17/06/2026
Yesterday Nige Cameron came down and got started on building Summer a western saddle! Its a complex and fascinating process so I thought I'd share the journey with you all.
Nige brought down a selection of saddle trees to try. Summer stood perfectly while he carefully checked fit and size. The tree has to fit the horse and Nige impressed me with how detailed the fitting was.
Once he was satisfied with the size for Summer we popped the tree on my saddle stand so I could make sure it was ok for me too.
That also helped in deciding the shape i preferred.
I went for a slick fork as it felt more familiar to me , having been so used to a Dressage saddle. The other option is the swell fork which expands outward from the pommel, creating the bumps above the riders thighs.
Nige gets the saddle trees from another NZ master craftsman Miro Parsonson.
Miro spent over six years apprenticing directly under the legendary master tree maker Warren Wright in New Zealand. In 2022, he established his own independent workshop.
He preserves traditional methods, hand-shaping trees using a spokeshave and drawknife. Miro builds the trees, processes the hides, and completes the rawhiding entirely by himself.
The tree bars are constructed from durable North American Douglas Fir. The trees are tightly wrapped and covered using locally sourced, high-quality beef cattle hides.
