Circle Y may have used Ralide trees back then. These are a very durable plastic but a few cracked trees that came into the shop were the result of faulty workmanship. The screw that goes into the tree at the base of the cantle was much too close to the stirrup slot. Like a screw too close to the end of a board which results in splitting. When I called the company who assembled this saddle, the costs to replace the tree was prohibitive. Yet the tree carried a life time replacement. Check to see if the cantle screws caused the problem. I'd appreciate knowing as I'm always telling folks what to look for when buying new or used.