A saddle is arguably the most substantial purchase a horse owner may ever make. Enshrouded in an air of enigma, it demands meticulous care and attention. This article dissects the construction of this indispensable equestrian artifact.
The Evolution of Saddle Design
In yesteryears, saddle trees were uniformly rigid, and designs were left to the whims of individual master saddlers. New saddles were mostly associated with cavalry subalterns and others deemed less experienced. A seasoned horse owner with refined tastes would insist on a pre-owned saddle- a work of art reflecting exceptional craftsmanship, delicately broken-in until achieving unmatched softness and a rich aesthetic appeal that fulfilled their stringent demands.
Today, flip the coin, and you find that the most sought after and pricey saddles are tailored to precise individual measurements. This custom-fit approach ensures that the finished saddle sits perfectly on the horse intended to wear it.
Technological Advancements in Saddle Crafting
Over the years, saddle construction has witnessed numerous changes. Interestingly, the handcrafted saddle, while mostly retaining its traditional methodology, contrasts sharply with modern mass-manufactured saddles. Factory or mass-production saddle makers readily adopt emerging technology to enhance the efficiency of their production process.
Anatomy of a Saddle
To appreciate the saddle as a piece of equipment, it’s important to delve into its components. The following sections provide an edifying exploration of the different elements that come together to create this fundamental riding gear.
The Saddle Tree
The tree serves as the skeletal framework upon which the rest of the saddle is built. Its traditional construction involves 4 mm thick beechwood, shaped into four individual pieces for the cantle, forearch, and two sides. Each part is heated and pressed into shape before being assembled and covered with cloth.
Modern Advances in Saddle Trees
In recent years, innovative designs utilizing glass fiber and plastic have emerged, offering highly successful alternatives to traditional wooden trees. Among these revolutionary products is an unconditionally guaranteed glass-fiber-based tree, reputed to be unbreakable and untwistable.
Natural Materials and Their evolution
Despite these technological breakthroughs, the majority of saddles continue to rely on natural materials. The scarcity of beechwood has led to the adoption of alternative woods, such as laminated, bonded, and pressure-molded variants. These new materials offer enhanced strength, lightness, and a consistent shape.
Reinforcements and Waterproofing
The tree’s head and gullet are further reinforced with steel plates, while steel reinforcement is also applied to the underside of the tree, extending from the head to the cantle. Lastly, the wood is covered in skrim and waterproofed with a black, glue-like substance, ensuring durability and resilience.
Tree Types in Saddles
The primary distinction in saddle trees lies between modern spring types and the more traditional rigid types. Rigid trees are still found in hunting, polo, show, and children’s saddles.
The Spring Tree
A spring tree features narrower side-pieces and incorporates two pieces of light tempered steel, extending from the joint to the rear on the underside. These steel components rest 50mm (2in.) on the inside of the seat’s broadest part. The steel’s purpose is to bring the wood back into position when it bends, providing greater resilience for the seat.
This structure allows pressure exerted through the seat to be more easily transmitted to the horse. In turn, the rider is afforded optimal security, control, and comfort. Additionally, the rider’s position is maintained over the horse’s point of balance.
The Rigid Tree
As the name suggests, a rigid tree lacks the springiness of its counterpart. The length of a rigid tree varies from 360 to 450 mm (14 to 18 in.), depending on the size of the rider and, to a lesser extent, the horse. Comparatively, the dipped shape of a spring-tree saddle allows for a standard 420 mm (16.5 in.) length to accommodate most riders.
Cantle Shapes
The most visually apparent difference between trees is the cantle’s shape, which can be round or square. However, the choice of cantle shape is largely inconsequential. It is worth noting that many rigid-tree saddles have square cantles, while spring-tree patterns typically feature round cantles.
Significance of Tree Head Shape
The shape of the tree’s head has greater bearing on saddle fitting, as it can be cut back to varying degrees. Cut-back heads range from one-quarter cut-back to full cut-back, with greater cut-backs accommodating high-withered horses more effectively.
Stirrup Bars in Saddles
Stirrup bars are a crucial component of saddles, as they provide a point of attachment for stirrup leathers. They are riveted onto the tree, positioned just behind the head and at the point.
Forged vs. Cast Bars
High-quality saddles typically feature forged stirrup bars, while cheaper options may incorporate cast bars. Forged bars are more reliable as cast bars are prone to breaking. The terms “forged” or “cast” must be stamped onto the metal for easy identification.
