In the year 2000, the idea of using cable rigging in our saddles seemed pretty radical to us. Bob Wattus, our saddle treemaker was very keen to give it a try following his contact with Mark Howes, and kept bugging (sorry) encouraging us to give it a try! The idea certainly had appeal. Could it help us solve the problem of positioning the fixed rigging dees especially for horses with girth galling problems?

We “tested the water” for a time, encouraging our customers to give us feedback on the cable, and the response was very positive. We have made some modifications over the years, finding that the cable protected with a good coating of PVC is ideal for our stock saddles which mostly receive a fairly tough workout. Having made over 800 saddles with cable rigging during the last 10 years we are 100% sold on the innovation. More than 9 out of 10 of Kent Saddlery’s personal saddle buyers now choose cable rigging and we have many testimonials from satisfied customers giving the cable rigging a big wrap.

Our association with Bob and Robyn Wattus and their team of workers at Maclean, North NSW goes back to the late 90’s. The Cable rigging, along with the carbon composite tree, are all evidence of Bob’s desire to keep up with the latest developments in tree making. We appreciate his interest, enthusiasm and skill in manufacturing the saddle trees which are the foundation of our custom made saddles.