The Cruiser is named for customer Lydee's boy Cruiser. It's a very simple, Visalia-style, classic 3B with one elegant modification: an exposed, highly polished hardwood horn cap. Lydee searched for just the right wood, one that would be very pretty but not too difficult for Rod to work with, and she came up with Brazilian Imbuia wood. I didn't want to cover any of the polished cap with the horn wrap, so instead of a normal horn wrap I made a latigo collar for the horn.

Lydee is pleased with the saddle:

Holy mackerel !!! It's gorgeous! I love everything about it.

Woo hoo! Rode him in the saddle today. It feels so wonderful. I'm more aware than ever of how much my old saddle doesn't fit me, now that I know how it feels to ride in a saddle that does. It feels so much more secure, especially on the mountain trails. I love how I feel held by the saddle.

	Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel 4-1/2" fork 4" Brazilian Imbuia wood horn cap 4-1/2" Taylor cantle, 40 degrees 5/8 single "spider" ring rigging All-leather ground seat Bronze hardware from Herb Bork Hermann Oak skirting, Big Horn latigo Heavy bronze conchos from Outback Saddlery Cantle binding stitched with coad-waxed Irish linen Weight fully loaded 32 lbs
	The Rod Nikkel tree in this saddle