How to Make a Bucking Roll

Bucking rolls are essential for protecting the legs and lower body of the rider. Originally, a bucking roll was just a blanket or pad tied to the saddle horn. Sometimes the riders would simply cut off the saddle horn to avoid the problem altogether. However, for reasons of security, the modern bucking roll became a common feature of the riding saddle. These simple saddle accessories are relatively low cost and easy to install.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 yards of garment-weight leather
  • Ball point pen
  • Leather shears
  • 1 yard of leather cordedge
  • Needles for sewing leather
  • Synthetic upholstery weight thread
  • Sewing machine
  • 1 yard of thick, durable leather
  • Utility knife
  • Horsehair
  • 2 welded steel rings, 1 inch diameter
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Instructions

    • 1

      Trace out the bucking roll pattern on the underside of the garment-weight leather. With the ball point pen, draw a semicircle with a 6-inch diameter. Extend the line through the diameter, and 4 inches from either side of the straight edge of the semicircle. Draw 2-inch lines perpendicular to the 4-inch lines, and enclose the entire space with a straight, 14-inch line connecting the 2-inch lines. The pattern should look as though the semicircle is resting atop a long, thin rectangle.

    • 2

      Repeat the pattern three times on the remaining garment-weight leather and cut out all four pattern shapes with leather shears. Do not cut through the diameter of the circle; keep the pattern all in one piece.

    • 3

      Sew two of the patterns together, using the sewing machine, leather needle and synthetic thread, along the entire semicircle/rectangle top edge, inserting and sewing in a length of cordedge only with the curved part. Make sure the cordege will face cord side out when the piece is right side out. Repeat this with the other two garment-weight leather patterns and a second length of cordedge. You should now have two hollow and cord-trimmed "cups" each with 4-by-14-inch rectangle bases.

    • 4

      Cut two identical hourglass shapes into thicker leather with the utility knife. The bulbed sections must be wide enough to fit around the cups in the garment-weight leather plus another inch. Cut out the centers of the bulbed ends so the cups can sit within them, framed by a 1-inch-wide leather boarder.

    • 5

      Work the welded steel rings around one end of each hourglass so they come to rest in the center of the hourglasses, around the thinnest parts of the shapes. These will serve to attach a strap between the two bucking rolls.

    • 6

      Cut two pieces of the remaining garment-weight leather. Cut them to be 4-by-14-inch rectangles, identical to the bases of the already made cup pieces.

    • 7

      Set the two original garment-weight leather cup pieces into one bulbed end of each thick leather hourglass (cord side out). Fill the cups with as much horsehair as they can hold, so the cups are firm and can hold their shape under pressure.

    • 8

      Place the new 4-by-14-inch rectangles against the open sides of the stuffed cups to hold the horsehair in, and fold the hourglass shape in half to hold the stuffed cups and leather bottom in place. You will probably need to cut off some excess garment-weight leather to make it sit smoothly in the folded end with the metal ring.

    • 9

      Sew through the thick leather pieces to sew the two bulbs of the hourglass together with the stuffed cups held firmly in the middle. You may need to use a stronger needle and do this part by hand, depending on what your sewing machine can handle.

    • 10

      Cut away any excess garment-weight leather that is sticking out the sides of the thicker leather frame. You should now have two firm and rounded pieces sticking up from a thick leather frame that can be held up by metal rings. The bucking rolls are attached at these rings with a buckle or strap to fit a saddle.