Today's tacky tack

I read a lot of horse related blogs and one of my favorites is Tacky Tack of the Day. Fellow model horse hobbyist, Jessica McCune is the author, and I am constantly amazed by the sheer awfulness of some of the things she features there. Who knew you could buy an all pink English saddle or horse boot covers with fringe or a Western saddle with a zebra patterned seat? Today's Tacky Tack entry was all words, so I'm I thought I'd post a couple "tacky" pictures of my own for anyone who might be going through withdrawals.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this nice Stubben saddle. Its brown color and plain flap are both unusual features in a dressage type saddle, but you can tell at a glance that it's a well made piece of tack. However, it's almost hard to see anything but that shocking pink pad and those equally bright stirrups!Of course if you're going to put that much pink around the saddle, you must be sure to balance it out with a pink tail bow and sparkly body paint.And don't forget those patterned pink polo wraps!This explosion of pink was part of a comical skit performed yesterday at the Equine-aganza by sisters Alyssa and Whitney Hayes. They rode Trisha's brother and sister Arabs to the song "I Can Do Anything You Can Do Better," and their act was all about sibling rivalry. Naturally, this did not end well. The grand finale was an "Around the World" contest. Hmmmm... That's not something you usually see during a dressage pas de deux!Having shown you the unconventional (i.e. pink) half of this duo, I feel compelled to post this picture of the "good twin." Amie Phoenix may be twenty six years old, but you wouldn't know it by looking at him. What a lovely, classic picture he makes in his good show tack!

There's a link to the Tacky Tack blog on my Recommended Reading list on the right side of your screen. Be sure to check it out--I guarantee you will be amazed by some of the things people have lurking in their tack rooms!

Trisha's birthday bash

After two long days of snow and sleet, the sun came out and suddenly it was spring again. The timing couldn't have been better for my friend Trisha's Equine-aganza.

Aside from being one of my best friends, Trish is an accomplished dressage rider, teacher and all around do-gooder. For the last several years, she's celebrated her birthday by doing some sort of public service project. This year's birthday was a big one, so she decided her birthday project should be equally impressive.
And it was!

With help from family and friends, Trish organized the Equine-aganza to benefit the Hearts and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center in Loveland, Colorado. I had never heard of Hearts and Horses, but I could not have been more impressed with Trisha's choice. This is an absolutely lovely facility nestled in the foothills of the Rockies. There are two indoor rings and a big outdoor arena.

The horses and ponies of H&H were just as impressive as the property. Every single one of them was the picture of health and happiness.And they were all so cute--just look at this little Appy pony! I wanted to hug her.The Equine-aganza boasted a large and enthusiastic volunteer staff comprised of Trisha's family and friends. Trisha's husband Chase was the official videotaper. Her father, Norm managed the in-gate and held horses.
I collected donations.

Cara worked at the concessions booth.

The silent auction was a big success. That Iron Metal Chief went home to one of the little girls who rode in the demonstrations.And of course, there were lots of horses. Some were big.
Others were small. The demonstrations ranged from upper level dressage,
to kids on ponies.
There was jumping, Arabian costume,
and driving. After the performances, the audience was invited into the ring to meet the horses.There were a lot of happy little girls in that ring...

And I was one happy big girl when they brought out that cute Appy pony for petting. Awww, just look at that sweet pony face! Lots more pictures to follow. I did manage to get good close up shots of all the harness and all four Arab costumes. Hope you enjoyed this photo recap of Trisha's big birthday bash. I can't wait to see what she does next year!

Saturday customizing project

Yesterday's spring storm continued to drop its wet, sloppy snow on us through the night and most of the morning. The skies are finally beginning to clear, but it's been another good day to stay home and work on inside projects.Remember my consolation prize Fly By Wire Resin? This was how he looked when he arrived earlier this month.And here's how he looks now, after having spent most of the day on my worktable. The most obvious change is that he is now freestanding rather than mounted to a base. I've also done some resculpting to his neck and withers. I'm hoping to transform him into a convincing Akhal Teke. Probably I should leave this kind of work to people like Tiffany and Liesl, but I'm hoping that with patience I'll be able to do a passable job on my own. I've long wanted to have an Akhal Teke in my showstring. Unfortunately no one has offered to trade their Khan or Kara Kush for tack, so this guy is just going to have to do for the time being!

Snowbound

It's snowing again! We are under a winter storm warning until noon tomorrow, and right now the big, sloppy springtime flakes are coming down hard and fast. My kids were very disappointed they did not get the day off school. I sympathized, but secretly I was delighted. What a wonderful excuse to spend a quiet day at home with nothing to do but work on tack!First things first, though. Before I even looked at my leather tools, I took the girls out for a short, off leash walk.Like most dogs, they enjoy the snow. I let them wander around until we were all cold and wet.

Poor Maggie. She has so many issues. I don't know if she'll ever really get over her fear of cameras. She will hardly come near me when I am holding it.

