In the preparation of taking apart a saddle, Skip removes the strings first; if they are rotten or falling apart, needing to be replaced, he will cut them off. The rear jockeys are next to be removed, and then the saddle skirts come off. Once the skirts are removed, the old fleece is removed.
He takes his time here as the skirt leather needs to be treated with care so they can be used again. He will then remove all the threading so the stitching will lay correctly when resewn. Removing all previous stitching is required because of how much dirt is held in the threading. Removing the stitching is one of the most time-consuming parts of a saddle re-fleecing job. If done right, you will have a better outcome.
Before re-fleecing, Skip will take every part of the saddle to give it a good cleaning because dirt can ruin a sewing machine very quickly. Once the saddle is thoroughly cleaned, he checks all the parts of the saddle to make sure he is aware of what leather needs to be replaced.
Around this time in the process, new strings are measured and cut for the saddle. They are then placed in saddle soap and fitted to the skirts. After the strings have been placed, he glues the new shearling on the skirts and sews them on.
Skip always makes sure to set his machine to sew in the same holes that were used when the saddle was originally made. Doing this helps to ensure proper alignment of the skirts.
Once the skirts are sewn on properly, he trims the fleece with scissors and makes it align with the skirt leather. After the skirts are done, he measures and braids a new string that connects the skirts together in the back.