That 3-cornered stool I bought the morning of our wedding day at a variety store that was across the street from Ben’s Saddlery in Wickenburg, Arizona—now 41 years ago. My wife saw a granddaughter sitting on it, kinda picking at the cracked leather on the corner. She suggested that it would be a good idea to oil it.

Once you start something like that, it doesn’t make much sense to stop there. The boots are from Paul Bond out of Nogales, Arizona, and that’s my second pair. The leather is called “French waxed calf,” and it’s a very durable rough-out for working, riding boots. I hit the vamps, counters, and heel stack with the PURE neatsfoot oil (neatsfoot oil “compound” has petroleum distillates in it that can break down nylon stitching). Others will tell you they like this or that better, e.g. olive oil. Not me.

I was not a collector, I didn’t have the money, or the inclination to assemble bits, spurs, and bridles, but what I have was acquired over a lifetime. All of it is good quality, and I’m proud of it. All of it has a story, or a connection to a person or friend from my past.

Sitting on the workbench is a hackamore that I acquired for trade and money (boot) from a recently divorced buckaroo who worked all over the Great Basin in Nevada, Idaho, and eastern Oregon. It’s not fancy, but the work is first rate. The McCarty (macate) is entirely mane hair, prized because it’s softer and easier on the hands than less expensive tail hair, yet still gives the horse a cue that a different command is coming when the macate is raised.

Sitting there on the bench with the hackamore is a jar of Chap Wax from Ray Holes Saddlery. It’s what I’ve been putting on my rawhide gear like that bosal (there’s also a pencil bosal hanging their somewhere) and the quirt. If memory serves, Ray Holes Saddlery now just specializes in leather care products, and hasn’t built a custom saddle since Ray Holes himself retired and passed. They now make a product specifically for rawhide care; I ‘spose it’s better.

Neither the curb bit or the snaffle bit you see look very fancy, but they’re both what’s called “sweet iron.” You can buy a custom made bit with similar properties, but you won’t find anything like them in most shops selling horse gear; those will invariably be constructed of stainless steel. I’m going to assume horses find the taste “sweet” as opposed to sterile. I know that sweet iron increases salivation and keeps the horse’s mouth soft. When used, the mouthpieces of both are clean looking, with a soft sheen.

I’ll add two things: sad I guess, they were cherished tools and now they are destined to be legacy and family history. Secondly, there’s no better applicator for oiling leather goods than a piece of sheepskin.











I hope a few of you have an interest. My health is good and I expect to be around for quite awhile, but life is not likely to hold the joy derived from working horseback in some of the most beautiful country the West has to offer. I'm forever grateful.

Nice tack, and good looking boots.

The boys approve.

Nice looking boys, I especially like the looks of the dark bay, second from right.

That's Stormtrooper. Thoroughbred ex-racehorse. He's a good boy.

The others are, left to right, Swipe Right, aka Fernando who is a branded Hanoverian, Karma (my old boy) who is an appendix, then Trooper, and finally Firewater on Ice aka Marcus, also a thoroughbred and a lineal descendant of Secretariat.

Marcus passed about 5 years ago, and we still miss him. Had some attitude, that one.

Your garage is nicer than many kitchens, I mean that as a true compliment.

I always loved horses with no white on them. Stormtrooper is mildly flawed with that one white hind foot , but he’s good lookin’. The quality in all of them is easy to see.

So, I’m not sure how old/rare some of it is, but it might be worth asking around to see if any working groups still could use it.

When we sold the old farm, we made sure some of the old tools, which various groups used, went to ones where they could still be used. (My family never sold or threw away a tool. We had all kinds of stuff still in working condition which various restoration groups used, from the era of horse and steam.)

quote:

Originally posted by Aglifter:
So, I’m not sure how old/rare some of it is, but it might be worth asking around to see if any working groups still could use it.

When we sold the old farm, we made sure some of the old tools, which various groups used, went to ones where they could still be used. (My family never sold or threw away a tool. We had all kinds of stuff still in working condition which various restoration groups used, from the era of horse and steam.)

About this time last summer I gave away my horse shoeing tools. I was far from a professional farrier, just a cowboy horseshoer, but I put shoes on a lot of horses over the years. They were all really good quality tools too. If there’s anyone in the forum who knows shoeing tools, the nippers were GE and replacement cost on them alone is $250. There’s a farrier school here and I decided that those tools were just the sort of thing that the kids would just have to deal with. I asked the school director to please give them to a student of the school who didn’t have the money to fit himself out with the necessary tools. I was never assured that that happened. Now they’re gone, and I hope went to someone who needed them, rather than picked over by the school director and others.

My saddle and horse gear is attractive to display, and as I tried to explain, has great sentimental value to me. I’ve got a horse-crazy granddaughter…maybe she’ll want it. Otherwise, my daughter or son would probably both like to have the stuff.

Nice looking gear, TMats. Any closer pics of the saddle and leatherwork?

As the Father of an Equestrian for the last 24 years, I appreciate what I am looking at.

Well done!!

This reminded me, I ran across my first and second baseball glove, I forgot I had. They desperately need some something, but are in remarkable condition for not having been oiled in 47 years or so.

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed seeing it.

quote:

I hope a few of you have an interest. My health is good and I expect to be around for quite awhile, but life is not likely to hold the joy derived from working horseback in some of the most beautiful country the West has to offer. I'm forever grateful.

Nice gear; we may have ridden some of the same turf, save a drainage or two over. I seem to remember that you spent some time on the Ashley; I was a UDWR fisheries biologist for several years and some of my most memorable excursions were horseback trips in the Uinta Mountains doing fish surveys. You're right - It's a beautiful office and a great gig if you can get it.
s.

quote:

Originally posted by sorenson:

quote:

I hope a few of you have an interest. My health is good and I expect to be around for quite awhile, but life is not likely to hold the joy derived from working horseback in some of the most beautiful country the West has to offer. I'm forever grateful.

Nice gear; we may have ridden some of the same turf, save a drainage or two over. I seem to remember that you spent some time on the Ashley; I was a UDWR fisheries biologist for several years and some of my most memorable excursions were horseback trips in the Uinta Mountains doing fish surveys. You're right - It's a beautiful office and a great gig if you can get it.
s.

I worked on the Ashley as a seasonal, 5 years. I worked out of Duchesne and lived in Tabby Valley. I was a Wilderness Ranger back then, primarily in Grandaddy and Four Lakes Basins, although in helping out other WRs, saw the entire western end of the High Uintas, the Head of Rock Creek and Squaw Basin. I rode with a warden or two that we hosted from our wilderness camp at Brinton Meadows. “Creel census” is a phrase I recall

I’ll try to get a couple more pictures on here, Beans

here's some pictures, Beancooker. Looks like I need to clean and oil my saddle again, salts have surfaced once again. You can question how hard I worked, but not my horses.

Great story and great pics.

As a leather worker I appreciate and approve of your comments of using quality leather conditioner, not the cheap crap at walmart or such.

"Good Stuff Ain't Cheap. Cheap Stuff Ain't Good". This has always been true, is true now, and will always be true.
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