Historic Saddles: Part 4

The term "historic" has several meanings. In the case of the sidesaddles, it meant something that was truly a part of history and thus important to preserve and keep.

Today's saddle is not important historically like the sidesaddles are, but it is important to me and my own personal history. It comes from a time when I was having children and was a stay at home mom. I thought my horse-owning days were over, but a highly lucrative early morning job filling newspaper vending boxes changed all that.

I bought and boarded Indy, a sweet half-Arab, with the money I earned from that job. I also bought this English saddle.

Indy's English Saddle, 1970s

After Abby died, Tim told me I could keep my saddles and tack trunk at the barn if I wished. Both of my saddles are still there on a saddle rack in Tim's barn office.

Indy and me, Champaign, Illinois, 1984.

Shortly after I got Abby, I wrote a blog post about this saddle.

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Leather, May 7, 2012

I love the smell and sound of leather. It evokes happy memories of rides on Amy and Cee and quiet times spent cleaning tack. Now that I have Abby, I have gotten my saddles out of the garage, had them checked for safety, and taken them out to the barn.

Today the pasture was really muddy when I went out to check on Abby, and so I decided to clean my English saddle.

It looks pretty good despite being at at least twenty five to thirty years old.

 It's a German saddle made by Theo Sommer. I bought it from Linda Duesterhaus and used it for Indy.

 The leather is still very supple and soft.

 A little bit of history - Indy was used as a therapy horse for disabled riders. You can tell by the extra holes punched in the stirrup leathers that we had to shorten the stirrups for children who rode him!

 The leather billets under the panel are in great shape.

 Finished! All clean and oiled.

Next up is my western saddle. I bought it in 1970 with money I earned babysitting. Like the English saddle, I have kept it cleaned and oiled over the years. It will take a lot longer to clean, so maybe I will wait until the weekend.

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I'd estimate that Indy's saddle is pushing 45 to 50 years old. Theo Sommer began making saddles in Munich in 1965, so the oldest it could be would be 60 years.

It is a very comfortable saddle and puts your backside right where it needs to be.

Mountain Mama Jessica riding Indy in my Sommer English saddle. (1987 or so.)

Now that the weather is warming up, I plan to go out to the barn and give my saddles a good cleaning. But I'm not quite ready for that emotionally, yet. Abby's loss is still too present for me.

But it's a good saddle and I'd like to keep it in good shape, so hopefully soon I'll be ready to tackle that task

One more historic saddle to share - stay 'tooned!

Historic Saddles: Part 2

Dad's Pony Saddle (1936)

O'Boy was my father's pony. I honestly believe it was Dad's love of O'Boy and the happy memories he'd made with him that made Dad so very supportive of my horsiness. He sure loved that guy.

If you don't know the story of O'Boy, who was a circus pony, it can be found in this blog post from 2016. It was O'Boy who kindled my love of circus horses and ponies.

O'Boy sporting a shiny new western saddle and standing with Dad's cousin, Betty Jean in 1936.

That pony saddle is in my garage now. It sat in Leslie's barn for years until she gave it to me a few months ago.

Time has not been good to it, but I am still glad to have it. 

Some decorative pieces on the pommel.

The horn is iron and looks quite shiny in the early photo of it. Sadly, not any more.

The fenders and stirrups are long gone. (A part of me hopes I'll someday get a text from Leslie saying she's found them in her barn.)

As for O'Boy's bridle, it's been in my possession for decades. I don't remember how I ended up with it, but back in the 1990s I had it hanging on the wall with some other antique tack in my family room in Illinois. 

There is one bridle rosette with it but none of the photos I have of O'Boy tacked up show that. Where did it come from? Is it a clue to the circus that he came from?

That bridle has even made an appearance at a live show - several years ago I did an Anything Goes entry on my circus horse and pony collection, and I used it and a photo of O'Boy as part of the presentation.

After that, I decided that it was simple too fragile for display and I keep it safely wrapped in paper here in my office closet. 

Dad (hatless) and Betty Jean with two unknown people and O'Boy. 1938

As for O'Boy's saddle, I'd like to stop the deterioration as much as I can. Getting it into the house rather than a garage or barn is a good first step, but I'm not sure that much else can be done at this time. And that makes me sad.

Like the two sidesaddles from yesterday, there's a lot of history held in that old leather. My father rode in it as did his siblings and cousins. And judging from what my father said about his time with O'Boy, that history is a very, very happy one.

More historic saddles tomorrow.

Stay 'tooned!

Abby Week: Saddle Up, Pardner!

May in Indiana! It doesn't get any better than that. The weather is sunny, the pastures are growing, and the horses are happy.

