Years ago, rawhide-covered wooden trees were the best option available. In fact, they work so well, that many saddle makers still use this “tried and true” construction. There are problems, however. Any hole in a sewn seam of rawhide can allow moisture in, then there is a good chance the wood will warp. If the wood warps, then the fit changes. Rawhide-covered trees give more than fibreglass, and the rawhide always brings it back into shape until they start breaking down, or you pull too hard. The biggest problem with the wood rawhide system is that they are separate pieces of wood held together with a nail on a tin strainer plate and rawhide. Then rigging and stirrups are placed on each side and continually work at loosening the joints and pulling the whole tree apart. Rawhide saddle trees are a long-standing tradition that can last a hundred years. But a saddle reinforced with composite materials can last 200 years or more. Our tree bars are shaped to your horse's back measurements, united with the cantle and swells, bonded into a single unit with the composite ground seat, and then completely covered in composite material. The tree is further strengthened with the cable rigging, a loop of cable that loops through the tree and pulls the tree together. The stirrups are hung over the top of the trees, and the stirrup slots are eliminated, adding more surface area to the tree bars. Our western saddle trees are hand-made using a glass-infused polymer reinforced with steel tubing. The ground seat is incorporated in the moulding process binding together the bars, cantle, swells and horn which makes the tree stronger, saves hours of labour, and reduces weight. The seat can be customized for the rider with our seat shim between the seat cover and the tree, and for the horse with shims in between the bar and the skirts. When the trees come out of the mould, they are malleable and easily shaped to your horse’s measurements in our tree shaping machine. In 24 hours they cure to their permanent shape, and the separately made cantle and swells with the embedded cable rigging are screwed and glued to the bars and ground seat. Finally, the complete unified tree parts are covered in fibreglass for additional strength.