Saddles in Motion & Mad Creek Saddlery

Saddles in Motion & Mad Creek Saddlery 📍Western saddle repair and cleaning

📍Saddle fitter, western/english (Flocking & billets)

📍Mad Creek Saddlery custom pulled wool pads

Ever sat in a saddle and just felt it wasn’t right? Your posture wasn’t right, your legs didn’t fall right from the sadd...
08/21/2026

Ever sat in a saddle and just felt it wasn’t right?

Your posture wasn’t right, your legs didn’t fall right from the saddle and your hips and lower back hurt.

This could be a ground seat issue.

The ground seat on a saddle is made from multiple layers of hand carved leather placed on top of the tree.

Everyone wants a comfortable seat. But one person may perceive comfort different than another due to our anatomy and bodily compensation patterns. This is why I tell people sit in saddles and see what you like.

Ideally, even distribution of pressure from the side of the horse. One person might love a narrow feel on their seat bones and one might want wider rear position. One might have to sit different due to back or hip issues.

Whatever the rider likes, the most important part is that the seat bones sit at the lowest part of the ground seat.

The shape of the swell has almost nothing to do with the shape of the ground seat. The saddle maker is the person that decides the shape and no two ground seats are exactly the same as they are hand shaped. Sometimes saddle makers will have clients sit in the saddle and shape it to the rider.

It truly is an art and my first ground seat took me roughly a day. Apparently according to several makers (the hardest part). I sat in it several times while shaping it to see what I felt and changed it as needed.

Ground seats are an art form and I could easily spend a lot of time tweaking them.

đŸ–€ I cannot thank both and Chiara Poscente enough for opening their home and workshop to me so I could spend time learn...
08/18/2026

đŸ–€

I cannot thank both and Chiara Poscente enough for opening their home and workshop to me so I could spend time learning more about making saddles and saddle repair. And of course, we had great discussions on fitting and equine biomechanics.

In my time here, I was able to get more than halfway through my first saddle without any blood drawn which is a tough feat with all the sharp knifes and thick leather. I also was able to observe zak work on a few saddles at different spots in the building process.

Every leather piece on the saddle is carved or cut out by hand. I can also see how making a good ground seat and detail can become an obsession.

I can’t wait to finish my personal saddle and soak in more knowledge from both of them.

I truly love working with leather and can’t wait to help more with repairs as it’s very needed in our area.

Pulled wool pads are not new. They have been around a long time. If you go out west they are on a lot of horses. Big ...
08/14/2026

Pulled wool pads are not new. They have been around a long time. If you go out west they are on a lot of horses. Big name clinicians use them you just don’t see them talking about them.

Recently a reel was made about them by a bigger account and I wish they had shared more info on them and how great they are.

The average 32 x 32 pad has over 3,500 individual wool loops. But can be made any shape or size you’d like.

These are not cookie cutter pads. They are all made by hand and take 10-12 hours to make one sometimes more depending on the pattern

They contour and breath much better than compressed wool/felt. Because of how a pulled wool pad is made on a canvas grid with individual loops of roving, they are breathable and will felt down to form fit a horse over time, compressing to about half their original thickness.

Yes they are thick to start. That’s the most common thing I hear. But with use, they compress down to 1/2 the original size and can be made any thickness you’d like. They offer superior comfort for the horse and close contact for the rider.

They can expose where your saddle isn’t fitting as they contour vs a felt pad that may hide issues as they are stiffer. Do they work for every horse? Nope. Saddle fit should be used to address any issues, not a pad, but even then they may not be acceptable for your horse. Conformation and unhealthy backs must be addressed first.

What about close contact on the back? Pulled wool pads are made on a cotton weave with wool fibers so they are 100% natural and take the shape of the horse creating a natural tenting. They can be made with wither relief but you typically do not need that due to the natural shaping process

Unless they are muddy or extremely gross, I don’t recommend cleaning them. But every pad will come with a care sheet.

Like any piece of tack they get better with time.

