If you don’t already read Kitt Hazelton’s blog, Saddle Fitting: The Inside Journey, you should! It’s a wealth of information about the importance of saddle fit and other saddle-related information.

Here’s a fascinating look into how a saddle is constructed. More specifically, this article is about how Black Country saddles are built. It was contributed by Nikki Newcombe, Sales Manager (and SMS QSF), Black Country Saddles.

These saddles are crafted, rather than just “made.” When you see how much labor and skill goes into the construction of a high quality saddle you begin to understand why they are costly . . . and wonder what short cuts were taken to make some saddles so, well, cheap (I use that word specifically, rather than inexpensive precisely because of what it implies).