SELLERIE ALTAÏ
Two countries, one workshop
I am Thomas Pflieger, a trail rider, saddler and saddle-tree maker. Saddlery brings together my experience with horses, woodworking, leatherwork and our life in Mongolia with Zulaa.
We met seven years ago. In 2024 we married and our daughter Nomun-Gerel was born. Today, Altaï saddles are developed and made in Mongolia.
Horses, travel and the craft
I have ridden since childhood. At thirteen, a saddle that injured my mare’s withers led me to explore how a saddle is built and how it rests on a horse’s back.
I qualified with a French CAP in saddlery in 1998 and have worked as a saddler and saddle-tree maker since 2006. I worked in Ariège, including with saddlers JMS and Dominique Giraud. With Galop 7 riding qualifications and an equestrian tourism guide qualification, I also spent several years working in racehorse training.
Some of my trail journeys lasted several months, including a five-month self-sufficient journey with two mules. This experience informs the design of my saddles and pack saddles.
Becoming a saddle-tree maker
I learned woodworking from Pierre Barthe, a joiner and cabinetmaker who shared an essential part of his craft with me. Since then, I have developed custom laminated wood and flax composite trees alongside my leatherwork.
Explore Boisflex-Lin saddle trees ↗A new home and place to make saddles
After a stroke in 2016, I took a step back and went to discover Mongolia, its horses and equestrian traditions. I returned regularly before building a life there with Zulaa and our daughter.
The winter of 2024, marked by a devastating dzud for herding families, gave our project a more concrete direction: develop saddlery in Mongolia and seek better uses for hides from local livestock.
