Mcclellan Saddle Identification

[eroider]

Hi,

I signed up for the forum to try and find some information on an old saddle that I found in an old barn belonging to my step grandfather's family. I'm not a leatherworker, but have two daughters that ride English and I definitely appreciate the craft. My two girls are eager to clean the old saddle, but I'm hesitant to do anything to it until we are able to identify it. So pointers on cleaning and potential restoration as well as identification would definitely be appreciated.

I believe that the saddle is a McClellan and I would think it is from the 1900s. However, after searching online, I can't seem to pinpoint the age of the saddle. I've uploaded a few pictures of the saddle. Does anyone here have any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Emy

Edited April 22, 2014 by eroider

[Treed]

I am having a tough time telling anything from the pictures, they are too small. What little I can see I think it is one that was done by a saddle maker for private sale and not done by the military. Need larger pictures to be able to tell anything.

Bobby

[eroider]

Bobby,

Thanks for looking and commenting! I compressed the photos when I emailed them from my phone. I will see if I can get better pictures. Maybe this evening before I can though.

[oltoot]

I don't see the evidence of the private hand. Saddles (and everything else) were kept by the quartermaster and when a change in specs was approved by the responsible board, existing stock was modified either by army saddlers or by contract to meet new standards and thus some 'hybrid' looking things are out there. In addition, large numbers were shipped from surplus to South American armies and then found their way back to the US by various means so it can be quite hard to peg one exactly. All that said, this one, indeed does look like one of the 1900's vintage, probably 1917. It really looks to be in decent shape, considering. First, with cardboard or plywood or something rig a place where you can set it and have it return to shape, take it completely apart or as far as you can get it then with something like Lexol ph or something high in Glycerin start the attack on the ravages of time. Whatever you use the parts should end up clean and damp enough to be pliable. Then arrange them to dry on whatever you have prepared, reshaping things that have curled or twisted. You probably should plan on replacing stirrup leathers and the rigging straps unless you can bring them back to life and trust them to serve their purpose.