Two-Piece Stirrup Bars and Thumbpieces
Generally, stirrup bars are designed in two pieces: the bar itself and a movable catch called a thumbpiece. The thumbpiece can be closed when the stirrup leather is in position, functioning as a safety catch designed to release the leather in case the rider falls. However, some riders consider it safer to leave the thumbpiece open.
Australian Stirrup Bars
In Australia, a different approach is taken. Stirrup bars are made from a single, continuous piece of metal, with an upward curve at the end. This design eliminates the potential risk of a safety thumbpiece getting stuck during a fall, further enhancing rider safety.
Saddle Seat Construction
Creating the seat of a saddle, or ‘setting up’ as it’s commonly referred to, requires a fair share of the saddler’s time and expertise.
Foundation and Webbing
The process begins with the tree acting as the foundation. Strained webs, about 65mm (2.5in.) wide, are pulled tight and fastened securely to the cantle. This step is referred to as “webbing up”.
Canvas, Felt and Leather Setup
On top of the webbed-up structure, stretched canvas is firmly tacked down. Small, shaped pieces of felt and leather—known as bellies—are placed at the broadest part of the seat on the tree edges. The entire structure is then enveloped with a tightly stretched fabric known as serge. The serge is stitched down to form the seat’s contour.
Insertion of Wool Padding
After the serge is secured, a small incision is made between the serge and the canvas. Through this hole, wool padding is inserted to pad the tree itself.
The Finishing Touches
The final steps involve stretching a snug pigskin seat over the structure (a process known as blocking and setting) and attaching the skirts—which hide the stirrup bars—to the seat with welting. If extra padding is needed, as is common in jumping saddles, a piece of sorbo rubber can be added between the pigskin and the serge.
Cheaper Alternatives
Though less comfortable and durable, jute can be used instead of canvas as a more cost-effective solution in the seat setup process.
Understanding Saddle Panels
Saddle panels are the buffers between the horse’s back and the saddle tree. They have evolved into four main shapes over time: full, short, Saumur, and Continental.
Full Panels
Originally, saddles typically boasted full panels, a design favored greatly by military men in the previous century. When properly made, these are quite thin but do feature a slightly thickened roll for the knee. Full panels offer a comfortable setup for the horse. However, they do somewhat limit the rider’s sensitivity to the horse’s movements due to the panels’ thickness.
Short Panels and Their Evolution
As the 20th century began, competitive horsemen—particularly in polo—sought a quicker response from their horses. This need for better control led to the development of the short panel, which reduced the bulkiness of the original full panel design. The shift towards a forward-seating riding style further drove this change, ultimately leading to the development of the Saumur and Continental panels, which are now mainly used in modern dipped-tree saddles.
Saumur Panels
Originating in France, Saumur panels have a narrower waist compared to earlier designs, allowing the rider to make closer contact with the horse. Designed with extra knee support, Saumur panels often feature an additional roll placed on the outside panel beneath the flap.
Continental Panels
Continental panels feature an even more narrow waist design, with a discreet thigh roll at the rear. This design characteristic helps to prevent girth straps from slipping off the panel.
Panel Materials
Saddle panels can be made from different materials. They can be composed of felt enveloped in leather or leather, serge, or linen packed with wool. Felt is known to provide a snug fit and withstand wear and tear, but it lacks adjustability compared to wool-stuffed types, which are currently preferred.
Leather, provided it’s maintained properly, is a top choice for durability, ease of cleaning, and shape retention. It offers long-term advantages over materials like serge, which is challenging to clean and absorbs sweat – this eventually forms hard balls within the wool stuffing, which can cause discomfort to the horse.
Linen is a material that holds up well and can be scrubbed clean. However, it can become slack and puckered if used alone, so it is always applied over serge.
Saddle Construction Process
The process of constructing a spring-tree saddle is an intricate endeavor involving various steps and skilled workers, including saddlers, sewers, and cutters.
Selecting the Tree and Patterns
Initially, the saddler decides on the tree and patterns to be used in constructing the saddle. While one saddler is responsible for overseeing the saddle production, other tasks such as sewing and cutting the patterns are delegated to different team members.
