The History of
Western Leather
Spurs and Spur Straps, Cuffs,
Chaps, Chinks and Saddles
We've gathered
this historical information on saddles, spurs, spur straps, cuffs,
chaps and chinks from several sources and blended the end results
into what you see here. Many of our customers have asked the
"where, why and how" the various leather goods were used in the old
west which was a rough and ready place. Here we try to present the origins and make it interesting
reading at the same time. If you are only interested in
reading the about the history of one item please use the links below
and you will go directly to that item on the page.
Saddles ~
Spur Straps & Spurs ~
Chaps & Chinks ~
Cuffs
Spur
Straps and Spurs
Horsemen have used spurs
regularly since medieval times although the first example of spurs
found have been dated to around 700 B.C. The spur came into
prominence during the medieval times of feudal lords and kings.
During these times a king or lord would award a horseman the right
to wear spurs which also identified rank among warriors and knights.
During medieval times in battle they were used not only to make a war
horse lunge forward but also to take down foot soldiers. Why
waste your lance when your spur will have the same effect when
brought down on someone's face, head or upper body? For over
four centuries the mounted soldiers wore spurs as a status symbol
and to help control their horses in battle as the horses became
lighter and more nimble* By the 16th century spurs found their
way to "New Spain" (Mexico) with the Spanish conquistadors.
The Spanish vaqueros started using them when horseback riding. They
were extremely proud of their horsemanship and many employed a type
of spur with sharp pointed rowel styles that could severally injure
a horse if mis-used. Eventually the use of the spur went
northward and with the demand of horses for the US Cavalry many
cowboys and ranchers culled the wild horse herds of the west and
sold the horses to them after "breaking" the horses. Since
many did this on essentially a commercial basis the use of spurs was
used to help subdue the horse faster so that it took less time to
deliver the horse and more profit was made. Each area of the
southwest developed it's own style of spur and several designs for
came about made from different metals from plain iron to pure
silver. Eventually just about no cowboy in the west would be
seen without a set of spurs on, it was not only a status symbol but
you were considered "naked" without them. And in the west the
cowboy often needed an extra burst of speed from the horse he was
riding for many reasons and a pair of spurs judiciously applied
would achieve that.** Many a cowboy spent the cold winter
nights in the bunkhouse hammering out his own set of spurs and
working on a pair of straps. The spur was used not only in the
breaking of horses but gained popularity in the wild west shows,
rodeos when riding a wild bronco, and various other rodeo events.
Spur straps came in several styles and the designs went from plain
to the highly ornate, with or without conchos and/or studs. If
you bought them from a saddle maker they were available in several
different varieties of leathers also.
Click here
to view our selection of custom spur straps.
*Note:
In medieval times a war horse was typically used only in practice
and battle. These horses were usually extremely large and some
were trained not only to be ridden but to trample what was in front
of them. Even if not trained to trample a well placed spur
would achieve the same effect. Most of these horses were
actually draft type horses or cross bred to achieve a very large,
heavily muscled horse that could carry the weight not only of the
body armor put on it but also of a man in full armor and his
weapons. Speed was not of the essence with these horses, but
body mass was.
**A large majority of cowboys did not own their own horses (just
their saddles), and when on a cattle drive or working the range
would sometimes ride several different horses at any given time and
if on a big ranch might rarely ride the same horse very often.
One day you might be riding a well broken responsive horse and the
next the most ornery horse that could be imagined that would try to
buck or scrape you off at any given opportunity. "Senior"
cowboys usually got the pick of the herd and as anywhere those who
came last were left with the least desirable mounts.
Chaps
and Chinks
The
concept of chaps was introduced by the
Spanish to protect their legs from cactus, brush and thorns. They
called it "Chaparehos" which meant leather breeches or "leg of
iron". The first chaps were just large pieces of cowhide
attached to the saddle and wrapped around the legs. Later the
vaqueros modified this design by making a legging that hung from a
belt around the waist and went down the leg to just below the knee
and rawhide thongs would hold the chaps to the legs.
