Would Calvary Saddle Bags look OK with these saddle?

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Trying to figure out which bags I should make to go with this saddle. I would need to carry a lot of junk.
TIA,
Duke



BELOW PIC WAS PHOTO SHOPPED BY ME

[rickk]

If it were me, I would get everything I needed to take with me and put it all out in front of me. I would make some sort of attempt to balance the weight, as well as put things in the easiest to get to side. Animals like balance.... a percent or so of imbalance bothers them.

That in itself would take a bit of thinking.

If you are right handed, you would not want a pistol stuck in a left side bag if you ever thought you would need access to it while mounted..

A hatchet however would want to be on the left side, since you would most likely want access to it from the left side after dismounting... see my drift?

If you are left handed (1/10 chance)... gosh, it all wants to be on the left side... you are screwed ;-)

Once you have all that worked out, think about bags and how you can compartmentalize them. If you are going to put a big flap over them, the exact design can be up to you and only you will normally see it as the big flap will cover it all most of the time.

How much stuff are we talking here? Is this a Pommel bag, or something way bigger, or maybe one up front and one on the side/back?

Rick

[rickk]

and... since it isn't a cavalry saddle, more of a Mexican saddle, you don't have to be true to form... just make it work well for ya.

[rickk]

a picture of you on the horse would help you design this... it will tell you where the saddle can be and can't be.

[Major 2]

You might want to look at Valise or Portmanteau these are cylinders 20-24 " long and 7-8 " in diameter
and strap to the cantle

Replica Cavalry 1904 US Saddlebags ( M04 McClellan ) would be Russet closer to your Saddle's color.
M76 & M84's will be black....
There were Pommel Bags, for The M04 McClellan.... Border States Leather Works (Doug Kidd) may replicate them
He does make some fine Civilian style bags to fit his Hope style saddle ...I also suggest you look at these.

I'll also steer you toward David Carrico

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

and... since it isn't a cavalry saddle, more of a Mexican saddle, you don't have to be true to form... just make it work well for ya.

Any pics of what mexican saddle bags look like Rick.

[rickk]

Duke,

Type "mexican saddle" into the search bar on Ebay and you will see a hundred or so Mexican saddles, some having saddle bags on them.  You will see the protected stirrup on most of them.

They tend to be colorful, as are the saddles.  I don't know if the colorful ones are the norm or not though... they are just what people tend to be buying and selling right now.  I can't imagine that everyone in Mexico had a colorful saddle a hundred plus years ago. I don't think they all drive custom painted 1964 Impala low-riders in Mexico either.

I would not do a wildly colorful bag however as it would not match the saddle you have.

I would shoot for the same color and border pattern as the saddle if it were me, and try to design it to hold your specific stuff.  If you plan on using it regularly, make it work well for you. Make it hold what you need with easy accessibility. A couple of compartments and some pockets to organize stuff would make it easier to find stuff.  For instance, you would not want to have to rummage through it in the dark looking for a mini-mag-lite flashlight that has made it's way to the bottom. You would want that in a loop or small pocket up near the top, or maybe even on the outside under the flap.  Same for a cell phone, which if needed in a trail emergency would mean that you probably have your hands full and either don't have the time to or physically can't be groping around in the bottom of a bag because your leg is broken or you are hanging onto two horses at once and trying to help another injured rider.

Fighting with a poorly designed bag and dealing with a horse at the same time can be a hassle.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Google "Images mexican saddles"  Or images mexican saddle bags and find this;

http://liveauction.highnoon.com/1900s-Ornate-Mexican-Saddle_i10160252

The mexican style seems to be square at the bottom and fitted very closely to the cantle, almost like they were meant to stay attached to the saddle.

[Shotgun Franklin]

I've never seen a Mexican on a saddle like this. Who came up with that? They look very similar to Drover Saddles.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I've never seen a Mexican on a saddle like this. Who came up with that? They look very similar to Drover Saddles.

I don't know.  There must have been a lot of cross-border exchanges in the early 19th Century.  Somebody felt it was worth $7000! The silverwork looks Mexican, and the saddlebags are very much like I saw on google images of mexican saddles

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Google "Images mexican saddles"  Or images mexican saddle bags and find this;

http://liveauction.highnoon.com/1900s-Ornate-Mexican-Saddle_i10160252

The mexican style seems to be square at the bottom and fitted very closely to the cantle, almost like they were meant to stay attached to the saddle.

That's a Charro Saddle. I think the style on the ones we got are Texan.

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

Here's another style we have coming. This is Buffalo Barbie's favorite. Not sure why they refer to this as the "Buckaroo".

