FAQ

Stonewall Saddle Company

What type of saddle pad should I use with my Stonewall Saddle?

A lot of different types of pads will probably work fine. I like a wool felt pad, or woven wool. Wool does a good job of wicking away sweat and keeps your horse cooler than man made materials.

An overly thick pad or a heavily foamed pad can interfere with fit. The conformal foam provides enough cushion. I’m currently riding with a Latch Weave Wool Pad and like the loft and open weave of the pad. My horse seems to dry quicker when using this pad.

The ideal thickness of a saddle pad is dependant upon the situation at hand, and I vary my pad thickness thru out the year to fine tune the fit as the situation warrants. When your horse is thin use a thicker pad, and when the horse is heavy opt for a thinner pad.

Also, increasing saddle pad thickness lifts the front of the saddle faster than the rear because of the geometries involved, and therefore gives you some saddle pitch control.

How do I clean your felt saddle pad?

You can throw it in the washing machine. Use cold water, very light detergent and let it air dry. You can also use a stiff brush and rinse with the hose.

How do I adjust the ‘Y’ rigging on the Stonewall?

Start by trying the factory settings - counting from the ends of the straps, buckle in hole 5 and hole 7 on the front and rear strap respectively. If you find your saddle or saddle pad wants to scoot then move the rigging in the opposite direction. The latigo ring should be resting at the widest point of the horses barrel and below the saddle pad.

How should I position the saddle on the horse?

Place the saddle on the horses withers, further forward than where you know it should be. Place your open palm on top of the swell (front) and push down and backwards. The saddle will slide backwards until it finds it’s sweet spot, then the back of the saddle will kick up and it will quit sliding backwards. The front of the saddle will be behind the shoulder blades and the stirrup hangers will be aligned near the low point of the horses back.

What do dry spots on a horses back mean?

Dry spots are fickle and it sometimes takes a bit of investigative work and time to discern a pattern to figure out the cause. They can mean that you haven’t ridden long enough to work up a good sweat. They can be caused by excess pressure shutting down the sweat ducts, and they can mean a lack of contact.

With lack of contact, the hair will often be scuffed. With excess pressure the hair will be smooth and the dry spot will be consistently there ride after ride.

Do you have a demo program?

Sometimes. I sporadically have several saddles available, new or used, at any given time. So I may have something that would work as a demo for you and your horse. Contact me

I bought a used Stonewall. Will it fit my horse?

I don’t know, but I’d be happy to help you figure it out. Give me a call 951-834-5844. We support all Stonewall riders whether you bought a new or used saddle.

What type of cinch should I use with my Stonewall?

You will use a western type cinch. I like mohair rope cinches because they keep the horse cooler and are less likely to cause galls.

How wide are your stirrup straps? 1.5” wide

Can you put a leather latigo strap on my saddle?

I can’t because I don’t stock that type of leather, but you can purchase a leather latigo from a local tack shop. They should be able to show you how to attach it.

How do I install the ring cover or latigo strap on my saddle?

If necessary, disassemble old rigging on your saddle by following the steps below in reverse order.

Can you put floating rigging on my Classic/Used Stonewall Saddle?

You can reroute the rigging yourself to make the latigo strap float - find its own natural resting position.

Latigo

Straps

Ring Cover

Thread both straps thru Ring Cover as shown - one strap in each channel. (Tip squeeze circumference of Ring Cover to help open channels)

Insert both straps thru brass ring at end of Latigo.

Re-thread both straps thru Ring Cover - following their original paths and back to the buckle. (Tip: Factory setting is front hole 5, and rear hole 7 as measured from the ends).

Pull down hard on Latigo strap to straighten the rigging, and then pull Ring Cover down over Latigo end.

Finished Y rigging.

(Tip: Ring Cover should be positioned at the midline of the horses barrel and below the bottom edge of the saddle pad.. Adjust settings as necessary).

Can you put floating rigging on my Classic/Used Stonewall Saddle?

You can do this yourself. Reference the instructions above, and unbuckle your rigging. Rerig, but instead of returning each strap to its own buckle, route the straps to the other buckle - front strap to rear buckle, and vice versa. The Latigo brass ring is now free to slide along the straps and will find a position where the tension on the front and rear legs of the Y rigging is the same.

How do I install my new stirrup straps?

Choose a saddle fender and orient it relative to the saddle. Grab the tail end of a stirrup strap and orient it so that the topside of the buckle is against the horse. Thread tail of stirrup strap up thru fender channel, and then up thru hanger on saddle, over the top and back down thru fender channel, to stirrup, and home to buckle. After buckling, tail end of strap is slipped up into fender channel, and then fender is pulled down snuggly over buckle. Check to make sure the stirrup axle is hanging on the double layer of strap webbing.

Note in this photo, that topside of buckle is facing away from us and is oriented towards the horse.

Buckle is towards the horse and the red stirrup axle rests on a double layer of strapping.

Do all horses need a custom fit saddle?

No, not always. A lot of horses have average type backs, with a standard amount of rock, need an average gullet width and can be grouped into a wide, medium or narrow category. In the old days, horses that differed from these norms weren’t used and weren’t bred, and tree makers do a good job of shaping bars to fit these types of backs.

But todays horse market differs from the past. Todays horse is a pleasure animal, often a trail partner and companion. Riders care about the comfort of their mount and are grateful for the willingness and effort he puts out. Therefore, Stonewall Saddle Company likes to fit every horse as if it were going to compete in the 100 mile Tevis Endurnace Ride.

If you as a rider need one saddle to ride a string of horses, then I’d advise ordering a saddle built on a medium-wide tree to fit the bulk of horses out there. With accurate saddle size information you can shim intelligently when needed.

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