Saddlebag

The more I look at this saddle I can't help but think it was made by Big Horn saddlery. The stitching pattern very much resembles their style of seat stitching. At one time you could tell the maker by the stitching pattern when padded seats came in to vogue.

Is anyone making carbon or graphite trees, that super lightweight material fishing rods and other things are made of?

These saddles were sold in the early mail-order catalogs. This looks like an old Bona Allen who did serve the catalog trade. The number is likely a reference number for reordering. Dang, I can't recall the mail order BA sold to, it might have been Sears-Roebuck.

From the early saddle making days, there were shops all over the place as saddle makers tried to keep up with the demand. Times changes, stock markets plummet, dirty 30's and two or three shops would combine and run under one name, often with a non saddle maker at the helm. Over numerous years more companies bo't up others and because of this it can pose a fair problem trying to figure out who made what and when.

I just found this. Hope it helps. Founded in 1901, Riley & McCormick was providing Calgary Alberta district residents with the finest of harness, saddles and Western wear before the province of Alberta was incorporated in 1905. Riley & McCormick has been present at every Calgary Stampede since 1912. Not just interested in supplying equipment for the animals at "The Greatest Show on Earth", Eneas McCormick was one of those concerned enough to be a founder of the Cowboy Protective Association for the financial benefit of injured rodeo competitors. History has passed by the doors of Riley & McCormick stores - pioneer missionary Father Lacombe for supplies for his orphanage; military saddles ordered for the Russian Cavalry in W.W.I; Edward, Prince of Wales, to equip his huge EP ranch; decades of entries in the Calgary Stampede Parade, a presentation cowboy outfit for Prince Charles - all part of Western Canadian pioneering and pride in Canada. The grandchildren of Eneas McCormick still continue to provide traditional expertise and high quality goods and services. Riley & McCormick is a part of Calgary, part of the Canadian West - Calgary´s Original Western Store since 1901.

In Calgary's early history many saddlemakers were in the employ of various retailers and at one time there were half a dozen stores producing their own saddles. I'm not sure at what point Riley & McCormick came into being. If either Riley or McCormick had been a saddlemaker, that is info I don't have altho the partners must have been skillful business men.

I borrowed this from Wiki Dubbin is a wax product used to soften, condition and waterproof leather and other materials. It consists of natural wax, oil and tallow.It is different from shoe polish, which is used to impart shine and colour to leather. Dubbin has been used since medieval times to waterproof and soften leather boots.The name dubbin is a contraction of the gerund dubbing, describing the action of applying the wax to leather. It comes in a round metal tin. Days within my applying Dubbin to the saddle we were caught in a sudden heavy downpour. The gal riding behind me laughed at how the water beaded off my saddle. By the time we got back her saddle had soaked up a lot of water.

Do let us knowhow it ultimately turns out. Any b & a pics?

For two years I worked in the repair and restoration of library materials which included very old leather bindings and this is where I received the advice about veg. oil. Have you ever used Dubbin on your used saddles?

I was advised to not use veg. oil and it goes rancid and becomes attractive to mice.

There was a brief period whereby the cantle flare was larger but not particularly popular. It's just the leather that was done like that, like the cheyenne roll, not the tree.

Nothing up under the fender on the skirt? It would be on the near side if it's there.

Clean enough saddles and there are all sorts of customer pleasing tricks to be learned. Having cleaned I don't know how many, lost count after a hundred, I have learned a few and get repeat customers or customer referrals.

I'm surprisef a new high end saddle should need anything done to it other than cleaning the backside of sweated flaps. It used to be that the leather panels were to touch the horse's back without a cloth and the sweat would help mold the fit to the horse.

He might try casing the leather, ie throwing it in the sink and watching the bubbles appear. As they slow down throw it in a plastic bag and refrigerate overnight. The next day or few days, remove it and wet the hand and work white saddle soap into the rawhide while it's still damp and work it in well.

The horn style is called Pelican. I have a Simco from about this era with the Pelican horse and it is one tough saddle. It has the same brass rigging both up front and for the belly band. The name Simco (not the later version with the horse head) was written on the keeper which has now vanished. The stock number is almost gone but it does bear the daisy imprint on the horn. You saddle may be a little older than mine going by the cantle style which was called elephant ear.

That is a good mountain saddle. The rear rigging needed on a belly band. It was designed for roping.

Usually the sticky surface is caused by too much oiling. You might want to wait until after you've deglazed the leather to decide what to do.

Try placing a piece of paper on the leather and lightly scribble back and forth with a soft pencil. Sometimes the imprint will come thro.

Kenways also had a warehouse where saddles were made on I think 12 Ave SW in Calgary. I was in there several times and was given the grand tour. The foreman told me they bo't the rights to use the TexTan patterns so the ones bearing the Kenway name and TexTan logo were made in Calgary. The store was close to the Stampede grounds. I purchased a roping saddle there, a handsome saddle that was my pride and joy for years.

Unfortumately with many of the older saddles, saddles with minor flaws wouldn't bear the maker's name and gave the retailers a deal. The retailers would have their name stamped into the leather. I'm wondering about Colorado Saddlery making this saddle.

Factory saddle, this style started in mid to late 50's and it remains popular today.

I beg to differ. This is a quality saddle with a rawhide wrapped tree. I own an identical one in roughout and these are quality thro and thro, better than a lot of today's saddles. To buy a saddle of this quality today, new, would cost $2500+. But, this quality is scarce because the leather was cut from older cattle and is of a good thickness. Nowadays an animal barely makes it to 2 yrs and it's hides are thinner. Why do you think the manufacturers talk about butter soft leather. The fleece is real sheepskin.

Riley & McCormick was and may still be the name of a store in Calgary, Alberta. I don't know if they had any saddlemakers in their employ at the time or brought everything in from the US. The saddle appears to be machine stamped. If you look at the tooling on the swells it is not as distinct as the skirts. I can't help you with value. These older saddles often fit narrow built horses. A saddle of this design was good for riding in the mountains, which aren't far from Calgary.

No can do. Mine is long with a small pin in each end to fit in a separate cast iron winder. I wind up pulling yards of thread from the spool then by wearing a leather glove I can create tension on the thread and help it wind the length of the bobbin. That may not be the correct name. It then slips into a shuttle.I've been trying to figure out how to load a pic or two.