I have personally examined the saddle and the workmanship is excellent. Shae has been very happy with it and rides in it a lot. I believe her husband also has one from the same manufacturer. His is also well done and holding up great.

She told me she had no problems with the gentleman who made her saddle but that his price has climbed considerably since he made hers. She paid about $800 several years ago, I was quoted approximately $1300 about six months ago by American Military Saddle.

Brenna

--------------------

Thad comes from a background of making McClellan saddles and other 19th century saddle types. He explained to me that for his medieval saddles, he uses western style bars from a saddle tree company, then builds the pommel and cantle and fabricates the leather work. I believe he uses modern hardware and fittings also, though I think he has special brass stirrups made.

Having studied many extant saddles and being intimately aquainted with how later medieval saddles were built (I've built a 15th century war saddle which can be viewed on my website), it is my opinion that Thad is not familiar enough with medieval saddle construction and styling to be able to build a true reproduction saddle. He can make a saddle that will give you the general "look" of a generic high front and back saddle that is evocative, but they are not constructed and are not styled like the medieval examples I have examined.

I have no knowledge of his business practices, having never dealt with him as a customer. I also have no knowledge of how well he fits the saddle to the horse. I do know that the 'black saddle' mentioned is extremely heavy (I carried it to the stable once), even heavier than my steel clad war saddle, and the leather work is done in what I consider to be a modern fashion, not utilizing the medieval leather work techniques I have researched and am familiar with.

--------------------