Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine November 2016 Vol 1 Issue 4

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine

shop. Tapaderos and a “nubbin” of a horn made this little saddle safer for young riders. Three generations of children in the family rode this saddle until its retirement in 1969. I learned to ride on an actual McClellan army cavalry saddle. No horn but my dad installed homemade tapaderos for me. The ladies’ side saddle first belonged to the wife of the owner of the McClellan youth saddle. The mak- er and year built remain unknown but the present family member/owner believes the saddle dates from the 1890s. Side saddles date back to antiquity and devel- oped further in Europe in the Middle Ages. Further changes occurred to side saddles when they came to America. Women rode side saddles for as long as their skirts stayed full-length. No “lady” of that era rode astride like a man as that was not consid- ered modest or genteel. Even Queen Elizabeth II of England rode a side saddle as late as 1986 in ceremonial parades. As a young woman I showed my dad’s pacer with a side saddle and wore full length vintage riding clothes. My saddle had two pommels (horns), a

A MEDLEY OF OLD SADDLES. ... by Janice Pack

For this second old saddles article I have chosen to feature a variety of ladies and youth saddles. I have gathered up a unique collection of five saddles that date from 1887 to the 1970s Most of them have be- come family heirlooms and a source of family pride. These saddles represent much local and family history. I can only imagine how many miles they

have traveled, the places they have seen and the work and pleasure they have provided for their owners. The oldest saddle dates from 1887. A Linn County Kansas farmer had this saddle made for his five year old son. The

father had the saddle built on a McClellan type open seat tree, probably by a Linn County harness

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