hjones

@tsunkasapa yeah I've been in contact with them several times about this one. Great people! They sent me the original ledger page from when it was built and who it was sold to, and I'm waiting on my certificate on it.

@chuck123wapati you're probably right. And I definitely wish this one could talk. Been hauling it around with me for years and finally got around to finding out the history. Wish I could find out how it ended up in my family all those years ago, because the original purchaser has no ties (that I know of) to my family. All I know is my grandfather rode it prior to my dad being born, he was born in 1937, so those first few years are a mystery.

Thanks for all the comments and resizing using Paint. No, won't be selling it, and won't be putting it back in service. It's staying with me since it's been in my family for so long. @MikeRock mentioned something in a PM about the pommel tips being unique. The ladies at Hamley I spoke to mentioned the same thing. I have no one in my family that is still alive to ask about it, so what are the thoughts about that from you fine folks? -HJ

Thanks for the info, I understand about links resulting in no pictures due to security permissions, site going down, etc. Yes, I have an iPhone and it takes hi resolution pictures. I tried multiple JPEG shrinking sites and software but still could not get them under 1.46mb, which given todays technology, is an incredibly small size. I even tried compressing (shrinking as it's called in the post you referenced) the already compressed pictures lol. Anyway, if I've violated rules or whatever, my apologies, just have an admin delete the post. Not being a smarta**, but as a 20+ year IT professional, I can only laugh at the 1.46mb file size, and I'm not going to dumb down my tech just for one site.

Okay, the forum does not like my pics lol. So, we'll try this, a link to the photos. https://imgur.com/a/GIQyXTw

First I want to say hello to the fine folks here. Spent a lot of time reading posts and finally signed up to inquire about my family saddle. My guess is this saddle has been in my family since the 1940s, since my grandfather, my father, and myself have all ridden it. Built in 1933 by Henry Donis at Hamley, it is number 580, also known as the "Triangle". Serial number D8, originally sold to a James E Gunzaler (or Gonzolos, Gonzales, etc.) on September 19, 1933. I haven't ridden in many years, but have kept the saddle since it is a family heirloom so to speak. It's not in great shape, hopefully I'll be able to upload the pictures. I've never inquired about saddle restoration before, so I'm not sure what to expect. So my question is, what kind of cost should I expect, and what are your opinions on restoring a saddle of this age? Leave it as is to preserve the history, showing the wear and use, or restore and have as a show piece? So I see there is a very small size limit to attachments here on the forum. Maybe I can just reply to my own thread and add one picture per reply lol Thanks! Another pic