Yesterday's treat was sliced apples. Abby spied me getting out of my car and instantly stopped grazing and hurried over to the gate, nickering as she came.

After a lovely visit (and now with sticky hands from those apple juices), I did a check on Sultanna. Her udder was about like it had been two days ago so we still have some time.

Back home, the pups enjoyed that beautiful weather, too. Molly, Nash, and Pepper preferred the shady spots of the yard, (Craig and me, too),

while Florida Boy Tammo seemed to  have mixed emotions.

Regardless of where he finally settled, though, he was happy to be out with the other dogs and even had a good roll or two.

Continuing Abby's homecoming story...

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Later that Afternoon...

After my long nap yesterday afternoon, I went back out to the barn to check on Abby and sign boarding papers with Tim. Tim  suggested we take her into the arena and see what she could do. I could tell he really wanted to work with her, and I was fine with that - he's a very knowledgeable horseman and I figured that, not only would Abby learn something, I might, too!

Plus, it takes time to get to know a new horse's quirks and personality. Compound that with the fact that Abby is a rescue who has been abused and mistreated, I have no idea what might trigger some fearful behavior in her. So I was glad to let Tim play with her and see what she could (or might) do.

So into the arena we went.

Because the footing in the arena is deep and I have had a hip and two knees replaced, I have some  trouble moving around in it. I was concerned that, if Abby got excited or we found a trigger or flashpoint, I might not be able to get out of the way. I stepped back and assisted Tim, grabbing gear from the tack room and snapping photos when I could.

It became apparent very quickly that Abby knew how to longe. She stopped pretty quickly when Tim said, "Ho!" and was very quiet and calm. Yes!!

Tim looked at me and said, "What would you think if we sacked her out? I think this mare has more experience than she's been given credit for." (I did, too.) Sacking out is a part of the training process where you take the saddle blanket and put it on a horse's back, flap it around, brush it against the animal, etc. to accustom them to the idea of a saddle coming their way.

 Abby clearly had no problems with this, even when Tim whipped that saddle blanket under her belly! He looked at me and I looked at him with big smiles. Another YES!!

"Want to try a saddle on her?" he asked. YOU BET. My saddles are still at home in the garage, so I went into the tack room and grabbed a saddle I thought would fit her.

 Here Tim is tightening the cinch on her.

 Doesn't look like a bucking bronc, does she?? While she sidestepped a bit, it was obvious she'd been saddled. And, considering she had been at the rescue place for 8 1/2 months with no one working her, I was amazed that all she did was sidestep!

Tim led her to the center of the arena for some longing under saddle and to see what she would do. She acted as though this was all very, very familiar.

Tim longed her for a while again, saddle on her back, and then told her to stop. Just look at that good girl!!

 No snorting, no playful bucking or kicking, and enjoying human contact.

He tested her to see if she would accept having her head worked with. You can handle her ears (sometimes a trigger in the tamest of horses) and she gives her head easily.

Finally, Tim, who will trim her hooves for me, picked up all her feet, stretching them forward, and then flexing the joints. Clearly she has no sore joints or issues with having her feet handled.

While watching all this play out, and feeling my excitement grow, I began to realize that I may have gotten a huge bargain in purchasing this little mare.

Tim confirmed what I had been thinking privately when he told me later that he felt I had gotten a really good deal, a jewel of a horse. She has great conformation, a lovely personality, and is very people oriented. (She was following Tim around, off lead, like a puppy, and even came to me when I called her!) "She is certainly not what I expected when you told me you were getting a rescue horse," Tim declared. "I think you really have something here. She's quick, too; bet she'd be a good gaming horse, she's got nice conformation, is sound, and is really, really a nice horse."

We both feel she is a quality mare who was overlooked for adoption because the rescue place could not verify if she had ever been ridden.

As I said my prayers last night, in gratitude for such a monumental day (new grandbaby and new horse all at once!) I got the distinct impression of "fondness" from the Lord. I felt like He was smiling down at me, very Paternally, and had sent this little mare into my life even though I had had zero plans to get a horse. It felt like He was saying, "Just wait until you see what I have in store for you" coupled with a big wave of love.

I am so grateful and feel very, very blessed.

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Tomorrow we will conclude Abby Week with the news account of her rescue and some photos that make me very, very sad. And, at times, angry.

Stay 'tooned!

The Jar

Earlier this month, Jennifer Buxton wrote a blog post about a cherished hoof pick from her childhood and how it represented her hopes to have a horse of her own some day.

"That reminds me of my jar," I mused. "I should pull it out and look at it."

