OLD VINTAGE HIGH BACK WESTERN HORSE SADDLE PORTER?

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OLD VINTAGE HIGH BACK WESTERN HORSE SADDLE PORTER?

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Sold Date: 06/25/2007
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

Up for auction is a wonderful old high back western saddle. I obtained the saddle from a man who had cared for and was friends with an elderly gentleman who recently passed away. The elderly gentleman had been a horseman all of his life. I was told that he saved up $200 back in 1929 or 1930 when he was a young man and had this saddle custom made by the Porter Saddle Comany of Phoenix, AZ. He wanted the best saddle that was made at that time. He used the saddle for many years in his horse business and then when he hung up his spurs he kept the saddle in his home- it was very much a treasured possession.

I am unable to confirm that the saddle was made by the N. Porter Saddle Company. It has a very worn maker's mark on the left side below the pommel near the front of the saddle. I can read a few letters but most of the writing is not legible. I have included a photo of this area and it will show about what you can see in real life. I have not been able to find any other identifying marks on the saddle. Whoever made the saddle did an fine job.

The last name of the original owner of the saddle started with "B" and he had his intial put on the saddle- a brass B is on the back of the cantle. The saddle fenders, skirt and seat have tooled flower petals in the leather. Some of them- especially on the back of the cantle and rear portion of the skirt appear to have originally been gold colored- part of the color still remains on the ones on the cantle. The fenders have an interesting design in the leather- I have attempted to show that in one of my photos. T is a large letter N near the top, then a stag in a crest. The design is easier to see on the left fender- it is more worn on the right side.

The edge of the skirt is laced with leather. The top of the cantle has a nice leather braided or laced edge. The horn is covered in leather and is also laced. The underside of the saddle is sheepskin fleece. The stirrups are oak and the outer metal covering is brass colored. I am not knowledgeable about western saddles so I am attempting to describe it the best that I can- please see my numerous photos for better descriptions. I will try to answer any questions that you may have as accurately as possible- you will need to be fairly specific if you ask me a question.

The saddle seat measures approximately 14". The skirt is about 24" long and the cantle is 5-3/4" tall. The horn is about 2-3/4" high.

CONDITION: The saddle is in good vintage condition considering it's age and that fact that it was used by a man in the horse business for a number of years. I will point out some of the most obvious signs of wear, but t could be more that I am missing. The seat is in good condition but it does have several small holes in it- about 6 pin sized holes up on the part of the seat that rises up to the cantle w the flower designs are located. T is a scratch or two in the leather on the seat on the right side. The tooling shows signs of wear in many places but the design still remains. The left fender has two holes and the right fender has a hole and tear near the "N" portion of the design- photos of these areas are provided. The leather lacing is in pretty good condition. As previously mentioned the gold coloring on the flower designs has faded considerably and probably disappeared in some places.

The basic structure of the saddle is sound- I see no reason why it could not still be used on a horse if someone so desired. The fleece underneath is intact although somewhat soiled on the surface. The cinch connections appear to be tight and free from damage. Everything appears to me (not an expert) to be old and original. The saddle is basically a one owner saddle- it has briefly ended up in the hands of two people who only hope to find it a home w it will be appreciated as much as it was by the original owner for whom it was a very important part of his livelihood.

SHIPPING: I have recently discovered that DHL Ground Shipping is a great way to send saddles. They are much mor...