U.S. Cavalry Saddle
The
McClellan saddle was designed by a career Army officer to make it simpler, less
expensive, light weight, sturdy enough to support a rider and gear, and provide
equipment attachments. Its design was based on Spanish saddles commonly used in
Mexico. It had a rawhide-covered open seat, a thick leather skirt, wooden
stirrups, and a girth strap of woolen yarn. Additional accessories included a
nose bag for horse feed, a curry comb to groom the horse, a hoof pick, lariat,
saddlebags, and a holder for a carbine muzzle. Saddle attachments were also
used to tie coats, slickers, blankets, and bedrolls. The McClellan saddle was
adopted by the U.S. War Department in 1859 and remained standard issue, in
various models, until the Army's last horse cavalry and horse artillery was
phased out in World War II. By 1928, a major objection to the McClellan saddle
was that troopers could not easily get their legs around the horse because of
the double girth billets and the cotton web girth. The straps were then covered
by a leather skirt and with adjustable billet rigging. Between 1904 and 1942,
the black leather was changed to a russet color which continued through 1942.
The McClellan saddle had been used by endurance riders and is still made in the
America for use as a pleasure riding saddle, for historic reenactors, and
ceremonial mounted units in the U.S. Army.
  Cavalry Bridle
The cavalry
bridle was designed with bronze Eagle rosettes on the side of the browband. The
eagle rosettes were on artillery harness bridles. |
Vintage Horse
Equipment
 Curry Comb The cast iron
curry comb is from the late 1880s. The top is a trotting horse and the opposite
side has three rows of short metal teeth. The metal post was probably encased
in a wooden handle. This comb was designed to remove caked-on mud, particularly
on horses with a heavy winter coat. It was not intended for use directly on the
summer coat of a horse as the metal teeth can damage the skin and hair. It is
also too harsh to be used on the legs or head.
 Squeeze
Bit Antique squeeze, scissor type, iron hand forged, bit possibly over 100
years old. This bit could be quite severe if not used properly.
 
Snow or Mud Horseshoe The
horse snow or mud shoe was used to keep horses from sinking in snow and mud.
Snow was not a problem in Sonoma County, but its logging trails got very muddy
during the winter. The shoes helped keep horses from sinking in the mud and
making pot holes in the logging trails. The shoe was made of 1" ash plank and
was 13" long by 11" wide. It was rounded at the corners to prevent horses legs
from striking each other. A hollow space was cut at the back of the shoe to
allow the horse full leg movement without being cut or bruised by the shoe.
Shoe calks were inserted to keep the foot in place and stabilize it to the
tread. Flat iron bands lined with rubber fit the shoe snugly to the horse's
hoof. On the under-side of the shoe, a ½" thick steel flange prevented
sliding in any direction and increase its strength. When wearing the shoes,
horses would carefully lift their feet higher than normal, with a somewhat
rotary and semi-oscillatory movement. They extended each foot forward with one
shoe over the other with such dexterity that they rarely touched each other.
This careful movement managed to take the front shoe out of the way, before
setting the hind shoe in its place. Although horses' appendages appeared
ungainly, there was little evidence of awkwardness in their use.
 Vaquero
Spurs The Mexican vaqueros used spurs when riding and brought them to the
western United States in the late 1700s. Their spurs have since become an
integral part of the vaquero and cowboy traditions. The vaquero spur has a
large rowel with many, often sharp points and a metal extension for a chap
guard. It has a simple, basic design with large heel-bands. The design of the
rowels designates the standing of the wearer in the community. The Vaquero spur
also can have a jingle bob (pajados) attached to the rowel which produces a
distinctive jingle sound when walking. |
Leather Tooled Saddle Tooled leather is any
piece of leather onto which a decorative design has been applied or "tooled."
Leather tooling involves the use of shaped implements (stamps) to create an
imprint onto leather, often by striking the stamp with a mallet. Most stamping
is performed on vegetable tanned leather that has been dampened with water
which softens the leather and allows it to be able to be compressed. After the
leather has been stamped, the design stays on the leather as it dries out, but
can fade if the leather becomes wet and is flexed. To make the stamped
impressions last longer, the leather is conditioned with oils and fats for
waterproofing and preventing the fibers from deforming. Leather saddles can
have many layers of tooling leather glued together. Tooled designs are often
applied to leather of Western saddles, bridles, and cowboy boots. The designs
in Western saddles are typically elaborate shapes, curves, and floral or basket
weave patterns. In the United States and Mexico, the floral pattern (as in the
displayed saddle) is the most popular tooled design.
Leather Tooled Bridle The displayed bridle
is a hand tooled headpiece with the same pattern as the saddle, a spade bit,
and romal reins. Romal Reins are used on horses that have transitioned to a
spade bit after being well trained in a hackamore and/or snaffle bit. They were
introduced to the western part of the U.S. in the mid 1700's by the vaqueros.
