Crowley Collector Saddle

Seidel’s Saddlery custom “Crowley Collector” fully floral carved saddle.  Specs include:  Ellensburg saddle tree, 16″ Seat, 4 1/2″ cantle, #8 Horn, fully flower carved in a one-of-a-kind mixed flower tooling pattern (includes wild roses, california poppies, as well as oak leaves, and acorns), regular round skirts, inlaid padded seat using genuine alligator leather, in-skirt rigging, fully leather covered and tooled stirrups with an outside parade-style drop for added concho decoration, medium cognac color with dyed background.

You know for sure that it’s a special saddle when the customer flies in his private jet for a brief stop over to place an order.  Keith pulled out all the stops in the design, construction, and artistry of this collector saddle.  Each part of the design and construction was planned out thoroughly before any leather was even cut.  He frequently says that he builds “from the top down, not from the bottom up.”  He makes a paper sketch or blueprint of the saddle with a detailed plan for all of the decoration, before he does anything on leather.  It helps to keep the “big picture” in the top of his mind and not get bogged down in little details that would end up being a variety of different elements and details that are great by themselves, but that don’t look good together.

There are many things that set this saddle apart from your average saddle, but the most noticeable is the edge braiding on it.  All outside edges are braided in several different plaits and thicknesses using hand-cut and beveled kangaroo leather that we prepared in our shop.  There is almost as much time consumed in braiding the edges, as there is in tooling the whole saddle.

We built a matching browband headstall with nose band, reins, and breast collar to round out this whole presentation set.

All of the silver is custom-made and  sterling silver with a custom sterling silver and 14k yellow gold monogram on the back cantle concho.  Even the stainless steel rigging rings and breast collar dees were overlaid in sterling and engraved.  No detail was left undone.