Custom Made?
For Horses and Horseman*
The saddle is the interface between horse and man. "To benefit the horse" is the noble goal. The horse should remain healthy under the rider and ready to perform - therefore not off the peg, but "custom made" or "extra for us". In the Backyard Saddlery, from the first to the last step, from measuring the horse to handing over a saddle, only one-off productions are created, which uncompromisingly take into account the anatomical conditions of all participants, the intended use, the wishes of the rider and the craft tradition.
The so-called "Wade" offers ideal conditions for this. This type of saddle tree - the "Stradivarius" among saddle trees - was inspired by the three icons of the horse world, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt and Dale Harwood. In the course of its 80 years of development, it has proved to be the best foundation, above all because of its unrivaled functional advantages.
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
For individual advice and questions about horses and saddles I am available from Monday to Friday.
The Saddlemaker:
Fritz Riedl has been handcrafting saddles for horses and humans for 20 years. The first item was manufactured in winter 1998 with the support of his mentor Pete Gorrell. From far away Montana he accompanied the work of his protégé by telephone and with endless patience and introduced the novice to the "Round Table" of the profession. During his years of travel in the northwest of the USA, Riedl met people who shared their knowledge with astonishing openness and enabled him to mature into a recognized and sought-after saddle maker. Riedl was the first and only European to win a "Blue Band" twice at the renowned "World Leather Debut" in Wyoming. This was followed by appearances in Wichita Falls, invitations to "The Art of Saddlemaking" in Colorado and to the anniversary of the "National Cowboy Poetry Gathering" in Elko Nevada. Together with his colleague Wolfgang Fey, he created a "collectors piece". Today Riedl is no longer only in the saddle-shop: As jury member of the "Don King Memorial Saddle Contest" and judge of the "World Leathers Debut" he now judges the works of former role models. He travels through Europe to teach horse people the "secrets" of the saddle world and occasionally the ex-journalist sits down at the typewriter to bring his knowledge to paper for magazines and books.
Compliments
„… I’m pleased by your saddlework …“
„… you’re an addition to the saddle trade…“
„… Well done Fritz! Congratulations!“
„It’s amazing, Fritz beat all of us U.S. saddlers at our own game in Sheridan, Wyoming, at this year’s saddlemaking contest during the Rocky Mountain Leather Show.“
„… he once was my student, but has become my teacher …“
„Riedl gehört zum Establishment der professionellen High-End-Saddle-Maker.“
„… Fritz Riedl ist binnen weniger Jahre zu einem der besten Sattelmacher
der Welt avanciert …“
“
The procedure:
During a first telephone consultation, a measurement appointment for the horse is agreed upon in order to launch the saddle tree production on its way with the collected data. Its production at Ben Swanke in Billings takes between four and six months. This is followed by fitting the ground seat, the rider testing the seating and the final discussion about the appearance and equipment of the saddle.
The Saddle-Gallery:
Leathercraft
Leather is a material that has accompanied mankind from the very beginning. It is sustainable, robust, durable, decorative and can be used not only to make beautiful, useful and "living" things for horses and riders, but
also to represent the charm of uniqueness beyond its utility value. These may be the travel bag made of buffalo leather, a simple braided key ring, the dust jacket for your favourite book, calendar or digital companion of our everyday life, the belts holding the trousers, the necklaces and bracelets for two- and four-legged friends or "only" the pieces of jewellery for the kitchen, desk or Christmas tree. In the Backyard-Saddlery such things are also created "one at a time", on special request, unique pieces, not mass- produced goods and therefore always an expression of the enduring, not the fleeting.