Trees

It is not possible to make a high-quality saddle without a high-quality tree. Our saddles are made with only the best wooden trees from trained carpenter Tom Venc (www.saddletree.cz). Tom takes our ideas, requirements, and technical parameters and combines them with his expertise to create an individualized product that fits each horse and rider perfectly. Before we start the process of building each saddle, we fine tune each saddle tree for maximum fit and comfort. Once the saddle tree meets our rigorous inspection, we start the process of building it up. The first step is to apply a resin treatment. We will then fit the saddle tree to rawhide, which we will sew onto the structure of the tree, which when dry significantly increases the strength of the saddle tree. This process also thickens the saddle tree which also creates a stronger, more durable tree. The drying process takes approximately 7 to 14 days, during which time the raw deer sinew used to sew the rawhide together must be hammered daily to prevent protrusion above the level surface of the rawhide. In areas of the saddle that create tension in the rawhide, such as the gullet, horn neck, and seat are attached to the tree with nails so that the rawhide copies it nicely. After completely drying, we treat the tree with three coats of marine varnish to prevent the absorbency of the rawhide. When the marine varnish has completely dried the saddle tree is complete and ready to be built into the perfect saddle, specifically designed for you and your horse and for the task which you will be doing.