Saddle ID No Name Saddlle

[3arrows]

Hi, I bought this saddle a couple of days ago, it has no name on it, only a number on the latigo tab No."574". Any ideas of who might have made this oldie? Notice the padded fenders and corners of each skirt. Ive never seen that on any saddle before. Thanks for any help you might give on identifying this saddle..thanks ron

[3arrows]

Ok, had a local saddle maker look at this saddle and he said this was definitely a BigHorn saddle. He was familiar with the padded fenders and also said this saddle was their Equitation Saddle for Western Pleasure Equitation classes. Seems like the equitation model has a higher front which causes the rider to sit in a more upright position. I would have throught this was a Bona Allen saddle because of the tooling design, since I have another BA that is similar..thanks anyway ron.

[AndyKnight]

my guess...a Mexico special...........Hope you didn't pay much..

Edited March 25, 2008 by AndyKnight

[3arrows]

my guess...a Mexico special...........Hope you didn't pay much..

Need to look closer Andy, this saddle is a quality saddle and not a mex cardboard junker. The carving in this saddle is very deep and required a lot of work and skill. I rode this saddle over the weekend on another 3 hour trail ride and I have taken it off of our for sale list I like it so much. Im keeping it. It is very comfortable and easy to ride. Thanks for your less than accurate opinion...

BTW, It is a Hereford saddle made in 1971 and was their top of the line model called the "Trail Boss".......ron

[bruce johnson]

Ron,

Nothing against your saddle and how it rides, but I am with Andy. Is there a Hereford stamp on it? Hereford was a pretty well recognised maker in 1971 and would most likely have marked their name somewhere on everything they produced under their label. One thing that is not fitting with this being one of their higher end saddles is the horn hole. It is way off, and doubtful they would have let it get past quality control. I am sure they had quality tiers of saddles, much like most of the other makers of that era.

The deep carving on a lot of these saddles was not the result individual work. These were production saddles, and the patterns were applied with large embossing plates. They would go back and add the dec cuts and muelfoot stamps to call them handcarved.

[Blake]

Hello Ron

Bruce has a valid point about Tex-Tan/Hereford.

Your saddle has all of the earmarks of a copy/knockoff probably done by either Southern Saddlery or possibly Buford Saddlery. A model done for Hereford would have Hereford on the fenders whereas if done for someone else would have their name even though the saddles are identicle.

It was common practice back in that era to job out certain saddles to maintain production levels so it was not uncommon to sometimes see duplicate saddles with different makers names or no names at all. It was also common for companies to furnish materials/parts/componants to individual small or home shops to do assembly. This is still done today to certain extents. (workmans comp & employee costs promote these practices)

Unless a name is clearly stamped on a major or permanent part of the saddle then it is pretty safe to assume the above circumstances.

You are welcome to PM me off list if you would like further elaboration..

Blake

[3arrows]

Sorry, I forgot to add after my first post that the name "HereFord" was found on one of the under saddle plates under the front skirt. I didnt look there at first, but a local saddle maker found it and also said the number on the rear skirt was the model number. I'm not trying to argue the points here, I know what I dont know, and I am a rank novice. Just didnt appreciate the off hand "it must be mexican" comment, with only 3 pictures to go by. Thanks for the input, Im trying to learn as much as I can and your efforts to stear me in the right direction were appreciated as well as your professional comments. Constructive criticism is always more beneficial than diminutive babble. Thanks again for weighing in on this one... cheers ron.

[wildrose]

I had a no-name saddle of the English variety. Verlane Desgrange was gracious enough to examine detailed photos of it and give me her opinion (God rest her soul). While it can seem insulting to hear it being called an out of US thing (I think she said mine looked like it was made in India), keep in mind that people can still make quality products outside of the US. Just because you're not from the MidWest, doesn't mean you can't make a good saddle.

That said, however, there are certainly plenty of knockoffs and counterfiets, as well as cheaply made products too.

[AndyKnight]

Sorry

,Didn't mean to be offensive. may be I didn't look close enough.

I worked for the Hereford outfit in 1972-3' and it doesn't resemble what they were making when I worked for them.but I would put it from the 60 's as a guess.

"tex-tan) where I learn't how not to make saddles......"

Andy.

Edited April 2, 2008 by AndyKnight

[D.A. Kabatoff]

hey 3arrows,

before you go an misinterpret Andy's first comments, keep in mind all you posted was three photos and asked for opinions... based on that I think Andy gave you an opinion that many of us share. If you had sent the saddle to him and asked what he thought, you might have gotten a different answer... or maybe not!

Darc

[3arrows]

hey 3arrows,

before you go an misinterpret Andy's first comments, keep in mind all you posted was three photos and asked for opinions... based on that I think Andy gave you an opinion that many of us share. If you had sent the saddle to him and asked what he thought, you might have gotten a different answer... or maybe not!

Darc

Ok,ok i stand corrected with my comments.. I am a rank amateur at this and am trying to learn. I took a local saddle makers word that this was a Hereford saddle and that it was top of the line.. Ill temper my requests and comments in the future. But please remember that I will speak my mind and have no problem with others doign the same thing.Im not arguing, Im discussing the facts as I know them... thanks for helping me to learm more about this great industry.

Edited April 3, 2008 by 3arrows