1840's horse ride

[buckskin billy]

howdy yall.  I recently got invited to go on a pre 1840's horse ride. we rode about 12 miles and made a period correct camp. we camped 3 days two nights. all gear used was from the period right down to the horse tack. I felt blessed to be part of such a doings.
took a few pictures of the horses and gear figure some here would enjoy looking at them.

[BlackHillsScout]

That's great stuff, would you go over some of your gear? especially the saddle
Thanks for sharing

[James Hunt]

Very, very cool.  So did you have any pack animals or were you able to live out of your saddle? Did you hobble the horses at night, put them on a line? So many questions. Answer, we need answers - and of course more pictures.

[dusty texian]

Look's like some Kinda fun there BB.Yall have some sure- nuff gear. Wish I coulda been there to help Ya empty that green bottle. Very Cool Pard,,,,,,,Dusty

[James Hunt]

More questions. Nice pucker toes you have, right out of Miller's work! But I have always wondered how your feet did after a day's riding wearing them. Unless you wear them constantly in life, I would think that maintaining a balanced seat would kill your feet after a few hours. Further, try as I might, eventually one of those critters steps on you. Bad enough with leather footware, worse with rubber boots, and I can not conceive of such an experience in moccasins - do you worry, have experience  with that?

I am probably  the only guy who would give this a thought - but I also count stitches for fun. So I am serious in wanting to know your experience. 

[Major 2]

Ahhh !... that Conjure up some great memories of some treks I made

[buckskin billy]

howdy fellers,
that one little weekend experience I will remember the rest of my days. I have more pics and will post some of them later this evening. some I can't cuz other people who were on the ride are in the pics and I haven't permission to post there likeness here.
the horse and saddle I was loaned to. the saddle was made by clay landry. I do not know if he has a web site. those who have been in this hobby awhiles should recognize his name. he wrote a couple of things in the book of buckskinning series as well as muzzle loading magazine. the saddle to my understanding is built on whats called a trapper's tree. the one I was on has a double hand hole in the cantle. it is covered with a mochilla and has the monkey nose tapaderos. it was my first experience with a period saddle. I must say it is very bare bones. it fits close to the horse and was very comfortable to ride. when I settled into it, it felt like I melted around it. the mochilla has leather lacings on the top and I was concern it would rub me while see sawing back and forth on the saddle. that was never a problem. with real buckskin pants on the mochilla just kind of grips you. I never want to ride a modern saddle again.
as far as my other gear. my bed roll consisted of two Hudson bay blankets rolled up in a Spanish brown oil cloth that I got from crazy crow( I mumble that under my breath) and my buffalo robe. I had planned on packing light thinking everything would be on the horse. my plans were to use the buffalo robe for a saddle blanket and tie the bed roll to my saddle. this was a event I was invited to and not every one was riding horses so my bed roll was waiting at the camp for me when I got there.
my hat was made by a feller from Kansas named lil griz. I have a narrow strip of black wal nut hull dyed braintan for a hat band a assortment of turkey feather and a length of hemp string twisted for my hat band, and a bob cat tail.
I made my shirt following beth gilgun's direction from the book of buckskinningII pages 78-79. I got the fabric from  http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/. I sewed it by hand using real linen thread. the vest is just a ronnyvoo special that I cut the stupid looking plastic buttons off and replaced with brass buttons.
my waist belt is wal nut hull dyed and is 1 1/2 inches wide with a will ghormley had of God brass buckle. I have a simple leather sheath wal nut hull dyed, with a single row of brass tacks and a criss cross pattern carved into it. with my original Wilson butcher knife. the blade is 6 inches long. most carry a bigger knife but I come from the school of thought that it aint the size of your blade but how you use it that counts. I also have a willow bait bottle and a brain tan pouch for a wet stone attached to the belt
my hunting pouch I copied from a miller painting. it is the first thing I made years ago after I started brain tanning. its simple in design. I like red beads so I added a few to the fringe. the powder horn me and my friend made. its a real buffalo horn with a black wal nut plug. with a simple leather strap attached  and a deer horn stopper.
my pants are a simple button fly brain tan pantaloons. at one time I had the under straps sewed on but I have since walked them off. mocs are the pucker vamp made from brain tan elk, cover in red wool flannel and of course you gotta have the white beads.
my brain tan coat and plains rifle completes the attire
 

