This material and any attendant photo illustrations are copyrighted © 2006 by R. J. Sagely. The reprinting or distribution of the whole or any part without express permission of the author is prohibited.

SAGE SADDLERY
R. J. Sagely
Maker of Custom Horseman's Gear
"For a saddle your great-grandkids will still be riding"

 

This is my saddle and it was finished in April of 2006. I call it the Charro Wade because of the horn, which is a very Mexican style at over 5 1/2" cap, 3" diameter throat and a 15 degree tilt to the cap. It is only about 1 1/2" tall at the gullet side of the horn. Like I said, muy charro...

The saddle is built on a Timberline tree with the following dimensions: 16 1/2" seat (16" finished); 13" wide x 4 " high cantle with 1 1/2" dish in a round or oval topline; full quarter bar at 6 3/4" width, 8" height, 93 degree angle; horn cap is 5 1/2" wide, throat is 3" diameter, 15 degree tilt to cap with the back of the horn cap about 1 1/2" height; swell is 8" slickfork.

The leather is Wickett & Craig brown skirting in 13 -15 oz. weight. Rigging is a full plate style for heavy roping using Jeremiah Watt front and rear hardware.

Six button seat is smoothout (that is an oil seep stain from the well-oiled stirrup leathers). Skirt is ultra-small, round and genuine W&C shearling lined, 3/4" pile.

Full, 3" wide stirrup leathers hang 4" tread Nettles laminated oak stirrup shells that were brass bound by Trina Weber and lined with black leather and brass escutcheon pins by me. Fenders are 18" and lined to keep out the sweat back here in humid Pennsylvania. Stirrups are twisted and set, meaning there is no strain on your knees and ankles and the stirrup tread sets level to the ground. This allows you to balance up properly when riding.

Saddle is half-breed, basket stamped pattern with a double bead, carlos (greek meander) border. Fenders, rigging, cantle back and one-piece back jockey housing are basket stamped with the skirts and fenders smooth and simply bordered. Half-breed off-billet and lined, 1 1/2" wide, fold-over flank straps.

Horn is mulehide wrapped and you hang your catch rope on a cross-over style rope strap, long enough to hold in excess of seventy feet of rope. Near side seat buttons carry a latigo hanger forward and a hobble hanger at the cantle base. Off side is a cincha hanger to keep your cinchas from draggin' the ground. Saddle strings are extra long in back and long enough in front to tie your slicker across the pommel if you want a set of instant bucking rolls for a snorty colt.

It's mine and you cannot buy it from me... least not for a good long while yet. It has been in my mind for three years or better and now it is on my horse and under my seat and I like it. I can make something similar for you though. Think in the neighborhood of $4000.00, give or take some for the geegaws and foofaw you want on yours, and you could be having one built for you. Contact me to place an order and get yours started today. 

 
Brass studded horn cap is not a sewn cap. The tree was already carrying a full 5 1/2" horn cap and I did not want it to grow too much more by added a rim. So I covered the throat and capped it with these stainless steel shanked brass buttons. Throat is very wide diameter and so a single dally has a lot of "bite". Oregon style crossover rope strap and mulehide horn wrap also pictured.
One piece back jockey housing covers the butterfly split skirts. Skirts are laced at the forward part of their joining which allows the back of the skirts to "float" as the horse moves. By "crowning" the skirts when you attach them to the bar and then allowing this float, combined with the overall small size and rounded outline of the skirts, you get a very comfortable fit back here in the loin area of your horse.
The buckaroo style pulling collar (martingale, not to be confused with a standing one or draw reins or any of that stuff). These ride in a most correct orientation on your horse's chest and allows your horse to really get in there and pull without excess pressure on his musculature or shutting off his windpipe. Traditional breast collars, even roping ones, often situate to low on the chest and so can bind the horse and cause them to quit when you need them pulling hard for you. Martingales such as this one come equipped with tugs that clip onto dees on the saddle that are mounted high on the saddle rather than low. There is also a neck strap that keeps the arms up there too. The neck strap is removable and I use trigger snaps on all the straps to make saddling up easier.  

 

The tunnel style flank cincha with a detail shot showing the basket stamping and double beaded, carlos-meander border decoration. The buckles are 1 1/2" brass roller with stainless steel tongue. A larger 1 3/4" buckle is available for a heavier roping flank but I have yet to see that this size is not sufficient.
Here is my horse, PB, wearing the new saddle and his double rein rig; a 1/4" bosalito from Steve Guitron with a 1/4", 4 strand mane hair mecate from Lost Buckaroo and bosal hanger by yours truly; braided latigo romal reins with link style chains using old style latigo bit loops to hold them on the Al Tietjen design - Ernie Marsh built spade bit. Browband headstall is a Sage Saddlery made deal with stainless steel heart slot conchas and heart motif browband stainless steel rosettes. Check out these pages for great buckaroo style leather gear and other items. PB takes it all in stride and can sleep at the drop of a rein.

Notice that the sweet spot where I will be sitting in this rig is up onto the strong part of PB's back, not too far behind his withers. The difference in how he engages and carries me in this saddle is subtle yet very noticeable in that he is moving just that much more... lively... that is the best way to describe it. The life in his body and his feet and his mind is just that much closer to the life in mine and when those match up, you have a ride...

If you have any questions about what you read or see here, are seeking permission to reprint or distribute the whole or any part of this copyrighted © material of this site or just want to talk gear or horse stuff, don't hesitate to drop me a line at: sagehorseman at sagehorsemanship.com

 

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This material and its attendant photo illustrations are copyrighted © 2006 by R. J. Sagely. The reprinting or distribution of the whole or any part without express permission of the author is prohibited.