I have butchered a couple of recent saddles. I do NOT recommend this, but these had been picked up with damaged side skirts for only a few dollars each, and I thought I would put them to a field test. Below is a hacked Brooks B-17 narrow. This one was definitely the most damaged, and was torn up to the "ridge" line near the top on one side.

It now has 700 miles of riding on it, and shows no signs of subsequent damage. It is actually quite comfortable, in spite of the painfully severe look, simply because the suspension points have created almost a "hammock" effect. You can think of it as basically a leather strap between the nose and the rear section - and the rear part supports most of the weight, anyway. _ Again, I would not do this with a perfectly good saddle, and I'm certain this treatment will shorten the useful life of any saddle.

Naturally, as they say... "Your mileage may vary..."