My saddles are handmade, one at a time.
My philosophy is that a saddle must first-and-foremost fit the horse (the right tree), and secondly fit the rider (a correct and comfortable seat). After that, the "upholstery" is all icing on the cake.
I specialize in the 3B, the California vaquero old-time all-day saddle, small round skirts with a 3/4 or 5/8 ring rig, all-leather ground seat, narrow slick fork, half-leathers for the fenders, and medium weight leather, all of which make a lighter saddle built on a very sturdy wood/rawhide tree that will last more than a lifetime.
The Kristo |
Kristo is a Lipizzan who has always been a dressage horse. He wasn't moving the way he should have been moving, not stretching out and down, so his owner decided that perhaps a change would do him good. The dramatic switch to a well-fitted western saddle (especially a 3B) is often a welcome change, as it was for Kristo. |
The Boreas |
The Boreas was built for a super busy farm woman-mother-wife in Illinois who needed a saddle that fit both her and her horses better. This 3B is perfect, and most of her horses have similar enough body types that, while it fits her main horse like a glove, it also fits the others well with just a little judicious shimming in a shim pad. |
The Jack |
This is the second saddle (actually the third - the second, the Grace, was for his wife) for Rob in New Hampshire who is a trail rider and hunter with his Missouri Foxtrotters. The 3B saddle was designed centuries ago for exactly this kind of riding. |
The Grace |
This saddle was built for a Missouri Foxtrotter in New Hampshire who goes on long trail rides and hunting trips. Her owner wanted a secure, comfortable, lightweight saddle, and a classic vaquero-style 3B was perfect. |
The Trixie |
This saddle was built for Trixie in Oregon, another round mare whose saddle tends to slip around. Her new saddle, built on a custom tree, will fit her back and not slip around; in addition, it will fit her rider (better than her original factory saddle with its chair seat). |
The Dottie |
This saddle was built for Dottie, a sturdy Missouri Foxtrotter in New Hampshire who does a lot of trail riding. It's got simple tooling (just a twisted wire border), and lots of extras like rifle scabbard dees, a crupper dee, buck rolls, rope strap, and a small Cheyenne roll. That's a "mule hide" horn wrap under the rope strap. |
The Maggie |
This saddle was built for my mare, Maggie, and it took me a long time to get around to it. She's been pregnant and having foals for the last three years, so I figured I had plenty of time, but this spring it's riding time again and she needs her own saddle. The tooling is my favorite cut lines, and it has a wonderful ruby in the cantle back (and a matching smaller ruby on the horn cap). The horn is a fully-exposed high-polished bronze horn from the Bork Foundry; I always wanted to try making a saddle with a polished bronze horn, and I like it! It's a classical Visalia-style 3B, with a 3-1/2" fork and a tall cantle. Ignore the heavy cast aluminum stirrups - they don't match the saddle's brass theme, but they are very functional for arena work. And if you're wondering, her tree was fitted and built before she was pregnant; after two pregancies, the tree still fit her like a glove. |
The Avalon |
Another saddle built for customer Lydee, this one for her beloved Queenie. It's a classic vaquero-style 3B with a 3/4 spider rig and all bronze/brass hardware. Reminiscent of the island of Catalina in California, it has simple tooling with cut line borders and datura blossoms, and custom conchos made from abalone shell. "Wow! Wow! I mean WOW! It feels great, awesome! Everything feels like perfection! It amazes me that this saddle, and the Cruiser, can feel so amazingly comfortable after riding in a saddle with a padded seat for many years. Just goes to show that padding can't substitute for proper fit and top rate craftsmanship." Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Harry Mari |
The Cruiser |
Built for customer Lydee and her boy Cruiser - a modified vaquero-style 3B with a 5/8 spider rig and all bronze/brass hardware. Modified with a fully exposed polished hardwood horn cap and thicker fork; simple tooling with just cut line borders and hummingbirds. Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel |
The Diamond |
Built for customer Steve and his Arabian boy Champagne Diamond - a modified vaquero-style 3B with a 5/8 spider rig and all bronze/brass hardware. Modified with a stouter horn and thicker fork; simple tooling with just cut line scrolls. Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel |
The Sunflower |
Built for customer Marci - a classic Visalia-style 3B with a 5/8 spider rig and all bronze/brass hardware. Lots of beautiful large sunflowers in the tooling. Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel |
The Rocket |
Built for customer Nancy whose previous saddle made her hip hurt. But not this new one: "I LOVE the saddle, my hip was not painful when I got off (really gave it a work out), and I didn't suffer with muscle spasms when I first started working. It was also so very easy to handle being lighter in weight. My trainer commented with approval the way you have the stirrups hung. He says you just can't get your leg OUT of the right position!" Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel |
