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 Saddle # 1000

Finally made it folks DEC 2015 ,My one thousandth saddle before the year was out,Thankyou for all the support for all the ones that went before this one.

This one was a bit special ,it is a 15 1/2'' converted cutter on a Rawhide wood tree ,deep seat high front 5'' cantle with front binding ,semi to standard Quarter horse fit ,Red tan colour with a plait border,old style fenders,hand sewn cantle binder ,double Dee SS rigging with a back angled Dee to Y rig and sewn down back housing (jockey) shaped hard seat,Pelican horn is not for Roping sorry,Copper finish longhorn Conchos with SS dees under and 4 saddle ties ,easy grip barrel stirrups.Yours for $2800.00

Dove Saddles was established by Graham Turner in 1976. In 1971 I spent some time as an apprentice in Masterton New Zealand and then moved to W.Wiggins Ltd where I worked for four years. I then decided to go to Sydney Australia where I worked for Bexley Saddlery. After that I decided to return to New Zealand where I continued to work for W.Wiggins Ltd until June 1976 then I went into business setting up at my parents place in Wellington. I worked there for 7 years before moving to Raumati on the Kapiti Coast where I shared a workshop for 3 years with boot and shoemaker Tex Bell.

In 1986 I moved to my own building in Reikorangi Waikanae where we built a workshop showroom on our property where we enjoy the rural lifestyle. During my time I have trained three apprentices.

I started building Western saddles in 1977 and then decided to up skill at Robin Yates School run by that old and now famous bushman, poet and saddle maker Jack Drake who now lives in Australia. After making saddles the conventional way and realizing sales were not happening overnight I went into manufacturing dog collars and leads for Masterpet Corporation for about 20 years only to slowly move back to where I always desired to be which is building middle cost western saddles and seeing a need for them. With the closing down and passing of Charlie Leach I decided to step into that gap.

An expensive risk was setting up business along the lines of the American saddle factories using bulk bought leather from New Zealand and Argentina along with high tensil plastic moulded saddle trees, press cut parts, some press patterns and specialty machinery to get the prices down where we have remained even with the cheap overseas Mexican, Chinese and Indian competition.

We back up all that we sell because we make saddles for you, not for us. We never sell a saddle until you and your horse are happy with it.