# 1918 Cavalry Saddle -- Restoring? *Pics*



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

My grandfather found this old saddle in a barn. It is marked Hotze & Sons, 1918. (Any information concerning this model?) I think it's really neat --it's ALMOST WW1, and I have a fascination with WW1-- and would like to restore and ride with it. For something so old, it seems to be in fair condition. What are the steps I should take to restore it? I've never restored anything before.


Right (?) side









Left (?) side









Back

















Top









Cantle 









Cinch rigging









Broken Cinch Thing









Broken leather peice that leads to cinch (I have the peice that broke off)









Other leather peice like the one above, but this one's not broken









Company name and such









Plate on the pommel









One broken stirrup (the other is fine)









US stamp on stirrup


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## Fifty (Jul 1, 2010)

Only 11 inch seat? haha. Well first I would check at an antique shop or someone that knows about older tack and find out how much it's worth because the worse thing you can do to an antique that is worth something is restoring it yourself. I would pay a professional to restore it though.


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## Sophie19 (Apr 13, 2009)

I have no restoration ideas but that thing is crazy cool. I want one.


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## tbstorm (Dec 16, 2010)

no restoring ideas here!! just wanted to say! thats an awesome saddle!!! but owee i bet that would hurt ur BUTT!!! eeeoucheee!!!!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Fifty --


Good idea. I don't want to ruin it... It's sort of dirty though. Could I just get a sponge and wipe some of the dirt off? 

I wonder if I can fit my butt into an 11 inch seat... If I do, maybe I can use it for endurance. They're suppose to make great endurance saddles.

Sophie --

Crazy cool indeed.  

TBstorm --

They're famous for being comfortable for the horse and a terror for the rider. :lol:


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## dragy (Jun 30, 2010)

that's neat that it was found in such nice condition. for now it would be fine to just wipe the dust and dirt away with a lightly damp cloth, you wouldn't be hurting it. 

it looks like it is really narrow. horses were probably built a bit differently back then?


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

The military selected for a certain "standardized" type of horse for mounted units. They were high withered, lean critters. This saddle was built to fit them, the standard military horses.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Very cool saddle. If you want to restore it , it will lose it's value as an antique.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Thanks!

The unrestored ones I've looked at on the web of the same model are only going for around $300-400... If this thing was worth an arm and a leg, I would do whatever I needed to make sure it retained value. Though $400 is a lot of money, is isn't much for a saddle. I'd rather have it fixed up so I could ride in it.

Plus, I'm a rider, not an antique collector. 

However, before any decision is made, I'm going to find someone knowledgeable about old saddles to tell me exactly how much it's worth.


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## tbstorm (Dec 16, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> Fifty --
> 
> 
> 
> ...


lol i bet!!!


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Ready for the shocker...I learned to ride in that exact year/make saddle. And it was on a TWH! 

That saddle is in excellent condition. If you wanted it fixed to ride, I am sure just getting someone to make sure the billets are in order wouldn't cost too much. The rest of the saddle looks to be very very intact. More intact than the one I rode! *laugh*

Here is the great things about these saddles. They were built to hold a less than stable rider. The back is open to keep a horse cooler longer. While it may look uncomfortable, get a sheepskin cover on it and here is what you get. The comfort of a western saddle with the 'feel' of an english saddle. 

The are also designed to work as both a riding saddle and a make shift pack saddle. There are tons of places to tie saddle bags and bedrolls to. 

The way they cinch is nice because it offers the security of a back cinch without actually having a back cinch! 

The downside is, it is constructed to fit a narrow horse with a medium wither. Nothing more, nothing less. A fat horse will get sore wearing that saddle. Too thin and it will get sore. I always rode a Mcclellan type saddle on gaited horse. No skirting to get in the way. And back when I rode gaited horses, they weren't the large, thick types they are now. They were narrow horses. At least the ones that I rode were! 

Oh and don't worry about the 11 inch seat. The biggest they made was a 13 I believe. While as a country, we were leaner back then...I fit into an 11 inch (most common) when I was around 185 pounds and 5'7" 

Cleaning wise, just to see what you have, try just standard glycerine soap. Or even a damp rag just to take the dust off it. 

Good luck girl! I think you are going to love it!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Wow! It's like a sign! You rode in that _very_ same model _and_ rode walkers with it. :shock: 


From what you describe, it sounds perfect for distance. Places to put stuff, keeps the horse cool, and should fit me -- I'm 5.1 and 150 pounds with with a high tolerance for discomfort in the event my butt is a little too large--, and that English saddle-esque feel I can't find in most endurance saddles. 

I'm amazed it is in such good condition. It was in the corner of an old barn; it probably hadn't been touched in decades. The leather is more supple than most bridles I dig up in the back of my tack room, and the buckles aren't even rusted into a fixed position. 

I'll have to see if it'll fit Baby Girl... She's of average roundness. If it does, I just got a new endurance saddle. The funny thing is I've been complaining about my saddle for the past week and just started my new saddle fund with the 40 bucks I got today, an hour before my granddad arrived with this saddle.

Can we say most awesome tack discovery ever?


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Oh I am so jealous girl! 

I know how much I loved riding in that saddle!


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

I think that is very cool! now you'll just need to find a civil war/cavalry re-enactment group to join.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

An 11" seat was actually a "medium" sized Military saddle. A 12" seat was a "large." I believe an 11" is equivalent to a 14" western saddle or 16-16.5" English.

I agree, have it professionally restored. It's either in amazing condition, or was restored at one time, long ago. Cool find!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Oh, Cori, I'm excited!

If I get it restored by a pro, will they be able to re-attach the pieces of leather that have broken off? I have every piece of it, but they're just snapped cleanly off. 

Ooh! I wanna dress as a WW1 solider. Did they ride pintos, cause that's all I got?


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

A good professional will be able to either repair the leather you have or match, dye and cut leather to match the saddle. 

I tried to find a picture of me riding in that saddle and I just haven't dug deep enough yet! LOL


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Wow, what a find!! It appears to be in amazingly good condition, especially considering it's age. But, of course, back then they made stuff to last forever, not like so much of the workmanship we see today. You'll have to share some pictures after you get it fixed up.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Dig deeper, Cori! I wanna see one what it's supose to look like in rideable condition. 

Also, I took the girth off yesterday to clean it and forgot how to put it back on, so if you have pictures from the side... 


Yep! That thing has to be amazing quality if it survived so long and so well. That means I can beat it up all over again and it should survive. I'm very rough on my tack.


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

Brighteyes said:


> Ooh! I wanna dress as a WW1 solider. Did they ride pintos, cause that's all I got?


I don't know about WWI - apparently during the civil war they were not really used though. 10th New York Cavalry: Frequently Asked Questions 
but who cares! I say dress up and have fun! =)


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