The Zoom |
Built for customer Anna in Anchorage, Alaska, here's another classic 3B. A dressage rider, she was looking for a western saddle that wouldn't veer too far from her dressage roots. This saddle has a 5/8 single spider rig, simple tooling based on some flower pictures, and stirrups from Nettles that have cushioned treads and their new "levelers", which allow the stirrups to rock from side to side to accomodate the rider's ankle angle. Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel |
The Cash |
Built for customer Paula in Washington, this is another classic Visalia-style 3B: upright, centered, snug, and as close as one can get to a dressage seat in a western saddle. The saddle and its 4" tread Weber stirrups will be very comfortable on long trail rides. After three years, Paula sent this update: Just wanted you to know that the saddle you built for me is perfect. I have ridden miles and miles in it both in AZ and WA, in the desert and in the mountains. I just got back from a packing trip for 5 days in the Chelan Sawtooth wilderness with 5 women friends. They kept advising me that I need both britchen and breastcollar, but the saddle rode so well without that extra gear, and no sign of stress to my horse. Thanks for doing such excellent work. Custom, handmade wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel |
The Chisum-Mack |
Built for customer Randy in Arizona, to fit both of his very well-bred Quarter Horses (named Chisum and Mack). This is a simple stood-up 3B with a thicker fork to accommodate a stout horn. Custom handmade Rod Nikkel tree |
The Velvet |
Built for customer Maura in Italy, the Velvet is named for both her horse and her favorite fictional character, Velvet Brown of National Velvet. The Velvet is a classic Visalia-style 3B: upright, centered, snug, and as close as one can get to a dressage seat in a western saddle. It's got rainbow moonstones, Maura's favorite, inlaid in the cantleback and horn cap. Classic 3B Visalia-style old timer saddle |
The Kiwi |
Built for customer Emma in New Zealand, I decided to name this saddle "The Kiwi" rather than naming it after her horse, because it has such a strong New Zealand character. Emma wanted tooling that celebrated the New Zealand native Iris and the Silver Fern, and wished there was a way to incorporate Paua shells. I figured out how to make conchos using Paua shells, and the result is a unique saddle that is very proudly "Kiwi". Warren Wright wood/rawhide tree |
A Simple 3B |
3B California vaquero old-time all-day saddle, wood/rawhide tree made by top treemaker Rod Nikkel, 93 degrees bars, all-leather ground seat, 15-1/2" seat, 3/4 single spider rig, cast aluminum stirrups
|
The Smarty |
Built for my husband and his horse Smarty, this is a half-breed (meaning half-roughout) wade with more than half but not quite full tooling (I guess I'd call it 3/4 tooled). Wade half-breed
|
The Willow |
Classic Visalia-style 3B
|
|
Half-breed Wade |
"Saddle fits my horses great and is a very comfortable ride, first ride was like it had been broke in for months. The workmanship is fantastic and would recommend your saddles to anybody wanting a good western saddle. Thanks again for a saddle that everybody loves that sees it." |
|
A modified 3B with special features - windmills and pretty blue inlaid larimar stones - for Johanna and "Excess" (AKA Speedy) "It's all done and it's beautiful!!!! Thanks so much to Julia for making my dream saddle! I rode in it today. I LOVED the seat. I felt like I was right in the saddle and I had been riding in it forever. My friend who I was riding with even commented how relaxed I looked in it." 3B saddle, halfbreed (half roughout), half-tooled floral, wood/rawhide tree made by top treemaker Rod Nikkel, 90 degree bars, Taylor cantle 5" & 40 degrees, all-leather ground seat, 3/4 single rigging, Bork bronze hardware, Nettles Elm wood stirrups.
|
|
A new 3B for me and my girl Popper - this saddle is special because it has a fully exposed, highly polished Jarrah wood horn. It also has a 5/8 single rigging, and the tooling is entirely decorative knife cuts, or "brightcuts". wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel
|
|
"Wow! What a great saddle!! Fits us both like a glove. Wade saddle for a low-withered horse, wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel
|
Working saddle for a Montana cowboy
|
|
The Cowboy 2 |
|
The Buckaroo |
3B - sold to Tim, a mounted patrolman in Canada "I've ridden it on a few horses now. Vaquero old-time all-day saddle, wood/rawhide tree from Rod Nikkel, all-leather ground seat, 3/4 single spider rig, cast aluminum stirrups, all two-needle hand stitching
|
The Jessie |
Homestead Wade wood/kevlar tree made by Texas treemaker Travis Dittmer, 93 degree bars, 15-1/2", in-skirt double rig, hard seat, cast aluminum Visalia stirrups, mane hair cinch First saddle I ever built, for my round, mutton-withered QH mare who could not wear a saddle that didn't slip side-to-side. Once she had a well-made custom tree that actually fit her, no more slipping ever!
|
