Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Fishy

Today I have several saddles for you that feature some of the newest in fashion. Stingray skin! I understand that stingray skin is super grippy and can see why it is used on seats. The thing I don't get is why people feel the need to dye it funky colors. I Googled "stingray saddle" and was appalled at the plethora of Tacky! Some that I found, like any fad, were quite lovely, take these for example...









This one wouldn't be bad at all if it didn't have the tacky crystal conchos all over it.







From here it only gets scarier. Protective eye wear may be wise. I had no idea when I did a search the sheer amounts of Tacky this would achieve.

EEEEEEEEEEEK!! Big scary zebra print!




Tiger striped and crystals and conchos with crystals!!







More zebra stripes and crystals!


Spiderman? Really?



AAAAAAH!!! PINK tiger stripes and RHINESTONES!!


Look!! Here is a chart with all the scary colors you can get a seat in from Double J Saddlery! (Though, I confess, the leopard print one kinda appeals to me for some strange reason.)
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13 comments:

  1. AmandaMarch 11, 2009 at 7:35 AM

    Well maybe in a gazillion years they will be somewhat of a collectors item. I call it Revenge for Steve Irwin.

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  2. UnknownMarch 11, 2009 at 7:41 AM

    wtf....why do people feel the need to wear animal print? Wasn't that shit in the 70's and 80's? All retro isn't in style.

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  3. paul_the_smallMarch 11, 2009 at 8:07 AM

    Wow, that top one looks like it would be REALLY uncomfortable to ride. The stirups are almost behind the seat. My hips hurt just looking at it.

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  4. Diane I.March 11, 2009 at 10:24 AM

    That first saddle is quite lovely....but I am with Paul: move the stirrups forward several inches, for those of us with creaky old-lady hips/knees....slap that spiderweb seat on it....and I'd be good to go.....LOL.

    I could do the cheetah seat, too....on the 5th one down, but silver corner plates instead of the print.

    If you search in crafts on eBay, there are a lot of stingray hides on there....including a giraffe print, and everyone's favorite.....camo.

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  5. AnonymousMarch 11, 2009 at 10:42 AM

    Stingray is great because it's grippy and extremely supple without having to oil it. It lasts forever and makes a pretty boot. I can see why they'd want to use it on seats. But the patterns...aye-yai-yai. That spiderweb takes the cake.

    I have to be hoenst, though--I really like the two-tone browns of the first zebra-print saddle. Make the zebra areas a solid shade of brown or black to compliment the two-tones and I think you'd have a really gorgeous saddle.

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  6. OldMorgansMarch 11, 2009 at 10:45 AM

    String ray skin? How long before these become endangered?
    walks off shaking head---

    sagebeasties.blogspot.com

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  7. HeatherMarch 11, 2009 at 11:55 AM

    The thing I can't get passed on sting ray saddles is that the little white diamond looks like a cooter.

    Ew.

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  8. doublekarabiansMarch 11, 2009 at 1:04 PM

    my sister and I were at a tack store that had saddles with seats like these and the seat felt like bumpy plastic. We tried em and they were slippery as snot on a door knob. I hope those were not the sting ray hide cus like I said very slippery. Perhaps bad imposters?

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  9. JustaplainsamMarch 11, 2009 at 1:29 PM

    Ummm... actully stingray is suposto be slippery... thats why they use it on roping saddles so that the 'cowboys' can get out faster... I learned that from a saddle maker at Congress

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  10. Diane I.March 11, 2009 at 1:50 PM

    Tails (or whips/barbs) are an extension of the spine. I think that *diamond* is the place where a stingray's tail exits the body.

    I even found a pink camo-dyed one in my searching....EEEk.....

    So.....are they grippy???
    Or slick as snot???

    Since it's processed like (cow) leather.....I would assume you could put whatever finish you wanted on it??? (suede as opposed to glove???)

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  11. scaequestrianMarch 11, 2009 at 2:02 PM

    If it is so slippery, why use it on barrel saddles? Most of the barrel racers I see are hanging onto the saddle horn for dear life on a suede seated saddle.

    Now, before you jump me, I have also seen many that CAN ride and don't need to hang on. And don't feed me the lines about having to hang on to help the horse, blah blah blah. They barrel race in other countries in ENGLISH saddles, and I used to use an Aussie with no horn (best barrel saddle ever!). So there.

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  12. HeatherMarch 11, 2009 at 6:01 PM

    Still. The diamond looks like a cooter spot! LOL.

    Some hang on but not for dear life! My best friend puts her outside hand on the horn when she comes around a barrel so she can sit her butt down in the seat better and it keeps that hand from messing with the reins.

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  13. AnonymousMarch 12, 2009 at 10:50 AM

    Uh-oh. I'm a hypocrite. Leather I'm good with. Mermaids and stingrays make me uneasy when used in saddles.

    I confess I have an odd attraction to the Spiderman saddle. Who knew Spiderman rode horses??

    And I'm dying to know who on earth went deep sea fishing, accidentally caught a stingray, and said: "Blech...not tasty...I know...I'll get it tanned and have it made into a custom saddle!"

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