Early pioneer
Texans designed a heavy buckskin breech that fully encircled the leg
and often had fringing. Chasing the wily longhorn that would
run into dense thickets of thorns necessitated heavy protection. As the cowboy population grew
throughout the west, western leather makers designed three types of
chaps to accommodate the various general types of ranges and
conditions they were used in. The three types were Shotgun,
Bat Wing and Woolies. Texas cowboys wore chaps that protected
there legs from sharp branches and thorny bushes and thistles.
In the north cowboys not only used them for protecting their legs
while riding through brush and rough terrain but also used them for
the added warmth
and some protection in wind, rain and snow.
Click here to see our selection of custom chaps.
Shotgun Chaps
- This is the plainest style of chaps and the simplest design. These seamless leather
pants have a shape that reminded one of a double-barreled shotgun,
hence the name "Shotgun Chaps.
Typically they were held together by a belt that fit straight across
the waist and often were decorated along the outside seam with long
fringe. The chaps that didn't have a fringe were called
"closed-leg" chaps. This style was popular from the 1870's
thru the 1890's and because of their skin-tight cut and design were
hard to put on or take off while wearing a pair of boots and spurs.
Shown
here is a picture of C14H which are a southwestern version of the
Shotgun Chap. These are our Arizona/New Mexico Chaps w/Spots,
Fringe & Southwest Trim. The Leather Wrist Cuffs shown with
the chaps are C50B - Cuffs w/Studs & Rattlesnake Inlay. Click
here to view our
Leather Wrist Cuffs
Wooly Chaps
- this style chap became
popular in the late 1800's in the northern plains, especially during cold and wet weather. They were made
in a wide variety of furs including bear and buffalo but the most
prized was Angora goat fur. These chaps were worn by not only
cowboys in the far northern states but Wild West performers who
loved how "showy" they were. The chaps were made from hides
with the hair left on. Cowboys in the far north in states like Montana and
North Dakota wore these as the hair repelled not only the rain and
snow but
kept the wearer warm and comfortable even in the most torrential
downpour or heavy snowstorm. This is also why the same cowboys have
saddlebags made in the wooly style for the same reason
.
Bat Wing Chaps
- Appeared in the early 1900's and gained immediate acceptance
because they had snap fasteners that allowed them to go on and come off
easily. Because of their design they were easy to decorate and could be made extremely ornately. These pants had wide leather wings which
flapped freely instead of being tightly tied down. In the
western states cowboys would often unsnap their chaps
to allow for
ventilation. This chap only buckled to the knee so the wearer
could easily bend his legs. This worked well when working on the
range especially when squatting down to tie off a cow for branding, as well as working the rodeo arena. The wide wings were
perfect for leather tooling, overlay and inlay patterns of dyed
leather, sharp-studded designs and conchos. Local saddle shops
would offer custom designs with names, initials or anything else
that you might want. The design shown to the left is C11B and
is found on our Chaps/Chinks page.
Chinks - Most commonly used in the southwest. Chinks
are a half-length chap that attaches at the waist and ends just
below the knee, usually with a very long fringe at the bottom and
along the sides which makes them appear much longer than they are.
The cut is a cross between a batwing and shotgun and each leg
usually has two fasteners located high up on the thigh. These
are cooler to wear than a full length chap which is why they adopted
for usage by southwestern cowboys not riding through tough terrain.
The chinks shown here are C14C - Old-Time Chaps w/Leather Lacings.
The Leather Wrist Cuffs shown with the chaps are C55 - Star Badge
Cuffs w/Spots.
Cuffs
These cuffs first appeared in
photographs and saddle catalogs in the 1890's and are believed to
have derived from the military style leather gauntlet which was also
worn by cowboys. The first cuffs tied around the wrist with
laces and they had two functions. One was to protect the cuffs
of the shirt which was the first part to wear out and a store-bought
shirt at the time was fairly expensive. The second function of
the cuff was to protect the wrist from kicking hooves when branding
cattle, much as the high top boots protected the legs. These
eventually became a traditional cowboy accessory and "fashion
statement". They first started having carving or stamped
designs and later they were decorated with spots and conchos.
