restored my great grandfather's saddle

[bruce johnson]

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.

Duhamels has a general supply type store in Rapid City, with a full saddle shop. They made saddles under their name from 1909 into the 50s. They never serial numbered a saddle, but stamped the tree style on the latigo keeper. They use leather from Hawaiian hides (no grubs), but no mention of the tannery. Their trees came from Ruwart of Denver and Newton Bros of Vernal UT. Reported that both the Newton bothers were blind, but made great trees. One maker recalled that the 106 saddle was made on the Ellensburg tree, and was popular into the 30s. They called the stamp pattern an acorn as a few other old catalogs did, but most shops called it a shell border. These saddles were 3/4 single rigged with EZ dees.

This saddle had undergone some changes. AlRay buckles were added later, and I had made some short fenders/leathers for my son when he was younger. I took the AlRays off and and laced the leathers. The stirrups are some brassbound oxbounds I found in the rafters of the hayloft before the buildings were sold. I took the stringwrap off the horn, and the underlying leather is pretty good. Normally I don't like to reline restorations, but the sheepskin was rotten and there was insect damage. Other than the strings, lining, and rope strap, everything is pretty much original. I like to use Hide Rejuventor on these. It seems to condition without getting too oily, waxy, or shiny. I usually just knock the crust off the hardware, and let the age it attained show through. I left the latigo carrier and the baling wire fix on it. It still shows the 106 stamp.

For disply saddles, like in a living room, wooden quilt racks work well. Put a blanket over it and it works well. Less expensive than a furniture grade saddle rack.

Edited September 2, 2007 by bruce johnson

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

What an interesting saddle, and a great story to go with it. Definitely a family heirloom.

Rod commented on the fact that there is a front jockey plus a section of the seat that goes on top of it. When did things change from a separate front jockey to the front jockey being incorporated with the seat jockey?

The EZ dee rigging ring is different too. What can you tell us about the history of it?

I find it interesting that they cut the skirt low enough to go below that huge ring, yet now it is common to cut the skirt higher at that point. Do you find that the cinch knot makes a lump under your knee there?

[bruce johnson]

Rod and Denise,

The front is pretty interesting. The front of the seat tucks in under that tab on the front jockey. The strings go throught the seat front and front jockey before the latigo carrier and conchos. The front jockey is tacked underneath over top of the front front rigging. Kind of a cool look. It trails back underneath so the stirrup leather rides over the top of it and doesn't butt into it.

The EZ dees were a Hamley deal, patented in about 1915-1920. They seemed to be pretty popular back in the day, and I can't recall a bronc saddle that doesn't have them. Kind of like the big ring riggings, some of the old-timers ran their stirrup leathers through the ring to bind them forward. Probably forward of the latigo lump for sure.

I am kind of a fan of not having skirt underneath my latigos. Two schools of thought. One is that the skirts protect and distribute pressure of the latigo and ring over a larger area. My thought is that eventually that lump presses through, the edge of the skirt is putting pressure on the horse's side where the latigo crosses it, and it lays up higher to catch my stirrup leathers or buckles. Depends on what a customer likes, but my preference is cut-outs or dropped riggings.

Interests me that one some of the "close contact" skirts the riggings lay on the skirts, but the cutout is under the rider's leg. Good theory, but where the cutout ends on a lot of riders is about 2/3 of the way down the femur. I don't have a joint there that would allow me to take advantage of that cutout. It could come down another 3 inches, and I would still be just as much in contact with my horse. If you can get closer contact there, then the front rigging is a pretty good fence to get over to get your legs up forward. Selling a concept and not a reality. There is enough wood, leather and pad between me and the horse from the knee up that I am not sure he knows that I have contact above the knee, I use my lower leg for cueing and contact. Probably need a new thread for close contact huh?

[Rod and Denise Nikkel]

"Probably need a new thread for close contact huh?"

Yup.

[greg gomersall]

Bruce this style of seat extension is also pictured in Visalia catalogs from the mid 20's. By the 30's it is no longer pictured. Ask Griff some time he should be able to shed more light on this technique for us. Greg

[pella]

Very interresting, keep posting that kind of thread :-)

I understand you about not want to reline very old saddles. I regulary have to restore some old saddle for an antique dealer, but we want me to put kodel fleece...thats make me sad, but well, at least i tell to myself that there is someone out here who care about old saddles. He is a dealer so i need to make some $$ reselling them.

A question here: old saddles often have white dirty sheepskin, where they chrome tanned? Why do we use veg-tan shearlings on new saddles? We always put a heavy pas under the saddle so there is no contact with the back of the animal with chrome salts. Do veg-tan wear better?

[bruce johnson]

Pella,

Regarding the chrome tan vs. veg-tan sheepskins. I see a few that are relined with chrome tan, and some that come from SE Asia that are new with chrome tan. It just doesn't seem to hold up. I have had guys tell me everything from chrome tanned wool is less cushioning, falls out easier, all the way to less tensile strength in the leather than veg-tan. If you are redoing saddles, go with what was original.

As far as replacing with synthetics. If you are restoring for any antique, it NEEDS to be real sheepskin. Basically the value is destroyed, or at least seriously reduced, by replacing with synthetic fleece. I have a pretty cute little Porter that has synthetic fleece. That is the reason I got really inexpensively at an antique store. I was able to show them what their buddy did to reduce the value of their saddle by at least half. I used the example of reupholstering an 18th century piece of furniture with naugahyde. They could understand that. They were thinking "High Noon" sale price, I was thinking Saturday night horse and tack auction price.

The big reason I don't like to reline them is two-fold. First it can be dicey on some of these old skirts to remove the sheepskin and not have the stitchline fall-off/tear-off. The other is that new sheepskin doesn't have the same "look of being used" as the rest of the saddle. I used to use Lazy M shearlings, which are bit more to the "orange" shade than most other shearlings. I now use LM shearlings from Siegels which are more of a traditional golden color. I also don't run another stitch line on reline restorations, like some guys will do on a reline for a working saddle. I pick the stitches and use the original holes on restorations, and will on relines if they want to pay for it. It is one thing to run a new line on a Circle Y or Dale Martin, another thing to "add" something to a Visalia or old relic.

Some guys are pretty particular that all sewing has to be done with linen thread as originally done. If it is a museum piece, I agree. Most of my restorations are a family heirloom. I use poly thread in the "deer/peasant/golden wax" color. It doesn't look white, but does tend to look white on pics. I recently (last night) found a way to "age" the look of new sewing. I took some diluted Eco-Flo Hi-Liter in a brown color (half and half dilution with water) and rubbed on the stitching of something else. It "antiqued" the thread. I am going to let this sit for a while before trying it on a saddle, just to make sure it stays. Sure looks "used" though.

[pella]

Bruce,

i agree that it should be reline with sheepskin for value and for authenticity, but i make the job the customer want. He like to have them look more "like new". I do remove all old stitched and restitch in original holes. Of course if someone arrive with a family heirloom, he probably want to put more money and use real sheepskin.

I use to pass a "dirty waxy" rag with yellow saddle soap to color the thread.

O yes, i remember why he did not want me to use the real sheepskin too...he did not like the orange color! he find it look ugly...! ha ha ha! I buy mine from Weaver, is that the lazy M? So if i follow you, you are telling me that olders saddle used golden shearling veg-tan and it is age that make them fader? more beige...Maybe i will be able to convert him to the "genuine" lining...with a new hide.

Marie