Commissions

I am happy to help you turn your old, unused, or damaged saddle into a piece of wearable or usable art that you give you many additional years of service. Saddles are made of incredibly hardy leather and offer decades of usefulness for you to love and enjoy after you no longer use it for riding. 

Basic overview of the process

1. Review all information below about cost, timeline, and possibilities
2. Review my catalog of products and have an idea of which design(s) you like
3. Place a deposit (see instructions below)
4. Send me some photos of your saddle (sides, top, bottom, and under the flaps), a description of which bags you like, and if you want anything major changed (handle/strap type, closures, color of gusset, etc). 
   1. If you aren't sure if your saddle is in good enough shape, you can video yourself "rolling" the leather in your hand / additional photos. Often I find that parts are OK but maybe other parts are not. 
5. Once approved to move forward (if not, your deposit will be refunded), I will bill you for the final cost minus the deposit. 
6. Ship the bag to me
7. I'll get to work!

 

How to get started

Review my catalog of bags, both in and out of stock, to have an idea of price and design in mind. Place an order for a deposit ($50) here. The price will go toward the final cost of the bag. Most saddles can provide enough leather to make at least two bags, sometimes more with supplemented material from my collection of leather. On the other hand, if the saddle is in rough shape, it may require more supplemental leather. 

As part of our discussion, please expect to take photos and/or video of your saddle and provide details. If the saddle arrives and the leather is in too damaged of a condition (dry rot, etc.) to use, I cannot refund you the deposit or shipping. 

Basic Design Options

Half Pirouette - Rounded bottom, strap closure, with a shoulder strap. Flap can be from the skirt or inner flap. 

Ondulee / Snowy River / Hotspur Lea / Marshall - All variations on full flap tote bag. A large tote with lots of room for storage. The bottom can be straight across or maintain the bag's curve. The top can be straight or curved.

Half Halt and Renvers - smaller phone-sized bags.

 

There are other designs on my product listings; please review them there!

Closure methods, straps, thread color, gusset color, and any conchos are all customizable. If I do not have something "in stock" in my shop, I may need to order something which can add to the cost. Straps are often made from stirrup leathers, reins, or other parts of bridlework, so feel free to send those along as well! 

 

Shipping

Shipping a saddle isn't the most fun task. Keep in mind that the saddle will be deconstructed, so you can wrap the flaps tightly to fit it into a smaller box. Use some packing material to protect the leather before shipping it. I often use bubble wrap around the saddle, then the paper packing material to fill all of the voids. Please do not include any girths unless we have talked about a way to use it first. Stirrup leathers make great straps, and many bridles, breastplates, browbands, and other strap goods are useful as well.

PirateShip is the cheapest option. If your saddle is lost in shipping, this is unfortunately an issue you must take care of, as I have no control over it. Please keep this in mind when choosing shipping insurance. 

If you live within ~100 miles of Lexington, VA, I can likely meet you somewhere to pick up the saddle. Please contact me to arrange this.

 

Time to Production

Please expect 6 weeks+ for me to disassemble, design, and build your bag. Sometimes it is quicker, sometimes longer. If it will be much longer, I will let you know. Feel free to contact me for updates at any time. 

 

Extra Material

If you do not want to pay for multiple bags at once but ship me an entire saddle, we have a few options. 

1. If you want to make another bag at a later unspecified date, I can ship the rest back to you at your cost. This would be after your first bag is finished, and dependent upon what type of bag you want and what is left over. We can discuss the details of this as part of your project - I can "dissect" the saddle to make it cheaper/easier to return ship the unused portions (at cost - this does take me some time to do as well). 
2. If you want me to hold on to the extra material to make another bag, I can do this - but I can only hold the extra material for 6 months after completion of your first bag and it will be dissected entirely in order to store it properly (flaps removed, seat removed, etc). 
3. I can use the extra from your saddle in other projects. This is the default if you do not tell me which you would prefer.
4. I typically save the tree, which I give to a local saddle fitter who uses these for educational purposes.

 

What if I don't have ENOUGH material for the design I want? 

I can use leather from my collection - old or new - to help complete the design you want. Depending on what is needed, it may cost a little extra, but often will not.

If you want a leather color I haven't used before / don't have on hand already for gussets, flaps, etc., it may cost extra and take additional time as I will need to purchase a hide or partial hide for that purpose specifically. 

 

Damage During Dissection

Generally things can happen when a saddle is being "dissected" as I call it. In the process of cutting leather off the saddle, occasionally a mistake can be made (cut, scratch, etc.) but this is rare. If I am at fault for this and it causes an issue with your final design, I will take a percentage off the cost of the bag. 

Sometimes the damage is due to shipping - this I cannot be held responsible for. I will let you know if I see visible damage when a saddle arrives, and we can discuss if you want to submit an insurance claim to the shipping provider. See above regarding shipping - insurance and issues are your responsibility. 

Issues when pulling off hardware: polymer trees make it very difficult to pull the d-rings off of saddles and the brand pins. If you wish to use any of these parts in your final design, please note that I simply cannot guarantee that they will come off of your saddle well enough to be used. I do my best, but sometimes they snap, twist, or are otherwise damaged.

 

Completed Product

Once your bag is finished, I will reach out to you and send you a couple of photos and check in regarding leftover material. 

Please feel free to tag me in any social media posts if you are happy with the bag!