I knew exactly where it was, even after all these years.

On my bedside table, full of cash from my 1974 (!) trip to Europe that "some day" I'll distribute to the Cowpokes and the Pony Pals.

It's an old Ball canning jar, but like Jennifer's hoof pick, what it represents are my hopes and dreams to have a horse.

The cash that originally was in it was money I earned babysitting. Along with the money was a note, "Dear Thief, this is money for my horse. Please do not steal it. Thanks. Lynn"

Yeah, right, like someone robbing your home would leave a jar of cash alone! But a horse crazy eleven year old whose heart is full of dream wasn't taking any chances on protecting her money!

No thief ever entered our home and when I got Amy, my Dad paid for her and I used the accumulated money to buy her saddle.

I remember running my hands all over it, feeling that soft leather and smelling the leather - still one of my favorite scents. 

I remember thinking, "My dreams have come true!" and the happiness in knowing that I helped make them happen by working for them. Such a feeling!

So much so that the saddle is in the barn at Tim's and the jar remains on my bedside table, just as it did when I was a kid. More childhood memories are in it beside the European money.

A show bill from a long ago horse show. (I carried the flag in the pre-show parade around the grounds - a big thrill at the time.)

A joke in our family about meaningful possessions and things gets said about the glass jar. "That's going to the nursing home with me!"

And it will. (Hopefully a long time in the future! Hah!)

Saddle Up!

Tim sent me some photos of Sultanna tacked up in her new saddle.

 The light's not the best in the indoor arena, but you can still get an idea of how it looks.

Leslie never stored it in her barn; she kept in her house, so it is in excellent shape, especially considering that it is about thirty-five years old.

I am planning on getting back in the saddle again when I my post-op restrictions are lifted in September. I sure hope Tim lets me try it out!

A Saddle and a Bridle

Saturday was one of those beautiful summer days that make you remember that, despite a pandemic raging, life can be wonderful. 

 I had to run up north to my sister's farm outside of Brookston,

 and I went the slower, more scenic route. I drove past Charlie Vaughn's Quarter Horse farm,

 and through the wind farm that spans most of the next county.

 The wind turbines are so tall, we can see them from the barn even though they are miles and miles away.

Leslie is slowly getting rid of her tack and horse supplies as she has no plans to own horses again. She  has a really nice Texas Longhorn saddle and asked me if I knew anyone who would like to buy it. I thought about it, but since I'm not riding (yet), I passed.  

Tim, however, was a different story. He wanted a new saddle for Sultanna, and bought it. I picked it up at Leslie's farm yesterday morning along with a bridle and two blankets and brought it back to the barn for him. Tim set it up on a sawhorse in the lounge of the new barn to take a look at it.

He was really excited to have that saddle, and I don't  blame him - it's  a good one.

I came back with something for me, too, something that I had wanted for years. 

 It doesn't look like much just hanging from the door to my office,

but it's a beautiful custom made bridle that my sister commissioned years ago. A saddle maker in Wyoming made it for my first horse, Amy.

After Amy passed away in 1991, Leslie used it on her other horses. And, since she had it made, I always considered it her bridle even though it was made for my horse. I didn't think she'd ever part with it, but today after she loaded the saddle, the other bridle, and the blankets into my car, Les turned to me and asked if I wanted to have it.

That was a surprise, but you can bet I said YES. I offered to pay for it, but Les wouldn't take any money. 

I am so excited to have it, I brought it home instead of leaving it out at the barn in the tack room with my other saddles and bridles. And now it is hanging here in my office, where I can see it and enjoy it.  

It makes me feel as though Amy is very close.

Amy and me, Thanksgiving Day, 1970.

Leather

I love the smell and sound of leather. It evokes happy memories of rides on Amy and Cee and quiet times spent cleaning tack. Now that I have Abby, I have gotten my saddles out of the garage, had them checked for safety, and taken them out to the barn.

Today the pasture was really muddy when I went out to check on Abby, and so I decided to clean my English saddle.

It looks pretty good despite being at at least twenty five to thirty years old.

 It's a German saddle made by Theo Sommer. I bought it from Linda Duesterhaus and used it for Indy.

 The leather is still very supple and soft.

 A little bit of history - Indy was used as a therapy horse for disabled riders. You can tell by the extra holes punched in the stirrup leathers that we had to shorten the stirrups for children who rode him!

 The leather billets under the panel are in great shape.

 Finished! All clean and oiled.

 Next up is my western saddle. I bought it in 1970 with money I earned babysitting. Like the English saddle, I have kept it cleaned and oiled over the years. It will take a lot longer to clean, so maybe I will wait until the weekend.