Rodeo riders loved them as they added flash when they were riding a
bucking bronco or bull.
The
cuffs shown here are C63 - Star Badge
Cuffs w/Spots,
click here to visit our Western Leather Cuffs page
Saddles
In the west the saddle
was not only a tool that was used everyday but a symbol of stature.
Many a cowboy didn't own their own horse but if they had their own
saddle they could get a job just about anywhere. An average
custom rig from a western saddle maker in the 1870's could cost
between $30 to $50 which when you only earned a dollar a day was a
huge investment. Most cowboys considered their rig their most
important possession and by taking excellent care of a well made
saddle it could last up to 20 years or more. Over time the
saddle was broken in to the riders shape, becoming more comfortable
and achieving the "rocking chair fit"....which made it even more
valuable considering the hours and days upon end spent sitting on
it.
The first horseback
riders rode bareback and for hundreds of years they traveled, hunted
and fought wars this way. There us a variety of information on
when the saddle first came into use. The first "saddles" that
weren't a saddle as such, they were actually Bareback Pads showed up
around 700-800 BC with the Assyrians and then a couple of other
peoples. They gave the rider a slight increase of comfort when
riding the horse but that's about it. The Romans are said to
have create the earliest true saddle around 200-250 AD, the earliest
saddle with a solid saddle tree. They also made a "four-horn
saddle design which although it didn't have stirrups it provided
excellent support. In Asia more developments came with the
saddle being made of felt that covered a wooden frame which is
similar to the modern saddle tree that combines different padding
over a solid tree and then a leather covering. The creation of
the solid tree was significant for both the horse and rider.
It distributed the riders weight on either side of the horses spine
which made the horse more comfortable and gave the rider more
security. Around 350-375 AD, the Sarmations used saddles but
they added a breastplate and girth to help the saddle stay on.
This tribe were known to be serious horsemen, using their horses not
only in battle but also for sacrificing to their gods. The
stirrup on the saddle is said to have been by the Sarmations but
this is highly debated, some say India was where it originated. The
nomadic tribes of northern China are thought to have created the
modern stirrup. The
saddles and metal stirrups arrived in Europe via the Huns invading
from Central Asia. The Europeans quickly adapted to using the
saddle and stirrups as it not only facilitated mounting but aided
the rider in balance. This in turn greatly enhanced their
skill and efficiency with their weapons (swords, axes and lances)
which they used in war. This saddle is of course nothing like
what we have today in either Western or English versions but it was
the beginning of the evolution that brought what we have today into
being.
In the Middle ages the
saddle was improved upon due to the fact that the knights needed a
saddle that could help hold them in the saddle and support the
weight of their heavy armor and weapons. This resulted in a
saddle that was built on a wooden tree with both a higher pommel and
cantle. This enabled the knight to wear a full suit of armor
on his war horse, carry heavy weaponry and it was much harder to
knock him off during battle due to the higher pommel and cantle.
This saddle was originally padded with wool or horsehair and covered
in leather or fabric. If a knight was of rank and had wealth
often embellishments would be added to a special saddle which
included elaborate leatherwork, precious metals, jewels, fabrics and
embroidery.
The American stock
saddle evolved from the from the early Spanish war saddle used by
the conquistadores. The Mexican vaquero's adapted the original
saddle which had a heavy rigid tree, high fork and cantle,
deep-dished seat and short stirrups. They made a few minor
modifications and added a leather skirt. In the late 1700's
the Mexican "California" saddle came about and it had a fixed skirt
which was round and without jockeys along with a more substantial
rigging which consisted of a cinch ring that hung down in line with
the front fork and a horizontal strap that ran from the cinch to the
back of the tree to secure the saddle. The strong high-peaked
pommels of this saddle were ideal for taking a turn around a rope
for holding an animal. The Texans then altered the design even
more. They liked the basic overall design keeping the wooden
tree, horn, cantle and stamped leather but they modified the wooden
horn so it was short, thick and covered in leather. The skirt
was changed to a plain square skirt and the stirrups were made out
of wide steam bent pieces of wood which were much stronger than the
carved ones previously used. A second cinch was also added to
firmly anchor the saddle as dealing with longhorn cattle were much
different than dealing with domesticated ones. In the 1870's
they changed the horn again to a short metal one as the wooden ones
often broke when dealing with a wild cow.
