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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kweden,

Hi Kweden,
ever heard of "whang leather"? It is used only for parts of western saddles that must be used to work from. Normally, the saddle is fitted, and hand made for the cmfore of both the horse and the rider.
Since it is a leather that is very stiff and hard, it never looses its shape through the decardes.

I worked off and on as a saddlemaker for a friend of mine who would get sick,yet still need to produce result: saddles.

Saddles are built from the carved wooden base, as the shape is changed in subtle manners to fit rider and horse.

Most of these saddles require a solid, strong piece of leather as sort of a center fold for the carved area to build from. Thats whang leather.

When I worked at building a saddle, I had to be doubly careful, as I become impatient and do things too fast, wrongly at that. Then my friend would pay the price in humiliation.

I built the last saddle after I had become an instructor here at quantum touch. I went about the business of building it, only to run into the same impatience with the whang leather! All my training, and I am impatient! Frustrating!

AHA! QT! I placed the whang leather over the carved portion of the seat, hanging over the sides as I should. I could not pound, push, glue or threaten the thing into place, soI shot it full of QT!

The leather promptly fell into place like the best piece of silk in the world!

My friends rep was saved, and he has entered the saddle in the Indian Show and Powwow, an art show that is held same time as the National Stock Show here in Denver.

He fully expects to win.

So, you are not the only one with a definite awarenes that leather has a mind and life of its own.

zeneagle

Great story Zen! It just goes to show that running energy into leather is appropriate in some circumstances.

Kweden,
I find that a belt of any type...leather, cloth..whatever, will sometimes impede the flow of energy up my body. For me it has to do with the sensation, and inability to get full movement in the torso when I breathe. Just something to keep in mind. Try wearing something with just a loose elastic waistband, and see if it makes a difference.