Webbing and Crafting the Seat
The saddler checks the cut patterns before beginning the webbing process. They then undertake the important task of creating the seat, which includes blocking and setting it. Meanwhile, other workers hand-stitch parts of the saddle, such as the panels.
Stuffing and Finishing
Once the hand-stitching is complete, the saddler resumes their work on the saddle by stuffing the panels and lacing them in. They proceed to stuff and finish the saddle before it is cleaned with oxalic acid.
Production Time
It takes just over two full days for an experienced saddler to handcraft a spring-tree saddle, meaning they can produce two or three saddles each week. However, on a production line, the same saddler can create at least twice that number. This increased efficiency is why handmade saddles are now less common.
Saddle Variety
Despite the streamlined production process, a wide range of saddles remains available to suit various needs:
- Owners of Arab horses may prefer wide-fitting, deep-seated saddles
- Show pony enthusiasts have straight-cut options
- Traditional hunting aficionados can order rigid-tree, square-cantled, leather-lined saddles
- Flat-race jockeys can choose tiny, forward-cut pigskin saddles weighing less than 1 kg (about 34 oz)
- First-time pony or donkey riders may opt for simple felt pads
- Additional features like reversed-hide padded knees, backward-set girth straps, and lined rawhide girth straps for greater strength are available
There are countless saddle options on the market, but the key considerations remain the same: choose a saddle that fits both horse and rider, meets the rider’s specific needs, and is of the highest quality within the purchaser’s budget.
Frequently Asked Questions about Saddle Construction
Q: What is a saddle tree and why is it important?
A: The saddle tree is the frame on which the saddle is built. It’s like the skeleton of the saddle. The tree is important because it is designed to distribute the rider’s weight across the horse’s back, helping to prevent pressure points and making the ride more comfortable for the horse.
Q: What types of material are often used in saddle construction?
A: Saddles can be made from a variety of materials. Leather is a traditional and common choice due to its durability and comfort. Other materials used can include synthetics, like nylon or neoprene, and various types of fabric, like cotton or linen. The material choice often depends on the intended use of the saddle and the preferences of the rider.
Q: How are saddle panels formed and what is their role?
A: Saddle panels are created by stuffing a material, usually wool, inside a casing made of leather or fabric. Panels act as a cushion between the horse’s back and the saddle tree, and they play a crucial role in fitting the saddle correctly to the horse’s back shape, providing comfort, and aiding in proper weight distribution.
Q: What is hand-stitching in saddle construction?
A: Hand-stitching is the process of manually sewing different parts of a saddle together to ensure quality and durability. This work is typically done by specialized workers and is considered one of the traditional elements of saddle construction that contributes to a high-quality, durable product.
Q: What is meant by ‘blocking’ the seat?
A: In saddle making, ‘blocking’ is the process of shaping, stiffening, or setting the seat of the saddle. It provides the necessary structure and contour for the rider’s comfort.
Q: What is a saddle girth and why is it important?
A: A saddle girth, sometimes referred to as a cinch, is a component of the saddle that helps keep it securely attached to the horse. It wraps around the horse’s belly and is attached to the side of the saddle through straps. A girth is crucial in any saddle construction as it aids in stability and safety for both the horse and rider.
Q: What are girth straps and how are they set?
A: Girth straps or billets are long, thin straps on each side of a saddle that connect the girth to the saddle. The positioning or setting of the girth straps may vary depending on the saddle design and the rider’s preference. They may be set in a backward configuration for better leg feel or in a different manner to adjust to the horse’s shape and the riding needs.
Q: Why is the cleaning process important in saddle construction?
A: Cleaning, often with oxalic acid, is a vital last step in saddle construction. This cleaning helps to remove any residue or marks from the production process and prepares the saddle to be oiled and conditioned. It’s an important part of ensuring the saddle’s aesthetic and longevity.
Q: How does an experienced saddler stuff saddle panels?
A: After the panels are cut and stitched, the saddler takes over to stuff the panels. This is usually done using highly compressible and resilient materials like wool. Stuffing the panels not only gives them shape but also provides the necessary cushioning to ensure the horse’s comfort during a ride.
Q: What factors influence the time taken to construct a saddle?
A: Several factors can influence the saddle construction time, including the type of saddle being made, the materials used, the level of detail and craftsmanship required, and whether it’s being made by hand or on a production line. Generally, a high-quality, hand-made saddle may take several days to complete.
