WHY old saddles from about 1900 where made with panels with linen ?

[gesa]

Hello all,

I was asked if I know WHY old saddles from about 1900 where made with panels with linen ( or sometimes woolen) lining. As I don't know it and in my old books there are no answers to this question I pass it on to you.

The Story: my Boss asked me if I know an answer to this question, it was a strange situation for me. He was asked by a saddlery from the Netherlands who are restoring an old saddle from Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who orderd it in 1901 or 1902. This saddle should be displayed after restoring it with facts why it was build this way, with the linen panels. It is easy to find out how it was used, where to buy it and how to repair linen panels.

If someone of you knows why, could you please tell me the source like a book where it is written why they used linen instead of leather as on new saddles.

Thank you

Gesa

[pella]

well, good question! I will look at this thread for answer, if there is one! For my part, i would say they used linen because it was readilly availaible, cheap, "strong" and soft for the horse. Australian saddles still use some kind of fabric underneat too. They can be re-line with another thickness of fabric when too used.

I will take a look in my books if i can find something.

Quite strange you did not find the answer in your part of the world! There is any old saddler who knows?!

[pella]

I find interresting informations in the Elwyn H Edwards book "saddlery". A classic, worth to buy it! I love this book

He tell:

thick wool serge, sometime covered with linen (to save the serge from ravage of sweat and grease) I would add, that in that time, they usually place the saddle directly on horse back, no pad.

disavandtage, absorb sweat, wich cause hardening of wool

To keep a serge panel in working order, it is necessary to brush it with a stiff brush when dry. Then, to beat it with a stick to prevent the formation of lumps.

Advantage (witch should be one of the reason why they where used): it was easy to adjust the wool for accurate fitting. He tell: you lost the advantage of adjusting the wool panels witout removing whole panels when you cover wool serge with a strong linen

He say, that they used merino wool (talking from england)

He also add: that a Walsall (englang) cie, recently (book date from 70's) go back to use heavy serge panels, for fitting and reslience advantage)

Hope that help If i find something else, i'll come back!

[gesa]

Hello Pella,

thank you for your reply.

It helps a lot, it is difficult to get information about these "saddlery secrets" here. The old saddlemakers are gone. I know only saddlemakers who are junger than 60 years old. And especially where I work, there are many young saddlemakers 2/3 under 40 years old.

Ands there is this nasty habit in Europe, that there are only few written information about saddlery. Mostly only mesurements, but almost no explanations why they made the saddles or harnesses that way.

I am very interested in every kind of saddlery and leather work and I also collect old saddlery books or at least a copy of it. There were many information how to make the serge or linen panels, how to flock them and so on, but not why. This information was probably general knowledge of horsepeople and saddlemakers, that it was not useful to write it down.

Gesa

[barra]

Gesa. Is this saddle a side saddle. Side saddles are traditionally lined in white linen (sometime serge). I would not have thought it the done thing for a woman to ride astride in 1900/01 let alone a Queen.

Yes Australian stock saddles are still lined in serge. This is so that the filling can be awled into place or even to change the fit as a horses confirmation changes. Once the filling packs down to the shape of the horses back then they have another peice of material sewn over the original and a thin layer of padding put in place to provide a bit of extra softness. This process is called counterlining. Yes the saddles were sometimes placed directly onto a horses back in those days with no pad.

The advantage of serge is that the filling can be awled into place. Both linen and serge (plus the wool/doehair filling allowed the horses back to breathe as all are natural fibres. Also both linen and serge can make it easier to restuff. for working saddles and to save removing the panel, saddlers sometimes cut the lining and re stuffed. They could then stitch up the slit thu which they re stuffed with an invisible stitch.

The trend in those days was to make saddles with FULL panels. That is the panel extended down to where modern saddles have a sweat flap (close contact being unheard of then). The linen/serge would absorb sweat and when dry could be brushed out.

Barra

Edited September 25, 2007 by barra