Saddle Tree and Rigging Information

The La Porte tree company started by using a remarkable new material to cast their Poly - Tuff Tree?. Our saddles are built with these trees and are virtually indestructible with a lifetime guarantee against the tree breaking. We pictured this revolutionary tree in our last catalog. Feedback from saddle makers and riders was very positive. The trees are offered with the Double H Cable Rigging?. This strong continuous cable is vinyl coated and is one piece cast into the tree over the fork and through the cantle. There are solid ideas behind this innovation. First it is totally adjustable for placement of the cincha to best fit a particular horse. Second is lightness in the foundation of the saddle. A third benefit for this cable is close contact between rider and mount. A small amount of flexibility can be felt in the bars of these new trees. Just the right amount of give to be able to discern the movement of the horse better than a completely rigid tree.

We are producing the best working saddles available. The new rigging allows you to adjust any setting desired by positioning the 1/4 " locking collar on the cable.

 Full, 7/8, 3/4 or even center fire are all achievable. The Laporte tree is made of carbon fiber, the same material used in the nosecone of the F -14 fighter.

The cable is cast right into the tree. By eliminating the traditional rigging with the new cable, you get closer contact with your horse and also enhance the free swing of your stirrup leathers.

One of the best attributes of our new saddles is the weight! How does 27 to 34 pounds sound? That's 20% to 25% lighter than the traditional rawhide tree saddle. Just because its lighter doesn't mean it's not as tough! We have testimonies of horses and mules flipping over backwards and landing on the horn, and the saddle were fine.

These saddles are used by some of the biggest working ranches in the west. The durability of our saddles has been proven since 1982.

 Now, with the new cable rigged Hickman Saddles, we have achieved a new level of all- around toughness. We have a variety of trees available: Quarter horse, mule, walker, cutting and reining. Many styles can be customized to your specifications.