Saddles - wood vs metal

[hihobaron]

For a little detail on the packsaddle design, here's an excerpt from John Mionczynski's The Pack Goat (used with permission):

"Some homemade saddles... have design flaws that can be devastating. The angle of the tree should be eighty-five to eighty-seven degrees. A ninety-degree angle, which is easier to build, will not distribute weight but will put excessive pressure on the goat's vertebral processes (the side wings on the vertebrae) and eventually cause debilitating sores. Sharper angles will hurt the ribs and constrict breathing. The inside surfaces of the bars should be beveled on top and bottom for a better fit and to compensate for wider or narrower backs. An overall tree length of 12 inches fits most goats of packable size (150 to 300 pounds)."

Hello Nanno
Thanks for the Excerpt and especially the sizing.
They call this area of South Carolina the Dark Corner.
Mainly from Prohibition times. BATF Agents would come in to bust up Stills and never come out and no one knew what happen to them. 
I might not have the bare rock and desert here but I do have lots of very over grown wash areas you have to cross or walk the ridge tops to get anywhere. I'll admit I don't want to take one of my horses into them.
Happy Trails
hihobaron

[Charlie Horse]

Ah, my yak Tibetty. RIP. Since you wanted to see pics.... I love posting them hehe.




This is her on the trail. She'd run up and down the trail and get a little hot before she'd settle down and follow like a goat.


Riled her up to make for good pictures.



For training I'd just strap some horse saddle bags over her back. They fit oddly well with her hump going where the notch in the saddle bags is.

Since you were interested here is a picture of the old Owahee aluminum packs. Simplistic design but simple is good. I've dumped the carpet in trade for nice NorthWest pocket-pads. Its the way to go with these. BUT, I'm afraid the guy that made these has recently passed away



Then there's home-made stuff...

[Nanno]

To all of you out there a crazy question is it possible to use a saddle horse and goats in mild trails together? Yes, I know the is a speed difference. 

Forgot about this part of your post... I have a goat that used to accompany my horses on very long, steep trails in the mountains at high altitude (9-12,000 feet or so). We never had a problem with him getting left behind although I never packed him on these trips--he was just a companion. He could go a lot more places than the horses, so I don't think you'd have to stick to mild trails. If your goats were packing weight then you'd have to stop for rest breaks, but without a pack he should have no problem keeping up the pace unless you're on gaited horses. A goat that goes on outings with horses needs to be very fit, but he can do it if he's properly conditioned. Mine did it for years and loved every minute of it. He never even got left behind when we would take a gallop through a meadow.

[hihobaron]

Ah, my yak Tibetty.  RIP.  Since you wanted to see pics.... I love posting them hehe.




This is her on the trail.  She'd run up and down the trail and get a little hot before she'd settle down and follow like a goat.


Riled her up to make for good pictures.



For training I'd just strap some horse saddle bags over her back.  They fit oddly well with her hump going where the notch in the saddle bags is.  

Since you were interested here is a picture of the old Owahee aluminum packs.  Simplistic design but simple is good.  I've dumped the carpet in trade for nice NorthWest pocket-pads.  Its the way to go with these.  BUT, I'm afraid the guy that made these has recently passed away



Then there's home-made stuff...

Hello Charlie Horse
Thanks for the pictures of your Yak and the pack saddle.
She Sounds like she was a good critter and very much a People Stopper,City Folk or not.
I would have stopped to talk and find out about her myself. 
I have had experience with the Bascure Curly horse bred from the Ural Mountain area of Russia.
Very Cold weather adapted and considered one the the Only horse breeds that could have survived migrating over the Aleutian Peninsula after the Equines were killed off here on the North American Continent by the last Ice Age. 
Moving on: With the dimensions from Nanno and your pictures of the metal pack saddle you had?
I can reverse engineer one like you have/d with improvements. I have worked with metal all my life can weld very good. The rigging set up is strait forward. Actually it looks like car seat belt fittings and web for the most part.
I worked in the Machine Tool Industry for 28 + years there is not much I can not make. If I get good Picture of it.
My goats can be the "Test" subjects,. 
 BTY: Your wood Pack Saddle is a "Work of ART"  To nice to use in my book 
Happy Trails 
hihobaron