# McClellan saddles ?



## GoWithTheFlow (Mar 9, 2011)

So I have this thing for History from 1800's -1950's . Anyway, I saw a Stonewall saddle on an Arabian in the Trail Riding forum on here . And it's got my wheels turning about Cavalry and McClellan saddles . 

Are they really uncomfortable on long distances ? 

I want to know as mush a possible ,because like I said I have a thing for the Civil War period .:lol:


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## GoWithTheFlow (Mar 9, 2011)

Bump?????


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Your best bet is to find a reenactors website, and ask them. Nobody here rides in old McClellan or vintage cavalry saddles.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

GoWithTheFlow said:


> So I have this thing for History from 1800's -1950's . Anyway, I saw a Stonewall saddle on an Arabian in the Trail Riding forum on here . And it's got my wheels turning about Cavalry and McClellan saddles .
> 
> Are they really uncomfortable on long distances ?
> 
> I want to know as mush a possible ,because like I said I have a thing for the Civil War period .:lol:


The McClellan is not the most comfortable saddle you'll find, but I've ridden saddles that I liked less. Something as simple a a folded blanket will do wonders. Especially if you're going to ride 20+ miles a day for a few days.

The tough thing about McClellans is that you have to find a horse that will fit the saddle. I've found that they tended to be too narrow for our horses. We rode mostly QH and some TW. Would be even worse for the horses I'm currently working with.

I'd certainly check the fit before ever using a McClellan on one of my horses. What's odder is that the US even adopted McClellan's saddle design. The Brits had already developed the earlier version of what became the Universal Pattern which was a supperior saddle to the McClellen both in terms of fitting the horses, displacing weight and being more comfortable for the rider. It was used by the mounted troops of the rest of the English speaking world :lol:. Todays Troopers are a more modern evolution of the UP saddle.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Speed Racer said:


> Your best bet is to find a reenactors website, and ask them. Nobody here rides in old McClellan or vintage cavalry saddles.


I know some here that do.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

its lbs not miles said:


> I know some here that do.



Good, then point 'em to this thread! :wink:


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

The Army adopted the Mclellan because Mclellan was the General in chief of the Army.


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## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

I'm with Joe on this one. Personally though I also think it was a bit of a power play. Since the war was such a recent event I have a hunch that it might have been a power play as well. I mean think of it this way, adopt the saddle idea of a Yankee and make it the universal design for everyone, even the Southern states? Seems like a bit of a smack to the face to me...

But yes, they are odd to ride in. I rode one recently at our frontier army days at Fort Lincoln and have ridden in more comfortable and less comfortable saddles. There are definitely better choices for long distance riding  Like if you do want to go Civil War I would look into a plantation saddle. Classy, comfortable, and designed for long hours of use. Also, after the war, ladies were no longer the only ones riding aside, many men that lost legs or sustained leg injuries rode aside because riding astride was no longer possible. 

I know a place where you can get a custom built McClellan for a decent price. It won't be vintage, but it will fit your horse. It will also not be so awfully uncomfortable, and once you put your blankets and bed rolls on you probably wouldn't have enough people looking close enough to notice that you are actually more comfortable then them :lol:

here is a link to the McClellan I mentioned...
http://www.sycamorecreeksaddles.com/MAC010-A.jpg


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Mclellen is also the source for the oft quoted out of context 20% rule. Basically a man well known for loving horses and hating men. The saddle was designed for horse comfort. I imagine it fit the narrower morgans and whatnot in use with the federal cavalry. The saddle was adopted before the War of Northern aggression though. 
Army takes forever to change and once something is adopted its pretty much written in stone. Any one ever look at Army pistol training ? Up until the 1980's they were still training techniques best suited for shooting off a horse. SInce cavalry were generally the only ones using handguns in combat.
That one hand hold arm extended out to the side head turned to the right pose still used by some bullseye shooters ? Yeh that was developed for horseback. One hand because the other was holding reins. Out to the side to keep from hitting your horses head. The Army kept teaching the exact same thing for years after the horses were gone.


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## Bellasmom (Jun 22, 2011)

My husband rode a reproduction Mclellen saddle for years, both reenacting and trail riding. He swears it is the most comfortable saddle he'd ever used, and really liked the fact it was so light. The attached pic is from a trail ride several years ago (I know the saddle is way too far forward, don't know why, other pics from the same day show it in the correct position, but this is the best shot of the saddle itself). A little off topic, the mare is the same mare I just brought home after pulling her out of what i THOUGHT was going to be a good home. If you're interested in the difference a few hundred lbs makes in a horse take a look at my thread under horse nutrition.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Joe4d said:


> The Army adopted the Mclellan because Mclellan was the General in chief of the Army.


If only that were the case it would be easy to understand :lol:.

Actually he designed the saddle around 1855/56 while a Capt of Cav. Resigned from the army around 1857. Saddle was adopted by the Army around 1859 while he was a civilian. McClellan didn't returned to the army in 1861 after the outbreak of the war, but returned with a General Officer rank instead of the Capt's rank he resigned as.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Took the time to look it up. Had to be a reason the Army went to a saddle that wasn't actually the better of the available saddles.

And of course there was. Somethings never change........it was the cheapest to make. Less leather, less metal and less work to manufacture. The one thing McClellan obvously didn't bother to learn from the Russians and Prussians who's saddles were amoung those he studied in making his design was the number of horses taken out of action during campaigns due to sore backs. But then our Cav had not been a part of many long campaigns at that point in history so maybe he didn't think it was as important a factor.
The British Cav had been in many and knew the impact of so many horses unfit for duty. But the universal pattern was certainly more expensive to make.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

well if he went from capt to general in 3 years while on vacation, he obviously knew someone.


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## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

Pretty much. They needed generals so bad that I you had ok credentials you were promoted.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Actually it was probably more a case of being an Academy graduate with excellent class position and experience from the war with Mexico. And initially his generals rank was just for command of troops with 90 day enlistments from Ohio. He commanded Ohio troops, not the regular army. That came later. It was very common for states to promote officers to high ranks that they did not actually hold with the regular army. A few actually went on to hold that rank in the Army, but most never did. States could give rank to officers in command of their troops, but it wasn't a regular Army commission. (e.g. Custer died a LtCol in the Army and he wasn't qualified for that, but being a West Point grad does wonders even for the incompetent)


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## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

well Custer was promoted to rank of Brigadier General at age 23, even though he had hundreds of demerits and graduated close to the end of his class. He was never high in his class at West Point, and yet he became a general for the war.


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

cowgirl928 said:


> well Custer was promoted to rank of Brigadier General at age 23, even though he had hundreds of demerits and graduated close to the end of his class. He was never high in his class at West Point, and yet he became a general for the war.


Custer was only a "brevet" General and never got about a Lt Col commission in the regular Army. 
Pennypacker was far more interesting than Custer. He did not attend West Point. Joined a PA regiment at the start of the war in April 1861 as a NCO. Before that Winter he had risen to Major and was a brevet Brig. General at 20. Later becoming a brevet Major General, but never got above Col in the regular Army.

But none of this has anything to do with the McClellan saddle :lol:


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Mcclellan started as a Militia General of Ohio, won one or two minor skirmishes in soon to be west virginia while most of the men were away. At the same time The Union Army got their butts handed to them at Bull Run, the North panicked, the newspapers made a hero out of Mclellen and just like that, Regular Army Major General. He was a great organizer, great at logistics, bad and overly cautious tactical commander.


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