Saddle Identification, Restoration & Repair
Questions and Answers for restoring and repairing saddles and tack, routine maintenance expected and help with the care of antiques or special saddles. Can't identify the maker's mark? Post it here. Interested in the history of your saddle? Ask.
690 topics in this forum
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I have a great old 15" Denver Dry Goods cowboy turtles association contest saddle with horn. It is marked with the turtles association logo as well as the "Denver Dry Goods" stamp (all original). Does anyone know whether or not Denver Dry Goods actually had a working shop where they made theyre own leather goods or were these items made by other companies and just marketed by Denver Dry Goods under the Denver Dry Goods name? The reason I ask is that this saddle looks exactly like a Hamley association saddle and is definately a higher quality made saddle. I have not had this saddle apart for restoration and I was just wondering if Hamley & Co might have produced saddle…
Last reply by bruce johnson, -
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We stopped into a small, rural museum close to Grande Prairie, Alberta during our couple of days away. Our very spry 84 year old tour guide happily showed us around. He also showed us a saddle that had been donated only the day before, with the history that it was probably built in the 1890's. It has had some hard wear over the years and is now a victim of severe neglect, not to mention a very crude modification as what where probably square skirts were cut off to make rounded skirts. However, the maker's mark, which appeared on the seat and the back corner of both skirts was quite clear: A.B. Duke, Chinook Mont. In my extremely limited internet search ability, …
Last reply by Rod and Denise Nikkel, -
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We would be interested in getting a copy of this classic. Anyone got any information on one?
Last reply by Rod and Denise Nikkel, -
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I recently restored my great grandfather's saddle back to as close to original as possible. My great grandfather fed a lot of cattle in southeast South Dakota, and bought feeders from Montana. They would load them at Miles City and ship them. When fed out, he sold them at the terminal markets, usually Chicago. In the early 30s he asked that they send a ranch horse with a load of cattle. The horse came off the train saddled with this Duhamel. The horse was always pretty broncy, and the joke was either the cowboy was glad to lose the horse, or sad to lose the saddle. This saddle has been handed down, and my son made the 5th generation to use it at some point. Duhamel…
Last reply by pella, -
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Ok, first off I know nothing about saddles. I do small leather craft items and some holsters. I have been contacted by a person to replace the fenders on his wifes saddle. The patterns she wants on them is straight forward. However I do have a few questions: 1-Are there any rules for the construction of the fenders? 2-Do they need to be lined or covered? 3-What weight leather to use? 4-What is the best finish to use? any other advice you experts want to share will be greatly appreciated. Regg
Last reply by Regg, -
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im restoring a saddle at the moment and it has wool felt instead of sheep skin was this comon and is it done today on modern western saddles?
Last reply by Go2Tex, -
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A friend of mine is off to Pony Club Rally in a week and a half and needs a quick repair job on her saddle. Unfortunately there are no professionals around here that can get it done by the time she needs it. So, since I've been messing around with leatherwork for the last year and a half, I was elected. (I did warn her that I have no idea what I'm doing and am more likely to mess it up than fix it properly, but she said as long as it was serviceable and Pony Club approved she didn't care what it looked like. The only reason she wants anything done about it in the first place is that the Horse Management judges at Rally Camp told her it was a potential "safety hazard,"…
Last reply by chocolateducttape, -
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As some who know me form other lists are aware, I have an appreciation for the past. I picked up this little cutie last winter, and have some impressions on it, but nothing concrete. The "provenance trail" is cold. I would appreciate any advice on who might have made it, there is no maker's mark to be found. The tooling pattern was not uncommon although many suggest Porters. I have another Porters saddle, but it is maker stamped about everywhere you could stamp one. The front ring riggings hung off the skirts were a Porter deal for a while, but most did not have the small rear dee. Could have been, but that was common for some of the San Francisco shops in the 30s and 40s…
Last reply by Art, -
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I have an older A Fork saddle and it has a simple design on the fenders and the seat,kind of like a gourd or something. Just a single ,tooled piece. It kind of gives the impression of a Mexican flavor. I will have to get a picture and post it. But I was wondering if anyone knows how to find this kind of information, the maker. I have looked it over and can not find any hints as to who made it.Thanks Stephanie
Last reply by fleabitpokey, -
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Reproduction of the Early Medieval Knight's Saddle by Sir Armand de Sevigny This well explained and illustrated article is very complete, and tells some history of saddles, their uses and their modifications over the years. Johanna
Last reply by Hoyden,