I truly love making these and how great my horses feel riding in them. đŸ–€

Can we talk for a minute about gullet measurements? First off, no, you cannot accurately measure a gullet on a saddle on...
08/12/2026

Can we talk for a minute about gullet measurements?

First off, no, you cannot accurately measure a gullet on a saddle once it’s been built.

When someone inquires about a saddle and they ask for a gullet measurement, I send them multiple pictures. Ive had people send pictures for bar spread or concho to concho. So I now simply just ask where would you like me to measure?

Gullet measurement is taken on a bare tree even before the covering, rawhide or fiberglass is added. Once material is placed over the tree, measurements can change.

The best way to know what you have is reach out to the maker. They can tell you what the specs are on your saddle.

If the company no longer exists, you can measure a saddle that works, and try to find one that measures similar but really turns into a try before you buy.

Work with makers and fitters that understand how the material added will work for the horse once it’s built.

And
. Gullet is one of the last things I consider in saddle fit đŸ«  the rock, twist, flare, length and rigging position are considered before gullet.

Picture from the Stohlman Encyclopedia of Saddle Making

Pulled wool pads in the wild. People ask all the time how to clean them. Well, like with anything they get better with...
08/10/2026

Pulled wool pads in the wild.

People ask all the time how to clean them. Well, like with anything they get better with use but occasionally do need to be cleaned up.

You can hose off right away after a ride and allow to dry after. Do not submerge in water.

I suggest using a wool cleaner or something like woolite. Lay the pad on a flat surface and work the cleaner through the wool removing any debris and dirt with your fingers.

Gently hose it off and lay flat to dry or hang over a fence diagonally to form a triangle so the water runs to a point and allow to air dry. Towels can be used to aid drying faster.

Avoid harsh soaps or hot water.

You can also use an air compressor to blow the dirt off of the pad.

Or you can simply not clean them at all 😆

08/04/2026

I’m back and answering everyone as quick as I can. Service was hit or miss. I got sick from the heat, it was HOT at the tail end, but overall a good fitting trip/vacation with another planned that way in fall when it’s not so hot.

Heads up, end of the month I truly will be without service on an actual vacation no horses or fitting involved. It’s shocking!

But I will have all loose ends tied up and will have service late in the evening at the lodge. I will glance through messages because I just can’t help myself but may have a delayed response.

Thank you all for being amazing people and trusting your horses with me.

August is almost here. The summer has flown by and August is a little bit of a crazy month for me. Traveling for Fitti...
07/27/2026

August is almost here. The summer has flown by and August is a little bit of a crazy month for me. Traveling for Fittings, continued ed classes, vacation and apprenticing.

Apparently I planned poorly.

But with that being said, I may not be as responsive as usual so please allow a little more time for responses. Also, being in and out of service, I may miss or not get messages. Please don’t hesitate to send another if you don’t hear from me.

Fall trail ride season is almost upon us đŸ–€

3 year olds first saddle. Why is fitting them from the beginning important? Because they are creating lifelong muscular...
07/25/2026

3 year olds first saddle.

Why is fitting them from the beginning important? Because they are creating lifelong muscular and structural patterns.

If we aren’t thinking about how a “colt saddle” fits our horses, then we could be creating compensation that will follow them into their future riding patterns.

Trainers do the best they can by trying to have a variety of saddles. But if your horse is in training and you are told things like, “they can’t pick up a certain lead” “they are lazy” “they don’t want to turn a certain direction” “don’t want to back up” etc., look into saddle fit or pain issues.

If you can, send a saddle with your horse to training! Most trainers would welcome that because it will make their jobs easier.

Always monitor for changes in fit and behavior. This is the stage we want to be setting horses up for success.

People ask me all the time if I do plain colored pulled wool pads. I sure do!! A nice brown 30x30 đŸ–€
07/24/2026

People ask me all the time if I do plain colored pulled wool pads. I sure do!! A nice brown 30x30 đŸ–€

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