Braymere Custom Tack Repair

I've said it before and I'll say it again--I like fixing things.

No matter how busy I am, I can almost always find time for repair work.  This weekend's project is a dressage saddle made by Jeanne Meyers.

It's a beautiful saddle...  

with one small problem--a broken left side billet. 

If this was one of my saddles, I would pull the whole thing apart and replace the billet in its entirety.  Since that's not the case, I am going to take a much less invasive approach.

I start by cutting a length of 1/8 inch kangaroo lace that is approximately an inch longer than the broken section.  I prepare the lace making the top section much thinner than the bottom.  I also carefully skive the section of billet that is still attached to the saddle.

I smear some glue onto the back of the new billet where it will overlap with the old. 

I then carefully lay it atop the old making sure that both pieces are perfectly aligned.  

I secure the top of the overlap with a few tiny stitches and punch some new holes.  Voila--the billet is fixed!

Now it's time to address the cause of the break.  This saddle came equipped with a perfectly lovely Balding type girth.

However, those photo etched buckles with their square edges are really, really hard on billets.   

To make them more user friendly, I'm adding rollers.  This is my roller making kit...

and here's the finished product.  It takes a bit of practice to be able to form consistently sized model scale rollers, but it's well worth the effort.  These will be so much kinder to those saddle billets!

The saddle is fixed and ready to be shipped back to its owner.

It might not be quite as good as new, but it's awfully close!

Friday Favorites

Earlier this month, my best friend and I took our kids to the Denver Art Museum.  The primary reason for our visit--at least to my mind--was to check out the Native American horse regalia.  While I was doing that, the rest of my group explored other parts of the American Indian Art collection.

"Hey, Mama, " Ryan called from across the room.  "There's model horses here and they're really cool."

I admit, I didn't pay him much attention.  My kids are not model horse connoisseurs and I didn't expect he'd found anything that could rival the real horse regalia.

I was wrong.

Although slightly larger than traditional size, these could fall under the general category of "model horses"...

 and their tack was way, way, way beyond cool.

Horse and Rider was created by the mother/daughter team of Joyce Growing Thunder and Juanita Growing Thunder Fogarty.  

This one is entitled Preston and Skylar and it was created by Jamie Okuma in 2001.

She writes: Each and every piece has a little bit of my soul in them.  They have lived through whatever life has thrown at me during the time of their creation... 

I have to create to survive. I know no other way.  If I can't create, I feel lost.  It's what I was here to do.  I feel blessed and honored for the gift of art.

Last but certainly not least is Maternal Journey by Rhonda Holy Bear.

Here's how the artist describes this piece: Maternal Journey celebrates the cycle of life... It is an homage to the strength and dignity of the Plains mother...

I depict the maternal theme... on multiple levels...

The mother and mare are guiding their young into the future.  The twins face backward, as they are pulled ahead on the road.

They are looking toward the past for guidance as they move toward their destiny.

I have often been wowed by the work of model horse costume makers, but these pieces represent an entirely different level of achievement. 

To say I'm impressed would be an understatement.  These are the finest "model horse" costumes I've ever seen, bar none.  I am already planning a return visit to the Denver Art Museum so that I can study them at greater length.

Well...

I warned you!

Everything is ok.  I've just been really, really busy.  This is the kids' last week of summer vacation, and we're trying to do all the things we couldn't do while James' left arm was encased in fiberglass.

My puppy has recovered nicely from her injury earlier this week.  That's not the end of the dog drama, however.  While the vet was diagnosing the new injury she discovered  an old, poorly healed fracture in Darcy's left knee.  We're waiting to hear from the orthopedic surgeon, but I fear we have a surgery in our future.

Darcy doesn't understand what the big deal is.
That knee isn't bothering her one bit!

In between kid and dog stuff, I've been working on orders.  I've made three saddles in the last two weeks which is another reason I haven't had much time for blogging!

Just a few more days, and life should get back to normal.  I promise!

Polo

Near the top of my tackmaking bucket list is a full set of polo tack.

Just look at all those straps...

It's like having an entire tack shop on one horse! 

Today's photos are courtesy of Heather Moreton, a fellow tackmaker who is as good with a camera as she is with leather and silver. 

 Thanks again, Heather!

A browband for the tack-unfriendly!

Here's the perfect solution for all those models with "unicorn horn" forelocks!

I spotted this browband at the Dressage in the Rockies show at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Colorado.  Although I don't think it's particularly flattering on this horse, the shape is a dream come true for those of us who struggle with fitting plastic maned ponies!

P.S.  This will probably be a bad week for my blog.  The kids have a ton of back to school activities and my puppy is laid up with an injured foot.  I'll try to keep things updated, but no promises!

Like stepping into a catalog...

Who hasn't flipped through the pages of a tack catalog and wished that it was a real store they could visit?

Yesterday that wish came true! 

We'd driven out to Parker to have James' cast removed, and since we were already most of the way there, I couldn't resist swinging by the brand new Dover store.

Everything about this establishment is designed to appeal to the equestrian crowd.  Even utilitarian things like window signs are hung with laced reins and snaffle bits.

The area just inside the front door is set up like a (very posh) tackroom. 

You know the decor is good when even my nonhorsey kids are impressed! 

With that kind of build up, the store itself could have been a disappointment...

Fortunately, that was not the case.

I've worked and shopped at some really nice tack shops, but none were as visually impressive as this.

And the inventory wasn't half bad, either! 

A reference photo for Heather P's girth order...

and the obligatory "they sell Breyers, too!" picture.

Oh, how I wish he really wanted to wear a velvet huntcap!

Unfortunately, the only items he wanted to take home were the stuffed dogs and the Dark Horse Chocolates. 

Oh well, horsey or not, he's a pretty good kid and I appreciate him giving me such a good excuse to visit Dover Saddlery.  Rest assured, I will be back!

Native American saddles & saddle blankets

As promised, here are some more photos from the Native American saddlery collection at the Denver Art Museum.

This woman's saddle was created by a Cheyenne artist in the 1880's. 

It was made from wood and leather and is decorated with paint and brass tacks. 

This pad saddle is Plains Cree in origin and dates back to the 1850's.

Materials for this one include leather, porcupine quills, buffalo hair, horse hair, glass beads and metal. 

What is most striking to me is how small this pad saddle is.    The scale isn't obvious here, but it's quite tiny.

Close up of the stirrups and stirrup leathers.

Onto to the saddle blankets!  This 1890 Sioux blanket is made from leather and canvas and is decorated with glass beads.

This one is also Sioux.  It is ten years older and is constructed from leather, cotton and porcupine quills. 

The Cheyenne blanket is older still, having been built in the 1840's.  Its material list includes buffalo hide, glass beads, wool and sinew.

Last but not least is this "saddle cover."

This was made by a Sioux artist in the late 1800's using leather, glass beads and silk. 

Wonderful beadwork!

I hope you've enjoyed this look at the Native American horse regalia collection at the Denver Art Museum.  The new exhibit is wonderful and I can't recommend it enough to anyone interested in this kind of saddlery.