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Shirley Brown Saddlery

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How are you guys do'n? I just tripped on a rock and found this website, looks very informational and helpfull, looks like you guys really know whats going on.. Anyways, I was looking for some background information on Shirley Brown saddles from San Antonio because an old cowboy gave it to me, its a wade style roping saddle and I haven't really heard much about them, another favor I would like to ask from you is on leather care. Now, this old cowboy was literally an oldschool cowboy, he's blind and can't ride anymore and left all his tack and saddles in a tin shed. The leather is dry as hell and stiffer then a corn cob. I've been dosing it with neatsfoot oil and working it back and forth with my hands to loosen up the leather, is that the best method? what else could I do to rejuvinate the leather? Alright well I lied, I thought of another question.. the saddle was on a 2x4 when I found it and it made the skirt real narrow, I don't think the tree was harmed, and I would like to round it back out, whats the best way to go about reshaping it?

I know these have probably been asked in the past but cut me some slack please ;)

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Sometimes with very old and neglected leather there just is not much that can be done to bring it back to life. Be careful of how much neatsfoot oil you use. First clean the leather very well with your favorite leather care product. I use lexol cleaner. Scrub lightly to get all the dirt out of the cracks and the tooling if there is any. If the skirts or jockies are turned up or out of shape they can be reblocked. The best thing to do is to take the skirts and jockies off during the cleaning process. Clean very well and soak them well with clean water. While they are still wet place them on a hard surface like a concret floor, cover with a piece of plywood and place weights on them to flatten them back to the shape you want. I have been known to use grain sacks full of grain as weights. Leave them for several days or until they retian the shape you disire.

Now to try and bring the leather back to life. Let it dry completly at room temp. Do not place in front of a heater or anything like that. You don't want it to dry too quickly. I would get some exta virgin olive oil and start giving it several light coats of the olive oil over a period of several days. I would not soak it with oil. You will just have an old piece of leather with lots of oil on it. Give it time to soak up the oil over a period of time. It is best to do this with the saddle torn down so as to get to all the parts and places.

I have had these old saddles brought to me with several years of bird droppings covering them along with dust from a barn and everything else you can imagine. In these cases I have been know to take them to the car wash for the initial cleaning. Be careful not to use the high pressure wash up close with no soap or engine degreaser!

After several days of light oiling you will be able to tell if the leather is going to come back or not. When you are satisfied that the leahter has taken enough oil I would give it a couple coats of lexol leather conditioner. Be sure to give a final top coat of finish of your choise to protect it.. I would use Tan Kote or something simular.

I am sure others have a different oponion but this has worked for me in the past.

Randy

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What Randy said was right on,but I like to use is a glycerin base saddle soap like Farnam Leather New or Leather Therapy wash and conditoner , which I just tried and it works great.also if you press the skirts, I use two pieces of ply wood with c clamps and block the skirts back to the tree. I'm not a fan of a top coat I prefer pure neatsfoot and bees wax.It takes about three or four weeks of treatments of saddle soap to get leather back to normal.

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I think I can help with the background a little.

Shirley Brown Saddlery, San Antonio, Tx. 1945 - 1973 when sold to Leonard Galvin. He used the Brown name until 1979 then changed the name to Leonard Galvin Saddlery. He is still in business today.

Hope this helps.

Casey

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I'm riding a saddle that I bought from Leonard Galvin in 1982. It was built by Jay Nordley who was working there at the time. I would love to have a contact phone number or email address for Leonard or Jay if anyone has one.

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I'm riding a saddle that I bought from Leonard Galvin in 1982. It was built by Jay Nordley who was working there at the time. I would love to have a contact phone number or email address for Leonard or Jay if anyone has one.

Hey Richard... Jay Nordley here... I have a membership as well and you can email me jays_saddles at hotmail dot com. Sorry to share that Leonard has passed away... He was a great man... and hey you are making me feel old myself with that dating of my saddle! Contact me soon.

Adios,

Jay Nordley

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Hey Richard... Jay Nordley here... I have a membership as well and you can email me jays_saddles at hotmail dot com. Sorry to share that Leonard has passed away... He was a great man... and hey you are making me feel old myself with that dating of my saddle! Contact me soon.

Adios,

Jay Nordley

Hi Jay:

I'm on the verge of buying a Shirley Brown saddle.

Is there a way to find out when it was built and who built it?

Maybe you?

Thanks

Jean

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Hi Jay,

I guess you are the man of the hour! I've inherited a beautiful pleasure saddle built by Leonard while still under the Shirley Brown Saddlery name. Unfortunately it just sits on my saddle rack being beautiful as I don't ride western pleasure...its comfy for a trail ride but I am considering selling it and would love to know some background on Leonard's saddles and get an idea of what this saddle is worth. I've done a lot of research online to no avail. I believe that this saddle was custom made for my husband's aunt and that she is a millionaire who, at the time, spared no expense for her horses. I'd hate to sell this saddle for less than its really worth.

Thanks,

Natalie

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Hi Jay,

I guess you are the man of the hour! I've inherited a beautiful pleasure saddle built by Leonard while still under the Shirley Brown Saddlery name. Unfortunately it just sits on my saddle rack being beautiful as I don't ride western pleasure...its comfy for a trail ride but I am considering selling it and would love to know some background on Leonard's saddles and get an idea of what this saddle is worth. I've done a lot of research online to no avail. I believe that this saddle was custom made for my husband's aunt and that she is a millionaire who, at the time, spared no expense for her horses. I'd hate to sell this saddle for less than its really worth.

Thanks,

Natalie

Hi, Was wondering if you found a value, for your saddle? I also have a shirley brown saddle. I would like to sell...and I am having, the same problem....I live in montana....And, nobody even seems to know, what a shirley brown saddle is...... other, than it is a well built saddle.any help would be appreciated....thanks, Jacquie

Edited by Denise

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I have a shirley brown sadddle that was built somewhere around 1964. wondering who the maker was and wanting to know a little more about the shirley brown saddlery

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hi there...just purchased a Shirley Brown saddle...with the name of a horse...Rulaam...engraved...hoping that someone can tell me who he was...and the horse...thanks

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Just an additional note on refurbishing that saddle. I do every thing the same way as Randy with one caveat. I take the extra virgin oil and mix it with pure neatsfoot about 1:1. Then I heat it up,and; apply with a piece of scrap sheep skin. It seams to absorb into the leather better. Hop that helps.

Bob

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A dear family friend, Dan C. "Sonny" Mayfield could have made the saddles.  

While attending Harlandale High School he participated in their vocational program, he was employed by Shirley Brown's Corral Shop, located in the Joske's downtown store. There he learned the art and craft of custom saddlery. A renowned custom saddle maker he produced all the trophy saddles for the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo from 1950 to 1977, when he left The Corral Shop and became self-employed. His saddles could be spotted in movies, the tack rooms of many south Texas ranches and professional cowboys.

Here's a clip from his obituary in 2018 in San Antonio:   

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