[buckskin billy]

james, the pucker vamp mocs are for the most part comfortable. that will be the last trail for that pair I was wearing. I been wearing them for a whiles now and they for the most part gave up the ghost on this ride.
when they are new the top seam is a little stiff and somewhat uncomfortable but like a good pair of boots they break in nicely. I have to say I prefer the side seams over the pucker vamp. I haven't quiet got the nack for making pucker vamps yet. but pucker vamps just look so much cooler to me.
I had no problems with them while on the ride. I was concerned a few times while saddling my horse that he might step on me. being stepped on while wearing mocs would be just a fancy way of getting stepped on bare footed

more pics later

[Tsalagidave]

Great stuff Billy. This is one of the "little things" that makes life worth it. Great pics; please post more. I second James' questions. In all my years, I can't remember riding in mocs. Everything from running shoes to boots, brogans and modern Ariats but never mocassins.

-Dave

[The Elderly Kid]

Billy, where did this all take place? It looks like a wonderful experience. Is your plains rifle a custom job?

[buckskin billy]

Billy, where did this all take place? It looks like a wonderful experience. Is your plains rifle a custom job?

we were in east texas. back in the late 80's or early 90's hatfield was making rifles. my plains rifle is one of those

[buckskin billy]

as promised more pictures.

the saddle below is the same as the one I rode. it belongs to the guy who invited me on the trip. this is the trapper's tree with one hand hole in the cantle and without a mochilla. it also has wooden stirrups cover with rawhide



someone asked how we kept the horses while not riding them we just tied them to a long length of rope. no hobbles. I really would had liked to used hobbles just to further the experience



another picture of my bed roll. the green bottle has my home made black berry shrub in it. its a period drink and is mighty tastey.im not much of a drinker these days but that poor old bottle didn't make it through the first night. it made two trips around the fire before it was done for



on the way back to the settlements, and yes it rained



my horse amigo after we returned to the settlements. he had to take a roll



I thought this just made a cool picture

[BlackHillsScout]

Thanks for the write up and more pictures

[pony express]

Those saddles remind me of when me and my ex took a trip to Puerto Vallarta a dozen years ago or so. one of the tourist attractions we went to was a trail ride up to a waterfall in the mountains. The saddle was basically just the tree, with straps and a pad attached.

[James Hunt]

Still curious about the moccasin thing. If it weren't so muddy back there I'd grab my center seams and head out to the barn and answer my own questions.

This is a technical question I guess - probably think I'm nuts for asking, but when you are riding with moccasins, are you riding classic heels down balanced seat? Or after awhile do the moccasins end up requiring you to just point your toes and sit the saddle? It seems like without a hard flat surface beneath your feet your tendency or comfort would mean you just point your toes.

Which further begs the question, did you push those horses? I just naturally go into two point when I go flat out but can you do that with moccasins? or is it more like just riding bareback?

I know, I know, what is that guy talking about? The next thing he's going to want to know is did we post when we trotted. I tend to over think problems.

[buckskin billy]

james I was  riding a friends horse for practice before this trip. it had been a few years since I had been on a ride. his modern gear was very un-comfortable compared to the period gear. the modern saddle is very wide and I felt like I was doing the splits getting on it. not so with the period tree.
the stirrups on the modern saddle I was on was narrow and made of brass. wearing my everyday cowboy boots these stirrups would hurt the bottom of my feet. the period stirrups are wide and give you plenty of room to rest your feet on.
I was taught to ride years ago with just the toes of my feet in the stirrup and to support yourself with the weight being on the ball of your toes(if im even making sense here). it seems that the wider period stirrups helps support you better, because it cover the balls of your toes to your arch. not sure if I made sense. if you was standing here I could just show you what im trying to say a lot easier.
but I had no troubles with  my mocs from riding. the horse had been to the place we were camping many times and knew the way. I was on loan to him

[GunClick Rick]

One of the best days of my life was on a ride like that,just below the sequoias,10 miles in 10 back at least 50 riders,little chile cook off,the oldest rider and youngest rider contest up to an old homestead..My mountain man buddy makes saddles,usually from scrap wood,he said ya sit it in it,rub mud on your butt and that will tell you where to carve or whatever.I would hate to be a kid and have seen you in that gear,I SWEAR DAD I SAW A REAL GHOST OF A MOUNTAIN MAN!!! Kid ya gotta go easy on those roasted mellmarshers!!

[GunClick Rick]

Nice animals too