This Old Saddle

[CarolU]

This old Simco Youth saddle was bought new in 1968 when I was 12 years old.

It has a 15" seat and I still use it as my 'first saddle' when training youngsters.

This saddle has hauled deer, elk, calves, and more Nudell hind ends then the living room couch.

I had a little dog Chub, that used to ride in this saddle with me. The scratch marks from her claws can still be seen.

It has given rides to magpies, an eagle with a broken wing, and some geese in a Trail class.

It has taught well over two dozen people to ride their first ride.

It has been the first saddle on more horses then I can remember and it has sent me airborn from a few of them and saved my life on still others.

This saddle has been swimming and thorougly soaked after I bathed in water troughs.

It has herded cows and trail rode throughtout Tooele County. There is only one range of mountains (the Dugways) it hasn't been in.

It has horse showed and barrel raced, been a reining champion and cut cows doing real ranch work.

And today, it came in the house and got a 3 hour scrubbing and oiling.

Looks pretty good, eh? Every piece of leather on it is original, although it has been sewn up a few times (and shows some spots it needs it again).

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/23115Simco.jpg

[Carol Nelson]

I still have my first saddle, a barrel racer I learned to ride in...it sits in my office now as I've graduated to my treeless saddles...but I still am so fond of that saddle. It shows a bit more wear as I rode every day back then...
What a beautiful piece of memorabilia, Carol! :smile:

[motorgypsy]

Beautiful Carol. What a gorgeous saddle and wonderful memories!

[CarolU]

Thanks, and you're right Nancy. Lots of fond memories while I was cleaning it. I sent that to my sister...it made her cry. She's logged a few hours in that saddle too. LOL

For some reason I love cleaning tack. Love the smell of leather, love the feel of oiling leather.

[appyday]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Laura S]

Wow, what a nice saddle and so many good memories along with it. I guess I don't really have a first saddle. I only rode bareback from the time I was 10 until about 17. I never even owned a saddle. Then I went horseless for quite a few years and bought my very first saddle when I bought by first horse as an adult. And I haven't even dared to ride bareback in the 6 years I've been back into horses! LOL

[Joy in MT]

Wow Carol,

Talk about bringing back old memories. I too, got a Simco saddle when I was about 16...Many, many moons ago.... fourty plus years now.... I still have mine too. It had a beautiful turqoise leather seat, which has now gone verdigri green with age. I actually like it better now. It saw many a hard mile too, and got plenty soaked with my teenage tears at times as I rode. It got so worn, that I finally had to have some of it reworked at the old Miles City Saddlery. About two years ago, I had it re-fleeced. Its still in service.
Your saddle is absolutely lovely. It looks so rich after it's polishing. What a beautiful heirloom to pass down. I suppose mine will be sold in an estate someday, as I don't have any family to leave it to.

Joy

[Brigitte]

I have two saddles, I've had one for about 6 years, the other is my showing saddle, but boy do I love my saddle. I don't think I'll ever throw it away

[dana]

Wonderful story, Carol. if our saddles could only talk!

[motorgypsy]

Talk about sentimental - we have a Goodwill salvage store. Clothing is sold by the pound. Every time I go in there tears run down my face thinking about how proud the owners were when they bought these clothes brand new and so beautiful - how good they felt about themselves and the wonderful memories they have when they wore them. And for so many memories to end up being sold by the pound. It makes me really sad. I'm so glad you still have your saddles and your memories. You can see why I don't go to horse auctions.

[PASOFAN]

WOW, that is sooo neat! I have 2 kid saddles from my family farm that I Hope to oil up good sometime. What kind of cleaning and oil did you use? I love the looks of your saddle all cleaned up, very very cool!

[CarolU]

Thank you all. I appreciate that many of you also have saddles near and dear to your heart. The special ones can't be replaced. I have bought and sold many saddles over the years...but, will never sell this one.

I cleaned the saddle with glycerine based soap and a tooth brush. Really scrub the undersides to make sure you get rid of the dirt. Dirt is an enemy to leather. I oiled it with Skidmore's Leather Cream out of Laramie Wyoming. They list leather oils and beeswax as the ingredients. It does a nice job and really softens the leather. The most important places to oil are those you can't see, the underside of cinches and as deep under the fenders as you can reach.

If you are in a humid environment, once you get the saddle clean, it's important to keep it out of the humidity until it dries thoroughly or you'll get mold on your leather. I try to clean all leather goods once a year, but my show saddles get cleaned before every show.

We're in an inversion right now. The air outside is UNHEALTHY, so I'm housebound until a storm comes in. It's a good time to clean tack.

[GeorgeGuns]

That saddle sure cleans up good! The only saddle I have from any kind of way-back-when is an American western endurance (aka Bucking saddle) that I got for Mouse back in 90, before I realized she still had some growing to do. I had my best rides on Katy with it, and now its passed on to Encantador. It spent quite a few years on the shelf as it wasn't fitting anyone, but I'll never ever get rid of it, I LOVE that saddle.

Now on the other hand, I still have Mouse's original feed bucket, orange, and she still eats out of it. She has never beat it up, its like the Food Temple and is as treasured as that saddle. How many buckets last 17-18 years and look barely used?

The one piece of tack I can't find and would LOVE to find is Katy's trail halter. It was turquoise nylon web with maroon overlay, nuthin fancy, but it was hers and I miss it. We lost a lot of stuff at one house that had a bad basement and I bet it was in that mess... :cry:

[Terry Wallace]

Well..if that don't bring back the memories!

My first Saddle was a SIMCO saddle... bought at a yard sale in Michigan for a mere $35.00.............

The lady who sold it said it belonged to her father who had died of a heart attack. The saddle had only 4 or 5 rides on it, was emaculate, like brand new....
just gorgeous..... she had NO idea what it was worth...at least $250.00 at the time...

I no longer have it, but it sure was a favorite of mine...well made, very pretty, and solid as a rock...