[Shotgun Franklin]

I don't make saddles but I've danged sure used a bunch. The very first looks like a modern version of a Texas Long Loop Saddle. The second looks a lot like a copy of an old Bona Allen and the third has a Long Loop Type Seat with a Dove Wing Skirt. I leaned that the square skirt with sharp corners was the Texas Style, rounded was the California Type. If you look at the saddle from the side and the rear comes up from the stirrup leather, or sweat leather, sharply to behind the seat you see that it looks like the wings of a Dove with it's wings folded. Thus the Dove Wing Saddle, like the last saddle. A Charro Saddle has a big half circle horn covered with rawhide. The seat normally has a pad of leather but raw hide shows all around. Charro saddles have more leather on'm the lower you go from the seat. Anyway, that's the way I was taught about saddles.
I do know that many cheaper Western Saddles are called 'Mexico' Saddles because that's where many come from. You called a real Cowboy's working saddle a 'Mexico' Saddle and he may whip your butt.

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

I don't make saddles but I've danged sure used a bunch. The very first looks like a modern version of a Texas Long Loop Saddle. The second looks a lot like a copy of an old Bona Allen and the third has a Long Loop Type Seat with a Dove Wing Skirt. I leaned that the square skirt with sharp corners was the Texas Style, rounded was the California Type. If you look at the saddle from the side and the rear comes up from the stirrup leather, or sweat leather, sharply to behind the seat you see that it looks like the wings of a Dove with it's wings folded. Thus the Dove Wing Saddle, like the last saddle. A Charro Saddle has a big half circle horn covered with rawhide. The seat normally has a pad of leather but raw hide shows all around. Charro saddles have more leather on'm the lower you go from the seat. Anyway, that's the way I was taught about saddles.
I do know that many cheaper Western Saddles are called 'Mexico' Saddles because that's where many come from. You called a real Cowboy's working saddle a 'Mexico' Saddle and he may whip your butt.

Thanks for the intel Franklin. Any reason or benefit to the rounded skirt?

[Shotgun Franklin]

The earliest Western Saddles were copies of Mexican Vaquero Saddles which were directly descended from Spanish War Saddles. Originally there was a lot of leather on the horse for protection in combat. There was a lot of experimenting trying to adapt the big heavy style of the Spanish Saddle to a working cow saddle. Stirrup/Sweat Leather went from wide to wider to narrower, Tapaderos came and went. Skirts, over time, tended to go through all kinds of shapes and sizes. The Dove Wing is lighter and allows more contact, feel of, the horse.  The Dove Wing is probably the most common shape today but a lot of Cowboys and Leathersmiths tried many different shapes to see what worked. I have two clones of late 1800s saddles; they have the Texas style skirt just because. They do add some weight and prevent as much close contact with the horse. I guess the bottom line is that the more saddle, the less contact with the horse but the bigger heavier the saddle the more abuse it will take. Pick up a Trail Saddle and it is usually a pretty light saddle but a Roping Saddle is much heavier. The Trail Saddle needs close contact and light weight to go far, the Roping Saddle needs strength, at the cost of weight, to take the shock of catching a cow. Always consider two times, what do I intend to do from the saddle and what do I want it to look like, in that order.

[Freedom]

Well not to sure what style bags you may want, but there is a lot of bags and patterns that are just too big for most applications.. and they will sure play-out your horse a lot sooner if you pack too much weight over there kidneys.

I have a  Will Ghormley old west pattern pack and I still cut them down for a more practical function.

The reason that they are calling that saddle a "Buckaroo" is that it is a Wade (slick/A-fork). The name is now used in refurance to the Oregen saddle style that origanated from the combined efforts of Cliff Wade, Dale Harwood and Ray hunt. (There is a real good story somewhere about the "Origanal"..I'll link to it if I can find it)

One of the biggest problems  with square skirts is that they "curl" up or "under" eventually.

A pretty scary thing about "production-saddles" can be seen in the first picture that you posted...The stirrup is on BACKWARDS!! LOL

Here is the wade link http://www.bergenranch.com/wade_saddle.htm

[Freedom]

I can really picture some bags like these that Cliff Fendley made on the saddles you pictured... the meander would really make these match nicely!

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,38258.0.html

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

A pretty scary thing about "production-saddles" can be seen in the first picture that you posted...The stirrup is on BACKWARDS!! LOL

My fault. The one in question is a Photo shoped version I did for one of my custom orders.

[Freedom]

My fault. The one in question is a Photo shoped version I did for one of my custom order.

That is too funny!..LOL.. I looked at that for a long time trying to figure out how they did that...LOL

Sure are sharp looking saddles!

[DUKE DEADEYE NUKEM]

I also need one of the saddle bags like in the old western movies that holds, 10 quart dutch oven, 48" cooking tripod, enough food for a 10 man posse for 5 days, 30 cup coffee pot and 5000 rounds of rifle and pistol ammo.