For your viewing pleasure

[Ken Knopp]

I recently visited a friend with one of the finest collections of CW erea saddlery in private hands. As always I did some photography. Here are a few selections for your viewing pleasure. I will post more as time permits.

1. The Grimsley belonged to Gen. Samuel Beatty. It is all completely original to the owner and in good enough shape to be confused with a reproduction.

2. This is an old Eagle pommel saddle complete with schabraque. Very nice.

3. Jenifer. There is no documentation but by its costruction I have reason to believe this is "likely" Confederate with alterations.

Ken R Knopp

[T.Kern]

I think the Jenifer saddle is federal or private purchase. The hardware and the pommel arch scream fed. As does the quarter strap rig under the skirts, as Gorgas preferred and the surviving fed saddles appear. This is where I think Glen pier, Border states and the illustrations in Ken's book are wrong in the construction of the quarter strap rigged Jen. With Gorgas on the review board for the Jen prior to the war, they prefer the flaps/skirts being free. Where does Gorgas end up with the start of war? Overseeing what?? As well as taking into consideration for many saddles with "Mexican or texican" rigging, as Jenifer called it, feature a small girth safe under the rigging then a large skirt over. Though any part of this saddle could have been changed by dealers, just as the saddle in Dorsey's book was. But with little or no footnotes and documentation in Dorsey's book, it's hardly anything that can be taken as historically accurate, I've been told that the book even states the Allegheny arsenal used foot loops in the stirrups. This is undocumented and thoroughly wrong! As all the ord reports for all Mac saddles until the end of horse cavalry did NOT use stirrups straps! However, There is a picture of them being used by a bugler on a Texas saddle.
Todd Kern

[Custerboy]

Very nice saddles. They disprove what some would say about authenticity.

[Mike Ventura]

James:

I would be interested in what you think that the phot0s specifically "disprove what some would say about authenticity."

Particularly since you were incorrect in your statement in another thread on this forum that breast collars were standard issue to all cavalrymen.