Leather carving and stamping (commonly called tooling) is one of the elements that make western saddles so unique and beautiful. But that beauty comes with a price. Keeping tooling clean can be quite a challenge.
All of the nooks and crannies of the tooling catch every kind of dirt and grime that you run into. Simply wiping off the saddle won't make much of a dent in cleaning the tooling. And even standard cleaning methods with a sponge or rag won't get into the crevices and remove the grime.
Cleaning tooling requires using an implement such as very, very soft toothbrush with a bit of cleaning agent (glycerine soap, liquid saddle cleaner) and a lot of elbow grease. You need to work the cleaner and toothbrush into each crevice. Be generous with the warm water to loosen up the dirt and wipe often with a soft rag to remove the dirt you've loosened.
There's no quick solution. It takes time and patience, but why have that beautiful tooling if you're not going to show it off? The colder months are a great time to settle in with your saddle and get that tooling sparkling. One way to reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do, is to always use a saddle cover when your saddle isn't in use.
The "Used Saddle Pick of the Week"
Every week we scour the Internet searching for a particularly juicy bargain on a high quality used western saddle and feature it here on the WSG Saddle Blog. The saddles featured are listed for sale on ebay as of the date of the post.
The Western Saddle Guide is not the seller of the saddles featured and does not make any representations about them. We encourage all potential buyers to do their own due diligence on the seller and the saddle before purchasing.
This week we've found an almost-new Crates reining saddle that is a real dandy. I'm a big fan of Crates saddles. I own one myself and I think they're one of the best production saddle brands out there. They make nice, solid saddles.
This week's saddle has a 16inch suede seat, 6 5/8 gullet (full QH bars), with basket weave tooling on parts of the the fenders, skirts, jockeys, fork and cantle.
Reiners are close contact saddles that have become popular for use as overall training saddles and for trail riding. They're not suitable, however, as a heavy duty "using" saddle.
In the photo you can see how nicely balanced this saddle is - a level seat with the stirrups hanging straight down. This saddle has so few rides in it that it's basically a new saddle.
We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:
16" Crates Reining Saddle Saddle
Check out other Crates Saddles for sale in our tack shop.
Miles City Saddlery in Miles City, Montana is a legendary saddle shop. It's roots go all the way back to the 1890's and the eastern Montana cattle boom which saw millions of cattle driven up the Texas Trail to the pristine ranges of Montana. Miles City was at the center of that action.
In the mid 1890's Charles E. Coggshall bought a half-interest in Al Frustnow's Saddle Shop. By 1899, their partnership was over, but Coggshall created his own C.E. Coggshall Saddlery, the predecessor to Miles City Saddlery. Coggshall developed his saddlery into a major producer of saddles with a robust mail order business.
Miles City Saddlery is still an operating and vibrant saddlery and western tack store. They are still producing their own saddles that bear the brand "Miles City Saddlery, Makers of the Original Coggshall Saddles."
If you ever find yourself in eastern Montana (the annual Miles City Bucking Sale is reason enough), make sure to stop by. In addition to being a great tack store, Miles City Saddlery has a wonderful collection of antique saddles and cowboy gear on display.
Filed under Blog by Saddle Sense
The "Used Saddle Pick of the Week"
Every week we scour the Internet searching for a particularly juicy bargain on a high quality used western saddle and feature it here on the WSG Saddle Blog. The saddles featured are listed for sale on ebay as of the date of the post.
The Western Saddle Guide is not the seller of the saddles featured and does not make any representations about them. We encourage all potential buyers to do their own due diligence on the seller and the saddle before purchasing.
This week we have a wonderful piece of American history with a vintage Bona Allen saddle.
Bona Allen is a major name in American leather tanning and harness and saddle making. They began operation in the 1870's in Georgia and eventually became a major producer of saddles and leather goods for comapnies such as Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Wards. At the height of production, Bona Allen produced 30,000-35,000 saddles per year. So, while a vintage Bona Allen saddle certainly isn't rare, it's still a wonderful piece of craftsmanship.
This week's pick is a lovely hand carved, round-skirted saddle with a low cantle and 14 inch seat, typical of a ranch saddle of the mid 1900's. The low cantle makes for easy dismounts and provides a roomier ride than a higher cantle. The gullet is 6", which is also typical of this era.
This is a nice saddle that has some miles left in it, but pretty enough to be a collector or decorator piece, also.
We present the Saddle Blog's Used Saddle of the Week:
14" Bona Allen Ranch Saddle
Check out other Bona Allen Saddles for sale in our tack shop.