Now we're all inside again. The dogs are sleeping in their beds and I am struggling with my NAN saddle. Here's a quick look at my progress so far. Disregard the messy pommel area. That will be fixed soon enough. Of greater concern is the part that's not done. I can't seem to figure out how get the seat section mounted onto the panels and still leave enough space for all those d-rings... My attempts so far have looked pretty amateurish.

I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, but I may have to put it aside for a few days and work on something else. I find that inspiration rarely strikes when I'm frustrated and that's exactly how I'm feeling about this saddle right now!

My $75 saddle

I try really hard to keep my prices affordable, but I can still expect to have this conversation at least a couple times every year.

Suzie Creamcheese: “How much do these saddles cost?”
Jennifer: “My huntseat and dressage saddles are two hundred dollars and-“
Suzie: “TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS?! I could buy a real saddle for TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!”

Ok, maybe it’s just me but isn’t this comparing apples to oranges? I really don’t see how a low end riding saddle compares to a high end scale model. Different markets, different purposes… Just plain different!

It is true, though, that you can buy a real saddle for two hundred dollars or less. In most cases, it won’t be a good saddle, but there are exceptions. I should know. Here is a picture of my saddle.
My husband bought this saddle for $75, fittings included.

He found it at a pawn shop shortly after we’d moved to Denver. He called me at work and asked me if I wanted a saddle. I said no, I did not. Seth is not a horse person. He knows the difference between a Western saddle and an English saddle but that's about it. I had zero confidence in his ability to make an informed decision regarding the merits of a pawn shop saddle. We were pretty broke back then, and I was not interested in blowing our entire grocery budget on a too big, no purpose, broken treed saddle from Pakistan.
Fortunately, he didn’t listen to me. When I got home, the saddle was hanging proudly on the railing of our apartment’s balcony. It was a sixteen and a half inch, close contact Courbette in almost new condition. Against all odds, Seth had bought a near perfect $75 saddle.
I’ve been riding in that saddle for ten years now. It’s a little beat up and the hunter snob in me wishes it had a square cantle. Still, it fits both me and the horses I ride well and I wouldn’t trade it for all the expensive model saddles in the world. Not that you can compare the two. Haha!

Tack Tips--Pattern making

I spent most of yesterday working on my NAN auction saddle, and this is what I have to show for my efforts:That may not look like much, but the paper pattern stage is actually one of the most important--and difficult--parts of creating a new type of saddle. By the time I've finished the pattern, I not only know what the pieces are going to look like, but I've also figured out exactly how I'm going to put them together. The actual construction is often easy by comparison. I was recently asked how I go about creating a pattern, and I thought maybe it might be interesting to give you a glimpse into that process here. Remember this is just the way I do things. I'm sure there are as many ways to do this as there are tackmakers! The first thing I do is create a two dimensional version of my model by tracing around it onto a piece of paper. I then draw the saddle I want to make directly onto that tracing. This accomplishes a couple things. Drawing the saddle is a great warm-up for making the saddle. I have to pay attention to the proportions and shapes just like I will later on. It also gives me a starting point for creating the actual pattern pieces.

The saddle flaps are the biggest piece so I usually start with them. I copy the bottom part of the flap directly from my drawing, add a bit in the middle to accommodate the seat area, and then cut the whole thing out and place it on the model.

From here on in, it's just a lot of trial and error. Since I didn't like the angle of the flaps when they were placed on the model, I cut them in half and reattached the pieces so they would hang straighter. I keep making adjustments until the piece looks right.

The next step is to move on to a related piece. I have decided this saddle will look just like a normal English saddle on the underside, so that means it will have a second, slightly smaller flap and panels. To make sure the pieces will fit together well, I temporarily attach them with glue stick . The glue stick makes a nice temporary bond, but it's still easy to pull things apart

so that you can make adjustments.In this picture you can see that I removed the panel and am now going to trim it along the pencil lines.

When I'm finally satisfied with the pattern, I trace each piece onto cardstock and cover one side with packing tape. This results in a nice sturdy pattern that holds up well over repeat uses. I used to put tape on both sides, but I've found that I like being able to write notes to myself directly on the pieces as I assemble the saddle. The skirt piece below comes from my pony dressage pattern. I don't make that type of saddle very often, but the next time I do I will know exactly what pieces need fixing before I start!

Hopefully this will give you some insight into how you can make your own patterns. Pattern making is not an easy skill, but it's well worth the effort. I find there is nothing more rewarding to me as a tackmaker than making something that is entirely of my own design.

Equine-aganza

If you live in Colorado and are looking for something to do this weekend, I'd like to suggest the Equine-aganza being held at the Hearts and Horse Therapeutic Riding Center in Loveland, Colorado.My good friend Trish is the driving force behind this event and I know she's hoping it will be a big success. Cara and I will be there for sure, so expect lots of pictures in this space next week!