Diane C. Myers, Professional Pad Maker.
My youth was spent in Ranching off the Coastal Range of Monterey County, California. My passions in my younger days were rooted in the horse and cattle industries, and I was influenced by Californio Horsemanship Traditions. As a young adult and mother of four, my appreciation grew for custom horse gear and western art. Through the years I have carved leather and built chaps, consider myself an intermediate silversmith, hitched horsehair, and developed my skills as a professional pad maker. Contemporary Western Art shows are truly a Gathering of those on the same mission ~ true "Aficionados" of handmade tack and art. While participating at these shows, I met Gear Makers of all walks of life, true artists and craftsmen in their areas of expertise! I challenge anyone to hold a quality handmade piece of tack and see if it doesn't reflect positive energy!
Quality, custom made western tack will never go out of style! Leather, ferrous metals, silver, wool are just some of the natural and traditional resources used in manufacturing superior tack! Pulled Wool Saddle Pads are my contribution intended to add balance in the "horse to human" experience and a champion for positive end results! Custom tack combines artistic labor and practical application into a lasting combination of both function and art.
One advantage I offer as a Pad Maker is I have ridden these pads extensively. I approach the production of each pad as: utilitarian, meaning functionality and practicality takes precedence over aesthetics; the usefulness of each pad IS its beauty. Bigger, or thicker is not always better and (in my opinion) thickness plays a major factor. Bigger too often interferes with the girth cinch and cinch ring causing unnecessary wear. Thinness rather than thickness is vital! New, these pads are 1.5 inches thick and quickly compresses to about half that within the initial ride or two. My pads are known for being less bulky, more compressed for better contact, and being "feely and supple." If the saddle is of good craftsmanship, the pad offers excellent contact. The rider should be able to experience both structural and muscular movements of the horse.
Cared for properly, these pads can last decades! Clean backs are just the beginning of good pad care.
Pulled Wool Saddle Pad production takes place in my home in Southeast Idaho, near the rural town of McCammon. In addition to being a professional pad maker, I raise and train a particular strain of Working Kelpies, and I enjoy a silver shop to rattle around in!
Custom orders including size specifications are welcomed! Size and weight vary pending customer needs. Message or call me so we can discuss your vision! Hire me to be your custom saddle pad maker! Let's work together creating lasting horse gear! Pricing for pads: .45/sq. inch, brands additional charge. Additional shipping costs are applicable. Deposits secure pad production order and are non-refundable.
My philosophy: "Take a natural resource and challenge its artistic potential." Yes, even with wool!
The one-of-a-kind production process is: One pad at a time - one customer at a time.
My youth was spent in Ranching off the Coastal Range of Monterey County, California. My passions in my younger days were rooted in the horse and cattle industries, and I was influenced by Californio Horsemanship Traditions. As a young adult and mother of four, my appreciation grew for custom horse gear and western art. Through the years I have carved leather and built chaps, consider myself an intermediate silversmith, hitched horsehair, and developed my skills as a professional pad maker. Contemporary Western Art shows are truly a Gathering of those on the same mission ~ true "Aficionados" of handmade tack and art. While participating at these shows, I met Gear Makers of all walks of life, true artists and craftsmen in their areas of expertise! I challenge anyone to hold a quality handmade piece of tack and see if it doesn't reflect positive energy!
Quality, custom made western tack will never go out of style! Leather, ferrous metals, silver, wool are just some of the natural and traditional resources used in manufacturing superior tack! Pulled Wool Saddle Pads are my contribution intended to add balance in the "horse to human" experience and a champion for positive end results! Custom tack combines artistic labor and practical application into a lasting combination of both function and art.
One advantage I offer as a Pad Maker is I have ridden these pads extensively. I approach the production of each pad as: utilitarian, meaning functionality and practicality takes precedence over aesthetics; the usefulness of each pad IS its beauty. Bigger, or thicker is not always better and (in my opinion) thickness plays a major factor. Bigger too often interferes with the girth cinch and cinch ring causing unnecessary wear. Thinness rather than thickness is vital! New, these pads are 1.5 inches thick and quickly compresses to about half that within the initial ride or two. My pads are known for being less bulky, more compressed for better contact, and being "feely and supple." If the saddle is of good craftsmanship, the pad offers excellent contact. The rider should be able to experience both structural and muscular movements of the horse.
Cared for properly, these pads can last decades! Clean backs are just the beginning of good pad care.
Pulled Wool Saddle Pad production takes place in my home in Southeast Idaho, near the rural town of McCammon. In addition to being a professional pad maker, I raise and train a particular strain of Working Kelpies, and I enjoy a silver shop to rattle around in!
Custom orders including size specifications are welcomed! Size and weight vary pending customer needs. Message or call me so we can discuss your vision! Hire me to be your custom saddle pad maker! Let's work together creating lasting horse gear! Pricing for pads: .45/sq. inch, brands additional charge. Additional shipping costs are applicable. Deposits secure pad production order and are non-refundable.
My philosophy: "Take a natural resource and challenge its artistic potential." Yes, even with wool!
The one-of-a-kind production process is: One pad at a time - one customer at a time.
Age 5, rural California, 1962
|
In the day of Contemporary Western Art Shows, circa. 2006
|
Handmade from Halters to Hoof Picks
|
My Mom, Virginia Cogswell Myers Plaskett, 1942, San Lucas, California at the San Lucas - Plaskett Ranch.
pulled wool saddle pad history
Many great pad makers, both men and women, have blazed a trial before me! I learned from the wonderful and talented, Jana Lee Martin, who is no longer with us. I am deeply thankful to this day she shared her knowledge with me. She learned from Master Pad Maker, Jean Spratling, from Deeth, Nevada where she ranches with her husband and family. Jean was born and raised in the Cedarville area of Northeast California. This ranching community is where the Pulled Wool Saddle Pad found its beginnings as I am told, a little band of sheep offered income opportunities and sustained a family in challenging times. Jean is invaluable for passing on the tradition of pad makers! Originally, pads were made with the aid of a wooden frame with burlap from coal sacks secured to this frame. Coal sacks were known for excellent quality at the time and were readily available. A "shuttle" was used to push individual wool-loops through the burlap. Today, most all pads are produced on a 60/40 cotton/poly blend mesh that is treated slightly with a water-soluble starch (although I see some out of Canada still being made on burlap). Nowadays individual loops are pulled "up through" the canvas, rather than pushed "down through" from original construction. *A few years back (2010) I found one of the original pads from Cedarville in the nearby community of Bieber, California in the tack room on the Ranch of Peter Gerig. The pad was "close to 90 years old", Peter told me at the time. It was made on burlap and was in excellent condition with the exception of slight wear over the withers. What an amazing tribute to the longevity of these pads!