During this time saddle
makers were spread throughout the west and were quite busy making
and repairing saddles. Many new designs and innovations came
about with the input that they received from their clientele, the
ranchers and cowboys. With people moving into the west from
the east there were many different styles of saddles seen.
Georgia and the Carolinas had "Plantation-style", the "Morgan" came
from the east. The "Hope" saddle was used by mountain men,
pioneers and early cowboys. The "Cheyenne" saddle was
distinguished by it's fancy rolled cantle. The saddle makers
were ever inventive and blended many designs from different saddles
to make new ones, such as designing a saddle tree which fit a
horse's back and didn't chafe. Different saddles were more
popular in some areas than others and below are some descriptions of
some of them.
Montana Saddle
- This saddle has large square skirts with wide fenders and exposed
stirrup leathers. The saddle has a front and rear jockey along
with a side jockey that is tacked onto the three-quarter inch seat
and held in place with the front and center saddle strings.
The rear cinch ring is usually riveted to the rear jockey and the
front cinch ring is connected with Sam Stagg Rigging. This
saddle was originally designed by the Moran Brothers.
Sam Stagg Rigging
- With this type of construction the front rigging leather is looped
around the horn and extended down each side of the slick fork to the
cinch ring and is made from one piece of leather. The saddle
maker who came up with this design was Joseph Alexander Samstag who
came to California from the east during the Gold Rush.
Pueblo Saddle
- The skirts of this saddle were larger than most, measuring up to
32 inches and the fenders made the rig seem even wider. It was
developed by Gallup and Frazier in Pueblo, Colorado. This rig
is quite beautiful and highly ornate and the wide skirt allows more
decoration than normal. The saddle retained the double rigging
and had a metal horn that was exposed. The metal horn was
usually made of highly polished brass or nickel and was not
practical for a serious cowboy that needed to rope much but was
highly popular with those that didn't have to. The saddle
makers would adapt the horn for the roper.
Texas Saddle
- These saddles have low wooden horns, slick forks, square skirts
and double rigging. They were designed to chase wild cattle
through heavy underbrush. Saddle maker Gallatin built a heavy
rugged saddle that was very close to the original saddles. S.
D. Myers also made many of these types of saddles in his early years
and he was known for his attention to details. He made many
highly decorated and jewel bedecked saddles for people such as
Pancho Villa and the President of Mexico.
California Saddle
- This became the "classic cowboy saddle" by the late 1880's.
More elaborate in design because of the Spanish/Mexican influence
they weren't designed to chase wild cattle like the "Texas" saddle.
It was more important to the Spanish ranchers that their tack be
elaborately tooled and engraved with silver which showcased their
pride in their horsemanship. One version of this saddle is
known as the "Visalia".
Oregon Saddle - This
saddle is of a similar design to the "California" but without all
the ornamentation and it has a swell fork and was make for working
cattle. Victor Mardin is said to have designed the swell fork
around 1904. Before the swell fork the rider would have to
wrap something around the pommel for a little more security on a
rough mountain trail. To deliver cattle to the big towns in
Oregon they had to take the cattle to the west through the Cascade
Mountains and all the river valleys.
Questions and
Answers:
What's the major
distinguishing feature of an English saddle compared to a Western
saddle? The major distinguishing feature of the
English saddle is it's lack of a horn and it's "panels" which are a
pair of pads attached to the underside of the seat and filled with
wool, foam or air.
Do both Western
and English saddles have different styles?
There are several different styles of Western and
English saddles. Specifically designed Western saddles are
used by ropers, stunt and trick riders, etc. There are
specific English saddles used for show jumping, hunt seat, dressage,
saddle seat, horse racing and polo.
