How to Make a Side Saddle Holder

Side saddles are a type of saddle designed to allow the rider to sit with both legs on the same side of the horse rather than astride. This elegant riding style has historical origins, allowing women to ride wearing full skirts, but riding side saddle is still very popular today. Side saddles come in both English and Western styles, but are always flatter and broader than conventional saddles. The saddle has an upright pommel on the top, round which the rider's offside leg is hooked, and a leaping pommel underneath to support the nearside leg. Due to their broad, flat shape, side saddles need a sturdy support rather than the narrow bars sometimes used for conventional saddles.

Things You'll Need

  • 5 1-inch by 12-inch boards, 36 inches long
  • 2 1-inch by 6-inch boards, 36 inches long
  • Clamp
  • Screws
  • Hammer
  • Nails
  • Pencil
  • Tape Measure
  • Saw
  • Drill
  • Screwdriver
  • Safety goggles
  • Power source
  • Cotton wadding
  • Tacks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take two of the 1-inch by 12-inch by 36-inch boards and clamp them together. Measure the middle of the short side and make a faint pencil mark. Measure out 2 ¾ inches from this middle mark on either side, and make two firm pencil crosses. Bring the tape measure to the corner of the board and measure and mark a cross 6 inches down each long side. Join up the crosses with a pencil line, and cut along it.

    • 2

      Measure, mark and cut one of the remaining 1-inch by 12-inch by 36-inch boards in half lengthways to make the base boards. Clamp one of the pointed end boards to hold it in place, and hold the base boards up to the side at right angles. Mark the position of the drill hole with a cross. Repeat for the other end. Clamp both base boards together and drill through the crosses.

    • 3

      Screw the base boards to both end boards. Take the remaining two 1-inch by 12-inch by 36-inch boards and nail one to either side of the end boards. The boards should meet in the middle and overhang on the outside, like a house roof.

    • 4

      Nail the remaining 6-inch boards on either side of the stand, halfway between the edge of the top board and the base board. This will give the structure rigidity.

    • 5

      Tack cotton wadding over the top of the stand. This will prevent the underside of your saddle from being scuffed.