Saddle trees comes in a range of materials such as fiberglass, wood and rawhide. A rawhide saddle tree is basically a western saddle tree covered in rawhide leather. Rawhide saddle trees are a premium product for high-end western saddles. When done by hand and not artificialy dried it stays tight and doesn't warp. The rawhide covers the tree with carefully hand stitches close together and nailed around the gullet and cantle. This process and strategy has been around for years, as seen in the antique rawhide covered saddle tree below. This type of tree will usually outlive both yourself and your horse. Not all saddle makers are still providing this extra care to the saddle trees because of the increasing cost of materials and customers wanting cheaper saddles.