How did the two
saddles come from the same concept when they are so different in
design? The English saddle was developed from what was
more like a western style saddle by a French riding master named
Francois Robinchon de la Guérinière who made many contributions to
the form known as "Classical Dressage". His greatest emphasis was
the proper development of a "three point" seat that is still used
today. When fox hunting became popular in England in the 18th
century among the nobles the Guérinière saddle design became the
favored saddle due to the low pommel and cantle that made jumping
more comfortable and gave greater freedom to both horse and rider.
Due to it's comfort it became popular throughout the Europe.
The saddle further evolved in the US in the 1850's by George B.
McClellan for the US Cavalry and the US Army and was used with some
improvements until the 1940's. This saddle is still used today
by ceremonial mounted units in the US Army. The basic design
was also used by other military entities including Britain and
Mexico. The Western saddle is based upon the original design
that evolved in Europe before they developed the English Saddle. The
Spanish conquistadors introduced it to Mexico and the basic design
migrated northward.
What are the
differences between a Western and an English saddle? Some
differences between Western and English are a Western saddle has to
have a saddle blanket for padding between the horse and saddle, an
English does not. A Western saddle has much more substantial
stirrups and uses a "cinch" instead of a "girth" and the western
saddle is made of a much heavier leather.
Is the United
States the only place that has cowboys and uses the Western style
saddle? There are other countries such
as Argentina and Australia that have cowboys and "stock saddles"
which are much like the western saddles found here with a deep set,
high cantle and made of heavy leather HOWEVER they don't have a
horn.
Are there any
other types of saddles? There are several different
styles of saddles and we've listed some of them below.
Bareback Pad - A
simple pad usually shaped like a saddle pad and made of leather
or nylon. Padded with fleece, wool or synthetic foam it
has a girth. Used to provide padding to both horse and
rider instead or riding bareback. Depending on the
materials it's made of it can give the rider's seat and legs
more grip.
Endurance Riding
Saddle - This saddle is designed for both horse and rider.
It has broad panels but is of a lightweight design that is
comfortable for both horse and rider for endurance riding over
different terrains.
McClellan/Calvary
Saddle - Used by the US Calvary before and during the Civil War.
It has an English-type tree with a higher pommel and cantle.
The area the rider sits on is divided into two sections with a
gap between the panels.
Military/Police
Saddle - Designed much like an English saddle but with a tree
not only to provide security for the rider but for greater
weight distribution of the rider for the comfort of the horse.
This saddle makes it easier on the horse when carrying a man for
hours on end.
Pack Saddle - Very
similar to a cavalry saddle with simple construction. It's
sole use is to support any bags, boxes or other cargo being put
on the horses back.
Sidesaddle - a
woman's saddle that was designed for a woman wearing a skirt and
sitting basically sideways in the saddle with both legs on the
same side of the saddle. This saddle is still used today
in exhibitions, horse shows and parades. Requires skill,
balance and an excellent seat to use this saddle.
Treeless Saddle -
This comes in both English and Western designs. It does
not have a solid saddle tree which means that it can't support a
large person like a solid tree. It's designed to fit
comfortably on various types and sizes of horses.
Saddle Cleaning:
Sit saddle on a saddle rack, fence rail or sawhorse
after removing from horse. Wipe the saddle
down with a slightly damp soft cloth or sponge.
This will remove the sweat and dirt (which can cause
cracking in the leather) and you do this after every
use of the saddle. After about a half a dozen
rides you should clean your saddle with saddle soap
and once clean apply a conditioner such as Neatsfoot
oil to restore the natural oils back into the
leather. There are many oils that can be used
and some will darken the leather. Be careful
not to over-oil or it may rot the stitching
especially in areas with high humidity. The
straps such as the stirrup leathers, cinch strap and
strings also need conditioned but it depends on the
area that you are living. Dry climate means
you have to oil them or they may crack and thus snap
or break. Humid climate means too much oil can
weaken the leather. All of the leather on your
saddle should be supple. A well made custom
saddle can last for years if properly taken care of
and it may even increase in value. An old
quality saddle on EBay can go for amazing amounts.
Cleaning also ensures your safety while riding as
you are checking everything thoroughly while
cleaning and knowing that your equipment is in as
good a shape as your horse when going over
treacherous trails or just riding miles from home is
reassuring.
