For
fur trade era the only choice is wool, which is probably the best choice of all
options even in today’s market. You can find a lot of information about how
thick they should be, but I like about 1 ½ inches. My base blanket is the light
brown one, with a small wool blanket folded in half that goes over top hanging
down further. I have found this to be a great combination to protect Bubbles
and for me to sleep on. The key to blankets is really the comfort and protection
of your horse.
There
aren’t a lot of options to ensure you have a proper, period correct saddle as
there are almost no known surviving saddles. This is where you must defer to
the people who have done extensive research. My saddle was built by Mitch
Alexander, the man I consider to be the expert in period correct saddles of the
fur trade era and beyond; and he builds and rawhides them. His research for the
St. Louis Saddle came from studying the books, Man Made Mobil by the
Smithsonian and The American Military Saddle, 1776-1945, Dorsey, Stephen R.
& Kenneth L McPheeters. Mitch also uses various paintings from Alfred Jacob
Miller. The main design came from a sketch in Man Made Mobil of what the
Smithsonian believes the Thornton Grimsley saddletree looked like.
Mitch
has been building saddle trees for more than 30 years, so for a proper saddle,
he is the go-to guy at Old Time Saddlery. If you are serious about getting a
saddle, he gave me permission to include his contact information here:
608-732-7460, alexandersaddles@hotmail.com. His work is superior, and you will
never need another saddle!
Pictured
are my saddle and another Mitch built as close to the St. Louis style as
possible. They aren’t fancy and they surely don’t have gel cushions! Mine has a
simple buffalo epishemore over the top for a bit of added comfort. I built and
added tapaderos to my stirrups. These are fantastic in all conditions. In the
sage brush of Wyoming, they protect your feet and in the cold winters of the
east they help keep your feet warm. Additionally, hanging over my saddle horn
is an oilcloth tarp that always rides there. In the rain I unroll it to cover
my saddle and gear that is tied to my cantle.
Underneath
is a Mitch Alexander handmade mohair cinch with brass rings. My saddle has
adjustable rigging. While trekking, if her underside gets sore, I can move the cinch
forward or backward to give Bubbles relief.
I know this is
a very brief over-view, but if you really want to trek by horse, you can
contact me for help, or I can point you to someone in your area. It is a real
game changer and more fun to trek by horse! I hope to see you looking over your
horses’ ears in the future.
Written by Gerry "Lucky" Messmer. Reprinted with permission from the author.
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