Rawhide buttons (knots) are braided onto the first 18 inches of each rein. The
buttons help keep the body of the rein off the neck of the horse to protect it
from sweat and they put a little extra pressure on the side of the neck when
cueing for a turn with the rein. A popper or quirt is attached at the end of
the romal. It was used by the vaqueros to train the horse and aid in moving
cattle. It's constructed of a flat doubled piece of leather so it makes a pop
when it touches a surface.
|
Vintage and Modern Western
Riding Apparel
Hats Sombrero hats
were popular because of their wide brim and resistance to being blown away in
the wind. In 1870s, the Stetson hat became the most popular cowboy hat due to
its use in the Union Cavalry. Strings made from leather, or horse hair, called
stampede strings, were attached to the hat to keep it from blowing off during
fast riding and extreme wind.
Shirts
Cowboy shirts were originally styled after the red, shield-front shirts issued
to pre-Civil War fighters. They were constructed of denim or tartan fabric with
long sleeves as a protection from the elements. Decorative shirts originated
from elaborate Vaquero costumes and were worn to rodeos so that cowboys could
be easily identified. Fringe decoration on cowboy shirts began with costumes
worn by Buffalo Bill during his Wild West shows.
Neckware Cowboys often wore scarves around their neck to
absorb sweat and around their face to protect it from dust, sun, and weather.
Neck scarves originated when troops in the Mexican War replaced their military
issued leather collars with cheap kerchiefs that were less restrictive, cooler,
and more comfortable.
|
Trousers Early trousers were made out of wool, but
changed to denim during the Gold Rush because they were cheaper and more
breathable. Levi Strauss originally made work trousers from duck canvas and
later changed to demin with copper rivets to the pockets enhancing their
longevity and popularity with cowboys by the 1870s.
 Chaps Leather leg coverings, or chaps, were worn to
protect the cowboy's trousers and legs from cactus spines and increased the
longevity of trousers. There are three styles of chaps: shotgun, batwing, and
chinks. Shotgun chaps are leather coverings wrapping each leg with zippers on
the outside edge; they trap body heat and are thus warm, but can restrict leg
movement. Batwing leather chaps cover the front each leg, and are secured
around the back of the legs by two or three fasteners around the thighs. They
allow greater freedom of movement of the lower leg, more air circulation around
the legs, and are thus cooler than Shotguns and are more popular with cowboys
on the range. Chinks are half-length batwing chaps, cover only the thighs, do
not restrict leg movement, and are the most cool. They are most like the legs
coverings worn by the vaqueros. The chaps displayed are a "hair on hide" chap
meaning that the leather was processed leaving the hair on the leather hide.
These chaps were made from a long haired animal, such as a buffalo or
bear.
  Boots Boots were individually handmade
in a variety of types, depending on the culture of the wearer. Early cowboy
boots were greatly influenced by vaquero and military designs. The mass
produced Wellington boot was popular with cowboys until the 1860s. During
cattle drives cowboys started wearing stovepipe dress boots to town and
eventually replaced their Wellington boots with them. Top stitching on the
boots gave the leather around the legs more support and kept them from sagging.
The stitching evolved into fancy designs. |
Modern (Vaulting) Equipment
Vaulting Surcingle Vaulting horses are not saddled but wear a
surcingle and a thick back pad. The surcingle is a strap that is secured around
a horse's girth with handles that provide support and a grip surface for a
vaulter. Surcingles are made of leather or leather-like synthetic material such
as nylon or neoprene. Handles of various styles and sizes are available with
loops called Cossack straps. Surcingles with two Cossack straps (one on each
side of the horse) provide vaulters with the means to perform a number of
freestyle moves.
  Harness Collar
A
harness collar is used to distribute a load around a horse's neck and shoulders
when it is pulling a wagon or plow. It allows a horse to use its full strength
when pulling, enabling it to push into the collar with its hindquarters to move
forward. A horse collar is oval rather than circular, thus conforming to the
shape of the horse's body. It is narrow over the horses withers, and wider
toward the base of the neck. It is padded and designed so that its contact
points do not interfere with the horse's windpipe. By protecting the airway of
the horse, the horse can use its full force to pull a load. From the time of
the invention of the horse collar, horses became more valuable for plowing and
pulling. When the horse was harnessed in a collar, it could apply 50% more
power to a task in a given time period than could an ox, due to the horse's
greater speed. Additionally, horses generally have greater endurance than oxen
and thus can work for longer periods of time. The importance and value of
horses as a resource for improving agricultural production increased
accordingly. Use of the horse collar sped development of transportation and
trade and greatly increased use of the horse as a draft animal. When oxen were
replaced with horses, economies increased and reliance on subsistence farming
was reduced. This allowed people more free time participate in specialized
activities, and consequently to the development of early industry, education,
and the arts in the rise of market-based towns |
