you are riding all day it is far better to keep the
rigging D as far down the horses side as possible. This takes the pressure off
the ribs at the point where they join the back bone. The under flap is also a
huge bonus for horse and rider. Firstly it protects the horses side by
allowing protection from the girth system and from friction caused by rider by
movement.
The under flap when used on a fender saddle is a
definite asset. Firstly the girth system passes over the under flap and thus
protects your valuable horse. It prevents sweat from reaching the fender and
protects the riders riding wear - jeans etc. Most importantly, it allows the
fender to swing freely. Without an under flap your fender rubs against the
grain of the horses hair growth, once again soring up a valuable horse.
5. Do you need a surcingle and a stirrup bar on
your fender saddle?
Most fender saddles do not have a provision for a
surcingle. This is because the panel construction is very strong and with the
saddles designed by Trevor James the leather panels that hold the rigging D is
reinforced with nylon webbing and this method of construction is second to
none. The surcingle can also restrict fender movement, which is one of the key
elements people are looking for in fender saddles. However, pony club rules
specify that for very sound safety reasons a surcingle is essential along with
a stirrup bar. Every saddle designed and made by Trevor James has a stirrup
bar and a correctly positioned surcingle is available on any saddle fender or
otherwise. Trevor recognises the importance of rider safety and the importance
of these two distinctly Australian safety features.
* The ability of the fender to release from the stirrup
bar if the rider falls and is being dragged.
* The security given by the surcingle. If the primary
girth fails, the saddle is still securely held in place by the back up system
known as the surcingle.
6. Is the weight of your new saddle important?
With the Australian Stock Saddle being recognised world
wide as possibly the worlds safest and most secure . It has been adapted by
many as their leisure trail ride or general purpose all round saddle. It was
originally designed to withstand the rigors of the working Stockman on cattle
stations in the Australian outback and as such was and is expected to give a
minimum of 30 years of service is some of the harshest conditions on the
planet. Remember some cattle properties reach a size of 10,000 square
kilometers. The saddles designed and made by Trevor James still meet that
criteria and it is quite a common occurance that saddles 20 - 30 years old are
returned for minor maintenance work. However, people who have adopted the
Australian Stock Saddle as their favourite pleasure or trail ride saddle for
one reason or another may want a saddle that is much lighter than the
traditional work saddles. Sporting riders and particularly endurance riders
seek an advantage by having a lighter saddle. It is important to consider how
the weight of a saddle is reduced. Firstly the leather used in saddles made by
Trevor James is 4.2 mil thick and can be up to 4.5 mil thick. Trevor knows
from decades of real life testing this leather will last 30 years or more if
properly cared for. To make a lighter saddle, the leather thickness is usually
reduced to 3.5 mil. By reducing the leather thickness by roughly 25% you
reduce the weight of the leather in the saddle by 25%. Unfortunately you also
reduce the life expectance of the saddle by 25%.
The next thing most saddle makers reduce the weight of
is the saddle tree. Saddle trees for more than a century have been wood and
steel. With the advent of modern products such as fibreglass and mouldable
plasters etc. Wood and steel are very rarely used by Australian saddle makers
today.
Trevor James uses his own design registered and in some
cases patented tree constructions to make a light, thin, close contact saddle
tree that is extremely strong. (Click here
to see saddle tree guarantee.) These trees have been proven over millions of
hours of real life testing and carry a ten year guarantee.
To reduce the weight of saddle trees is possible and
methods of construction utilising carbon fibre can halve the weight of a tree,
but increase the cost dramatically.
The weight of trees can be reduced by other methods.
Attempts have been made to reinforce trees using aluminium instead of steel.
Aluminium is one of the weakest metals available and if the stronger aluminium
is used it eventually cracks and the trees fail. In most cases attempts to
lighten saddle trees are strictly experimental and it is unfortunate that you,
the buyer is the unwitting subject of these experiments that often end in
tragedy.
The answer is yes, a saddles weight can be reduced, but
only by reducing the strength of the tree, the thickness of the materials and
ultimately the life expectancy, along with the strength and safety provided by the
conventional saddles designed by Trevor James, which weigh around 10 kilos.
Remember the American legend, Seabiscuit won races
carrying the Jockey Red Pollard. In
some cases Mr Pollard weighed more than 30 lbs heavier than any other jockey
in the race. Horses are immensely strong and resilient animals and the few
kilos taken off a saddle would not make an ounce of difference or even be
noticed by the horse.
7. Designing your own saddle - Click
here for details
Please consider all of these important factors before
deciding what best suits your particular requirements and those of your horse.
8. Do you want Sheepskin or Felt Lining?
Felt Lined Saddle
Sheepskin Lined Saddle
QLD HEAD OFFICE
Unit 4A, Wyllie Place
Paisley Drive, Lawnton
QLD, 4501
AUSTRALIA
Phone: (07) 3205 5839
Fax: (07) 3881 1727
International: 0011 61 7 3205 5839
Email: jamessaddlery@hotkey.net.au
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