custom saddles

MakerCast Podcast Interview

Do you listen to Podcast at all?  Since we, as craftsmen, spend a lot of time alone in our shops working on projects, I find it great to listen to podcast and audio books for either learning or just entertainment.  These days with our smartphones, this is easier than ever before.  No more listening to the same six songs on the radio all day played over and over.

Recently I came across a fantastic podcast that I think you would enjoy.  The podcast is called MakerCast and on this show Jon Berard interviews makers in all types of industries.  Within the interviews, I find useful information and ways at looking at my business from talented fellow craftsmen.  Its also interesting to learn how they ended up in their careers and how many of our stories can have many similarities.

I was fortunate enough recently to be a guest on Jon’s show and I really enjoyed the experience.  This was my first experience in being interviewed for an audience to listen to and Jon was a fantastic host.

If you are interested in hearing my interview, or would like to subscribe to MakerCast and hear the many other great interviews that he has produced on his show follow the link below and see what you think.

DonG

Guide to Buying Used Saddles Part 3

This is the last article in our Guide to Buying Used Saddle series, and if you have already gone through the last two articles I hope you found them useful.  In this article, I will go over some key areas to look for when assessing any possible repairs that may need to be performed on a used saddle that you are considering to purchase. Continue reading

Guide to Buying Used Saddles Part 2

This is the second article of our Guide to Buying Used Saddles, and in this section we will discuss the pricing structure of the different types of used saddles in the market.  As we spoke about in the previous article, the buyer with the most knowledge wins. Continue reading

Guide to Buying Used Saddles

Whether you are looking to buy a used saddle from an individual or from a retail store that sells used saddles, it’s a good idea to do some research in some key areas of the used saddle market.  This guide to buying used saddles will get you started on the road to buying a quality used saddle.  The first thing to understand is what makes a “good used saddle.”  For me the definition of a good used saddle has three key qualities that I’m looking for when purchasing:

  • Making sure the saddle tree is not broken
  • Knowing what brand the saddle is and whether it is worth repairing
  • The price of the saddle compared to the market value

Continue reading

Cutting Ears on Custom Saddles

One of the most difficult steps in building custom saddles is fitting the saddle seat and cutting the ears.  In this post I will show you my trick for insuring that every saddle ear you cut will be perfect.  Whether you are a beginner or you are a seasoned veteran, this tip will take the fear out of tackling this step.  There are many different ways to accomplish this, but here is my process. Continue reading

Real Sheepskin or Synthetic?

One of the most expensive jobs in the repair shop is replacing your saddles sheepskin lining underneath the skirts.  This is labor intensive because we have to completely disassemble the saddle and remove the skirts from the tree.  This job can easily run upwards of $400 depending on whether  you go with the synthetic wool or the genuine sheepskin. Continue reading

Saddle Pads and Padding

How many different types and brands of saddle pads or blankets have you bought in the last five years?

These days we have an overwhelming selection of different styles, materials, and promises amongst saddle pads and blankets that it is hard to make a choice.  The most asked question in our shop from customers is what kind of saddle pad they should be using.  This usually gets into a lengthy conversation on my saddle padding philosophy and so we will discuss some of the key areas and hopefully this will help to answer some of you questions on the right padding for your horse. Continue reading