A Col. Whitman Saddle tale
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:29 pm
Once upon a time ...
(Yes, I know how a real "sea story/war story" starts, but this is a family show ...)
I came across an old saddle by way of an estate sale. Among the other items were some pre-/during/post WW1 things that narrowed the timeline of the original owner, and ultimate research here from the experts and a few other spots revealed I had a Whitman Park saddle, ca. 1916. You can view it at flikr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/18565374@N03/6256138920/.
I rode it a couple of times and it's very comfortable. Although it's a "hard seat" similar to a McClellan, it has a much more comfortable seat. Note in the one underside shot it looks for all the world like a McClellan tree. Given it's designed by Col. Whitman, that's no surprise. That centerline gap is a real eye catcher with all the dressage & hunter types at the barn.
Then I rode it once too often. Add one old saddle, a startled horse in retraining, and well ... once again I know how sand tastes.
The rest of the tale has a happy ending. I got smarter once my head stopped spinning. Trooper Riley calmed down, settled in to training, and has since been adopted to a great home. And Tom Smith rallied to my rescue with a fantastic job repairing the quarter straps & skirts. Yep - shameless plug for a fellow member of this group. I've got another SPCA project now, a red dun QH who seems more sane than Riley. In any case, my hubris has been (mostly) replaced with humility. (note to self: shut up, stop, and listen to the horse). And yes, I'm going to try the Whitman again.
BTW - The Whitman design made it all the way to the US Supreme Court: http://supreme.justia.com/us/148/674/case.html
Bob Hillery
(Yes, I know how a real "sea story/war story" starts, but this is a family show ...)
I came across an old saddle by way of an estate sale. Among the other items were some pre-/during/post WW1 things that narrowed the timeline of the original owner, and ultimate research here from the experts and a few other spots revealed I had a Whitman Park saddle, ca. 1916. You can view it at flikr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/18565374@N03/6256138920/.
I rode it a couple of times and it's very comfortable. Although it's a "hard seat" similar to a McClellan, it has a much more comfortable seat. Note in the one underside shot it looks for all the world like a McClellan tree. Given it's designed by Col. Whitman, that's no surprise. That centerline gap is a real eye catcher with all the dressage & hunter types at the barn.
Then I rode it once too often. Add one old saddle, a startled horse in retraining, and well ... once again I know how sand tastes.
The rest of the tale has a happy ending. I got smarter once my head stopped spinning. Trooper Riley calmed down, settled in to training, and has since been adopted to a great home. And Tom Smith rallied to my rescue with a fantastic job repairing the quarter straps & skirts. Yep - shameless plug for a fellow member of this group. I've got another SPCA project now, a red dun QH who seems more sane than Riley. In any case, my hubris has been (mostly) replaced with humility. (note to self: shut up, stop, and listen to the horse). And yes, I'm going to try the Whitman again.
BTW - The Whitman design made it all the way to the US Supreme Court: http://supreme.justia.com/us/148/674/case.html
Bob Hillery