Posted in English, English Saddle, Tack, tagged breyer tack, english, model horse tack, saddle on April 26, 2018| 7 Comments »
Yay it’s finished!
And I don’t completely hate it!
And unlike my sad dressage saddle, it even got a girth!
Of course I can’t take credit for the pattern – that belongs to KeriOkie. But I altered and did some things differently, and if I make another one there are a couple more things I would do differently.
Mostly, it was just fun. 🙂
Posted in English, English Saddle, Tack, tagged breyer tack, english, In progress, model horse tack, saddle, tack, tack making on April 21, 2018| 5 Comments »
Recently I was inspired to try making another English saddle. I don’t build saddles very often… I’ve mentioned before that I find them intimidating, but at the same time it’s something I want to do more often and want to get better at, and like so many other things I’m into, I won’t get better unless I PRACTICE.
I still don’t really know what I’m doing though.
So when Carrie Olguin of KeriOkie Entertainment posted some new how-to videos on her YouTube channel, I really wanted to give another saddle a go. I mean, I need all the help I can get. XD I’m a bit stubborn and like to figure out how to make things on my own, but I also see value in following tips and tutorials by other tack makers, as it provides an opportunity to gather new ideas and try things you may have never thought of trying before.
I didn’t get a chance to start working on the saddle till this week. It’s become my after-work project, and I’ve been enjoying working on small steps at a time.
The first few days were spent cutting, dyeing and preparing leather:
Another was spent putting together the panels:
Followed by the saddle flaps:
Now that the weekend’s here I’ve had a little more time for it. It’s starting to look like a saddle!
Here’s how it’s looking today:
I have done some things differently than what was shared in the tutorial. I’m using a heavier metal instead of an aluminum can for the tree, I dyed all my pieces after cutting them out, and my stirrup bars are different from what was shown, just to name a few.
But it’s been so much FUN to put together, which is what I need with tack making right now. 🙂
Posted in Bridle, English, Tack, tagged breyer tack, bridle, Friesian, model horse tack on November 18, 2017| 10 Comments »
Long time no post? It’s been… nearly a month already, yikes. I have been busy with work and Etsy orders and life, but in between all that I’ve been poking at personal hobby projects.
One was a white bridle for Breyer’s Friesian, which I finished up this week. It was made to look like ones commonly used in a Friesian “Keuring” or inspection.
Horses are typically shown in a white bitted bridle. I opted for a plain snaffle on mine (which is a jump ring and seed bead) as that’s what I kept seeing in reference photos.
And I did cheat a bit with the lead rope, using twisted embroidery thread instead of leather. I don’t think it really matters as I’ve seen both on real horses. 🙂
One thing I couldn’t ignore was the amount of keepers… this bridle has fourteen of them!
Keepers are one of those things I love for their detail and hate because they are fiddly to make.
It came together nicely in the end though. I think my strap work has improved a lot this year.
