Identification of a primitive saddle

[mbnaegle]

This is one from my Dad's collection. He always called it a "squaw" saddle (no offense to native Americans meant), though I don't know if that's the proper name. I'm not sure where he picked it up but it's old. He had a knack for collecting old western and ag paraphernalia mainly from the American southwest and rural west coast, and he also was around a lot of it during his years doing props and special effects in Hollywood, as he would buy or was given authentic artifacts to study or duplicate for film, and this could be one of those pieces.

 

It appears to be a wood tree, wrapped in rawhide, and then wrapped in leather, with brass dome tacks added for embellishment. They also likely add some wear resistance on the edges. The rigging straps are held on with screws, but I think they are a later repair. The brass tacks seem advanced for a natives saddle?

I'd be interested if anyone recognizes what culture, area, time frame, etc. this saddle is from. I have no intention of restoring or selling it. Periodically it comes down for a cleaning and soaping, bit otherwise it stays on the wall.

[TonyV]

I can see how the front arch of the saddle might be used as a handhold by a passenger, while the horse is being led by someone else, a workaround for someone that doesnt know how to ride a horse. 

[BlackDragon]

I put the saddle into Grok. The information from AI can be suspect but you'll have to do more research to determine if what Grok put out is reliable.

This is Grok's result;

Based on the photos you shared, this appears to be a Plains Indian woman's saddle from the 19th century, commonly referred to historically as a "squaw saddle" (though that term is now considered outdated and derogatory toward Native American women). A more accurate and respectful name is "prairie chicken snare saddle," named after the shape of the high pommel, which resembles snares used for catching prairie chickens. These saddles were used by tribes like the Blackfoot, Sioux (Lakota), Piegan, Nez Perce, and Crow in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions.

### Key Features Matching Your Item
- **Structure**: It's a frame saddle with wooden sidebars (bars) covered in rawhide or leather. The high pommel (front) and cantle (back) are typically made from bent elk or deer antler (softened in water and shaped), forming an arched, U-shaped loop with an open hole at the top. This design provided stability for riders and allowed for securing loads when used as a packsaddle.
- **Decorations**: Yours has brass tacks or studs along the edges, which were a common embellishment on Native American gear from the period, often traded from Europeans. While basic versions were undecorated, variations included tacks, beads, or quillwork for aesthetic or status purposes.
- **Stirrups and Straps**: The attached leather-covered wooden stirrups and rigging straps (for cinching to the horse) are typical. The overall worn, aged leather suggests heavy use and antiquity.
- **Size and Use**: These were lightweight (around 20-25 inches long), all-purpose saddles for women, children, or older men. They doubled as riding saddles for long journeys and packsaddles for hauling buffalo meat, camp gear, or attaching to a travois (a drag sled). They were quick and inexpensive to make compared to pad or full wood saddles.

These saddles became widespread in the mid- to late 1800s during the buffalo hunting era but fell out of common use after 1850-1870 as tribes adopted more Western-style saddles. Women in these cultures were often the saddle makers, using local materials like antler, cottonwood, and buffalo rawhide stuffed with grass or hair for padding.

If this is authentic (which it looks to be from the craftsmanship and patina), it could have collectible value—similar examples from Crow or Blackfoot origins have sold at auction for $1,000-$5,000 or more, depending on condition and provenance. I'd recommend consulting a Native American artifacts expert or museum (like the Museum of the Plains Indian) for authentication, as reproductions exist.

For visual comparison, here are some examples of similar saddles:

[mbnaegle]

Thanks for the insight.

Yep that's about what I found when looking for other examples of squaw saddles. Same concept, only this one appears to be more geometrically square and the cantle and swells seem to be slightly more "western" in nature. The brass tacks seem to be unusual, but it would make sense that they were traded for.

I wonder what the stirrups would have looked like? I imagine they would be similar concept to western saddle stirrups with the straps wrapping around the sides of the tree, only being exposed instead of under a leather seat (I imagine some kind of loose blanket padding was used between the saddle and the rider?).

[BlackDragon]

An image I found does show a possible stirrup. It's pretty basic, made out of wood and covered with leather, much like the saddle.

[mbnaegle]

I'm going to do some digging and see if we have a set of oxbow stirrups in our collection that fit with this saddle. If so, I'll make a pair of simple stirup leathers to hang them (not permanent of course, but I'll try to color match them to the rest of the leather). I'm thinking about moving this saddle from the shelf it's been on to a saddle stand, as that would allow the rigging straps to hang more naturally. My mom has a few Navajo blankets/rugs that need to get out of her closet that I think one would fit in with the display as a saddle blanket.

[BlackDragon]

Just be aware of how you restore/conserve the saddle. There is a difference in the two and you can ruin an antique saddle if not done correctly.

[mbnaegle]

I found a very similar saddle, referred to as a "Navajo Mens Saddle". Same basic shape and construction and same brass tacks. Sounds like Navajo blankets would be a perfect fit.

Link

[mbnaegle]

4 minutes ago, BlackDragon said:

Just be aware of how you restore/conserve the saddle. There is a difference in the two and you can ruin an antique saddle if not done correctly.

I 100% agree. The only conservation I'm doing with this one is periodically (5-10 years apart?) cleaning conditioning the leather (no neats-foot oil). I've used generic saddle soap before, as well as a product called Victoria Cream that works well hydrating and sealing antique leathers. One of the rigging rings is missing and appears that it was cut or torn from the leather. If I can find one of the same diameter and similar patina, I plan to tie it in place with some string, but the original leather would remain modified.

[mbnaegle]

Here's another Navajo saddle. The stirups don't look correct (who knows, they could have been traded for?), but the stirrup straps and cinch look original. This one appears to have skirts as well.