Forums at Society of the Military Horse

Joe,Thanks much for the thread. I will take additional photo and send to you. I took picture of near side with JQMD stamp in place. Off side has circular area which might be patched? I will take picture of off side. Still a little confused. Any info out there regarding private purchase Smith-Worthington without sockets? Thanks Tom.

Very interesting - thanks for posting! I guess this says something about all the "officers saddles" that pop up without any pommel sockets (well, at least some of them [:)])

Todd H.

Yes, it might, but it still leaves open the question of the JQMD - marked saddles without french sockets. If the post on the Phillips is correct, one can only conclude that there was quite a bit of latitude in what the officers could order from the Army as well as from private sources. I really suspect that was the case.

Joe

I guess the next question on that track is to find out if JQMD would do repair work on demand for officers? Seems reasonable...considering the amount of civilian style polo gear the military shops put out for purchase by the officer corps.

Todd H.

With what we have seen in regards to saddles, tack, uniforms and footwear, I would venture to say just about anything was possible.

There seems to be no set standard the more we look at the standards. Army issue is one thing, but the brown Shoe Army officers seem to have had greater latitude in equipment than the modern officer. Enlisted equipment is what it is, but officer gear seems ot be what ever you may find.

It is very similar to S&W handguns, don't say they did not make a model ______ with ____ style, chances are they did.

Regards,
Ron Smith

Joe,
Remember, there are two types of JQMD tags - - "Manufactured by JQMD," and "REPAIRED by JQMD." We can't just say JQMD marked. It can mean two completely different things.
Rick T.

Yes, I know. I am voicing suspicions, not conclusions.

Joe

I'm new to learning about these saddles. This one seams to be made in the 20's and shipped to the US if I'm correct. It's Stamped H Marquis on the brass. It has a US stamp 1932 . A copper repair plate 1941 another US stamp 1941 JQMB , Has 4 serial numbers, with two that look double stamped but starts with a clear 2 and ends with a clear 7. Above those it's marked 4. It has 2 sets of stamps in the leather that looks like a code stamp. On the round steal rings they are stamped SOHD, and it's also stamped Saumur. It has enitals on one strap of ES . It hasn't been cleaned or oiled in many years but it's in good shape. It's just sat in the tack shed. The family farm said sell everything and to list this for 150.00 . Everyone just thought it was a women's English saddle not worth anything so I pulled it off criegslist and here I am thinking OMG this is a amazing piece of history. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Nice saddle! As you've determined, this is a French-made Model of 1917 officers saddle, which were made and imported into this country by officers returning from WW1, and later directly ordered from the firms in France through the '20s and '30s. The various tags/markings show that it was likely owned by a military officer - the JQMD tag with the 1941 date shows that it was sent to the Jeffersonville Quartermaster Depot for repair at some point. The depot did repair/refurbishment work for officers gear (for a fee of course) and applied their info disc when it was completed.

Please take some pics of the stirrups for us and upload those - if they are the original 'H. Marquis' 'Paris' solid nickel stirrups, you've made quite a find. Those stirrups are mighty rare and (I consider them to be) one of the more elegant stirrup designs of the 20th century.

Excuse me..... H Marquis is stamped on the STEEL not the brass. I also found a 1 and two 4's in a triangle formation . Please excuse me for my ignorance. At least I cought it in time and took it off criegslist ...... It's truly amazing how a gem like this can be over looked. Makes you wonder how many of these are rotting away somewhere. Never mind that's cry worthy .,...

The Stirrups say Japan on them and look like nickel silver. They were changed out depending on the boot being used. We might have them in storage and other things that went with the saddle. They might even be on another saddle. I ran into many interesting things so who knows what I will find ...Seems like I find a new stamp every time I look at this saddle. W.B. If I'm correct this was a inspection stamp. This Saddle made it to Spokane Washington. I found that Idaho and Montana had many elete military Polo clubs. I'd love to track down the history ownership. How could you know if this was one of the 4 saddles orderd as test saddles as they waited 11 years to do anything with them. Or am I confused ?

I'm going to make an assumption that you're (quite naturally!) confusing the Officers 1917 with the ENLISTED 1917 -

M1917 OFFICERS saddles were made in large numbers, by a variety of makers. Rock Island Arsenal made their version, Jeffersonville QMD made them from about the mid-20s, and many, MANY were purchased from French firms, such as Marquis ( which was located in the town of Saumur, where the French Cavalry school was located). These 1917 officers saddles were made all the way up to WW2, and many were repaired at JQMD even into the late '40s.

The M1917 ENLISTED saddle (different design than the above Officers 1917) was a test/trial model made in very few numbers, and ditched in early 1917 when military had to respond quickly to start of WW1. They knew they could get McClellan's very quickly, in large numbers, from variety of civilian manufacturers.

If the stirrups are marked with 'Japan', then they are replacements. I'll see if I can find a pic of the original 'H. Marquis' stirrups that came with many of these saddles...