Sunny Spot

Snickers always finds a sunny spot.  This time on my great-grandfather's saddle.

A word about that saddle; it is known as a front-range saddle, styled very practically, very few frills, and  for long hours spent riding herd on cattle.  It belonged to my great grandfather, James Crawford who ranched around Ft. Morgan, Colorado around 1880. Somehow, through the years and my family's migration from Colorado to northern Wisconsin, that saddle remained with their belongings and became the one I used while riding horses in my youth.  The stirrups are mismatched, the cantle was and still is broken, and it bears a few scuffs and bruises from use.  Although it has a maker's mark, I have not been able to trace it.  I understand that during the late 1800s there were countless saddle makers along the front range of the Rocky Mountains.  I had it restored in 2004 at Ben's Saddlery in Wickenburg, AZ.  That is when I learned that although practical in design, it has a few "luxury" features.  It has an "open frame" allowing ventilation for both the rider and the horse, through  the pommel and seat, where the stirrup leathers are held under the saddle seat.  The horn, although appearing to have lost its leather cover, probably never was covered and is made of steel with a wood cap.  It is designed for quick, easy access to a coiled rope.  The cantle, or back of the saddle is unusually high, meant for the rider's back support when spending long hours in the saddle.  It wiggles a bit and I'd love to know how that happened.  The saddle has a double square skirt which, I was told, is unnecessary for the purpose of the saddle, but the maker's way of adding a little flair and personal style to the piece.  Leather thongs held in place with little leather daisy pieces adorn each corner of the saddle.  The saddle is tooled with modest design of basket weave over the pommel, a sort of Greek key design along the skirts and stirrup leathers, and a floral imprint on the cantle.  I would love to have a chat with my great-grandfather, wouldn't you?!