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  Richard L. Sherer January 6, 2015 at 10:01am

  Jackie, I shipped one a couple years ago by UPS and it was $750, plus she got whacked AU$1200 import duty. The last one this December was interesting. The young woman had been training at Riata Ranch in CA and performing at rodeos during the summer. She stayed on to see the NFR in Las Vegas. A friend from Estes Park took the saddle as baggage to LV. I lent her a nylon saddle bag in case the box was too large for airlines. She wrapped the saddle bag with duck tape and got it into Australia no questions and no duty. Smart gal.
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  Jacki Bilsborrow January 5, 2015 at 10:51pm

  Congrats Scott.  Way to kick off 2015.

  Richard, how do you deliver your saddles to Australia? 
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  Connie Mettler January 5, 2015 at 12:48pm

  Good for you Richard.

  More good news: I just checked the stats for our site ArtFairCalendar.com, the site that we built so folks could find art fairs to attend -- there were nearly record visits over the weekend -- over 6000 people "looking for art fairs to attend!" Bodes well for the year ...
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  C.C. Barton January 5, 2015 at 11:33am

  Wow, that is one gorgeous saddle Richard.  Congratulations on getting a 'leg up' on 2015 : )
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  Christina L. Towell January 5, 2015 at 10:39am

  Congratulations, Scott, and yes, what Connie said...way cool.
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  Richard L. Sherer January 5, 2015 at 10:02am

  My year started off with a BOOM! The deposit for a white quilted trick saddle came in from Australia on the 1st and by the 3rd two more deposits for white quilted trick saddles came in. I had never been asked to do paisleys fr 20 years and now the first two are paisleys. One more is in the discussion stage. These are all $5K-$6K saddles and I am now booked for saddles until fall 2015. The immediate big push is to get antique saddle restorations out of the studio as some have been here for 12-18 months. The photo is of a very rare 1860's H. Messing, San Jose, CA saddle. Then I can get started on the over 200 belts and other stuff I need to restock for summer shows starting in  June. I guess that 80% of the trick saddle work comes from my posting construction photos on Facebook and word-of-mouth.  I love working on the antique saddles as they are continuing education for me. This one had beautifully executed Spanish Colonial style carving on it. It amazes me what the old makers could do with relatively primitive tools.  Most of the antique restoration work comes from my webpage and a single ad in a collectors directory.
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  Connie Mettler January 3, 2015 at 9:22pm

  Good for you, Scott. I love online sales. It's like money falling from heaven. (Also a very cool and timely image you just sold.)
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  C.C. Barton January 2, 2015 at 12:00pm

  Love it!  Way to go Scott.  As my grandfather, P.R., used to say when one of us would catch the first fish when we were bass fishing in the Ozarks..... "you got the stink off the boat!"