Saddle prototype

[Moorefieldc]

Got some felt to make the pads. I was going to give it an inch spacing but it looks way to big so I'm going to cut it down to somewhere between 3/8 to 1/2 inch spacing.

What about giving it a leather or cordura trim around the border? Then get some nice brass to secure the felt to the side boards. This would prevent the felt from snagging and getting frayed along the border. You can use the leather to sew in your rigging too. I think it would look very nice as well.

For the yokes of the saddle maybe round off the aluminum if you haven’t already. That sharp ninety degree edge will act like a knife and dig in to down timber as the goats pass under deadfall. Rounding the edges will help the saddle slide off objects better.

Just tossing out some ideas for you. This is very exciting. I always wanted to get into building a better saddle.

I put a chamfer on all of the sharp edges