I am restoring a side saddle and ........

B

Beltane

Member
Joined
26 August 2009
Messages
14
Location
Dumfries, Scotland
www.beltane-equestrian.com
Hi,

I am presently restoring an English leather side saddle back to its original glory. I had intended to replace the damaged leather seat back to its original state with a new leather seat but I have viewed several which are now fitted with doe-skin seats.

In the opinion of those who ride with a side saddle would it be better to replace the leather seat or fit with a doe skin. Both are possible as I am renovating the whole saddle.

I am based in SW Scotland and have been working with saddles for several years. This is be my first full side saddle restoration, and am interested to know what would be the opinion of side saddle riders here on the seat choice.

Thank you!
 
I have both, a doeskin on my nearside side saddle and a leather on my off-side side saddle. If you wear full seat breeches like I do, it won't really matter. The doeskin may make it more sellable especially to a novice rider though but as a personal preference, I would ride in either.

Please post photos!
 
I vote for doe skin. My Owen has it, my instructor's Mayhew doesn't. Doe skin can be a little bit of a pain to look after, but worth it I think for the grippyness.
 
Doe skin, I feel more secure in doe skin although that might just be a subconscious thing. It would be more saleable and possibly more valuable too.

Can you post pics of your progress and finished product please :D
 
Hi,

thank you for all your replies. I am leaning towards doe skin just now with a leather trim and have sourced Scottish doe skin from hides which are collected from the gamedealers around Scotland who produce venison using culled deer from the various estates. All skins are traceable and come from estates using fully-trained, registered stalkers, monitored by the Deer Commision For Scotland. I will be going to the tannery the week after next to choose the hide for my saddle personally.

As this is the first time I have used this forum I havent posted photos before so if you tell me how to then I will over the weekend.

I've got them on my facebook page which is Beltane Equestrian Susan and you can add me as a friend if you want to see the photos so far until I get some uploaded here.

very pleased with all the interest, thank you.

Would you like updates of progress??

Susan
 
Beltane said:
Hi,

thank you for all your replies. I am leaning towards doe skin just now with a leather trim and have sourced Scottish doe skin from hides which are collected from the gamedealers around Scotland who produce venison using culled deer from the various estates. All skins are traceable and come from estates using fully-trained, registered stalkers, monitored by the Deer Commision For Scotland. I will be going to the tannery the week after next to choose the hide for my saddle personally.

As this is the first time I have used this forum I havent posted photos before so if you tell me how to then I will over the weekend.

I've got them on my facebook page which is Beltane Equestrian Susan and you can add me as a friend if you want to see the photos so far until I get some uploaded here.

very pleased with all the interest, thank you.

Would you like updates of progress??

Susan
Click to expand...

Make a photobucket account on photobucket.com upload pics onto there and then copy the URL code which will be in a box under the photo, copy the code in here and you will have pictures :) I would like to see pictures of progress :)
 
Hi,

Im am just a beginner in the whole 'side saddle arena' but I have bought a saddle and been ridding in it since about August.

My seat is leather and I dont find a problem with it, however I did discuss with my saddler making changes to the saddle, ie a doe skin seat and altering the over girth, however when she took the saddle apart to fix a few stitches etc the name on the inside was Army and Navy Co-operative and we have managed to workout that it is probably from 1880-1890 so we did not want to alter the saddle as at the end of the day it is a well preserved (now much loved) antique!!

It does mean that I can not alter the girth etc my self once I am on as the over girth buckles under the horse, so I either make sure that someone else is around to tighten it or I walk the horse about the arena in hand for a few mins then do it up to the holes I know are right and off I go!

But as for the seat Im finding that with the correct position in the saddle a leather seat is fine, but I can imagine that if you were getting a little tired or not quite in the correct position a doe skin seat might help you stick!

Jackie
 
Thinking about it from a riders point of view I think the less slippage the better. I'll post measurements and photos at the weekend when I'm back. There is a lovely panel at the front that was all squashed up that I've removed already and will, after a bit of repair, be able to replace. It's raised leather with a floral pattern. Floral needlework on one of the heads. Also saveable. The leather seat is completely Knackered with huge holes in it hence the removal and replacement.
 
Hi,
Another decision to make ladies. Now that I'm using Doeskin I can have it dyed to whatever colour I want. I see most of the Doeskins are the bog standard tobacco colour that you buy from the main leather supplier. As mine is bespoke I was thinking of a dark Havana the same colour as the saddle. Opinions please?
Susan
 
Really the colour of the doeskin wouldnt worry me particularly (as long as it was brown). Its the non slippy quality thats important to me.

I think for me, it would come down to price, as I dont have a preference one way or another. If the tobacco doeskin is a standard colour, and the dark havana isnt, is there a considerable price difference? If the non standard colour is very much more is it worth paying the extra?

But if you particularly want the Dk Havana, you go for it :)
 
Beltane,

I'm going to be a bit of a misery here, but were I you, I would think very carefully before replacing a seat.

If you have made conventional saddles, and understand the principles of seating work, then by all means have a go. It's been many years since I did any work on, or even inspected a side saddle, and whilst I'm going from memory, am I right in saying that there would be a welted skirting around the edge? If there is, then this will need replacing too.

As you will be all too well aware, stitching new leather to old, can be a nightmare, and in truth, it's rarely successful.

I'm really sorry to be so negative, but you're taking on a Herculean task!! That said, and whilst I will probably be of little help, are there any detailed pics available?

Oh, and if you're really determined, then Doe Skin, with out a second thought!! :o:D:D

Alec.
 
I could not agree more with Mr. Swan, I fear you are destined to a lot of heart break over replacing the seat, to join the suede to the pig-skin seat will require about 24 inched of very fine welting which must be done from the reverse side, in other words, I think you will find that the whole seat was made up before being placed over the tree, to attempt this in reverse order will prove impossible. You won't realistically be able to glue the suede over the damaged area, attractive as the idea might seem. Remember, these saddles were made to a pattern, the pig skin would be laid out on the bench, and the area to accomodate the suede seat cut out to a template, and the welting done from the underside, then the whole offered up to be secured .
 
My side saddle is progressing. Pretty much at the speed I expected due to being busy running a course for the next two weeks in my 'day job' and things getting busier with the start of the saddlery spring rush. My side saddle is fully unflocked and separated into two parts obviously prior to the unflocking. I have saved the lovely patterned leather panel from the front and am restoring that for when I stitch it back on. Thr required material for replacing the underside of the seat is on its way and once it arrives I will replace the existing motheaten material and then reflock that panel with a generic reflock to begin with. I need to replace the leather pocket on the offside and I will use leather from saddles with badly broken trees as it has a more aged look than any new that i could use. Once I've got the work from the bottom upwards done then it'll be the visit to the tannery for the Doeskin. Sorry I haven't got round to sticking photos on here yet. Those if you that have added me as a friend on fb will have access to those.
 
Didn't mean to do that!! Anyway, replacing the linen and starting to reflock the pads back up into position and restitching to the saddle seat. I am going to take a template of the missing pocket from the stitching line and make one from old saddle leather to match it into the leather of the saddle. I still haven't had the time to get photos in here but they will be added to my facebook page as I am doing it.
 
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