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MODEL 1912 ENLISTED MAN’S TRIAL SADDLE – A VERY
DISPLAYABLE SPECIMEN OF A RARE US ARMY SADDLE:
It is always a pleasure to have the opportunity to offer
an uncommon and especially historic piece of US Army
Ordnance equipment, and that is certainly true in this
instance. Any Model 1912 Enlisted Man’s Trial Service
Saddle is a rare offering, one that is seldom available
on the open market, and that we are able to offer this
second specimen at this time should in no way imply
these unique saddles are more common than in fact they
are. On occasion, the fickle finger of fortune allows
even a blind hog to find an acorn - in this case, two.
As one of the evolutions in the series of saddle trials
and development undertaken by the Ordnance Department
during the early 20th Century, the timely
approval and issue of the Model 1912 Trial Saddles to a
number of regular army cavalry units for testing in the
field coincidently as the deteriorating political
situation in Mexico threatened the security of the
southern border of the United States, guaranteed the
trial equipments’ place in US military history.
Designated in 1912 as the model name suggests, and
developed, manufactured and made available for issue by
1916, the majority of the cavalry units that Gen. Black
Jack Pershing led south across the border in March of
that year on his “Punitive Expedition” were mounted on
the Model 1912 Trial Saddles. The months spent in
Mexico provided the opportunity for such personalities
as Pershing, Patton, Eisenhower and a host of others to
not only hone their military skills, but unknowingly
begin their assent onto the world stage to fulfill the
roles they would play during the following thirty to
forty years. This happenstance of timing, and the
association with such famous personalities, secured for
the Model 1912 Horse Equipments what may have been an
otherwise unattainable niche in Ordnance Department
history.
This Model 1912 Service Saddle, like so many military
saddles, appears to have survived its period of use by
the army in reasonably good condition, only to suffer
some effects of poor storage in the years that
followed. Fortunately, the signs of aging on this
particular saddle are limited almost in total to those
areas that are not exposed when it is on display, as you
can see in the accompanying photographs.
The upper leather surfaces of the seat and skirts retain
an overall smooth, polished finish, with a minimum of
wear visible in the form of light scratches and dings
that are normally associated with saddles that have been
exposed to regular field service. The seat and skirts
have an even finish and color with no discoloration or
stains. There are a few points of wear, primarily on
the crest of the edge of the pommel and cantle, and on
the lower reaches of the skirts – both places were
equipment and buckles wore against the saddle leather,
but nothing that affects the structure, integrity, or
the overall appearance of the saddle. Both sets of
skirts and jockeys are full form with no loss along the
edges as is so often seen on saddles having been exposed
to heavy use or the elements. The seat size brass plate
is present on the crest of the cantle, the three foot
loops are present on the underside of the cantle shelf,
and both box rings are present on the pommel.
The seam on the right side of the seat where it joins
the jockey that covers the stirrup strap hanger has
separated. The leather is not torn and all of the
stitching holes are intact – the stitching simply gave
way. As you will see in the photographs, when the
saddle is displayed with the left side of the saddle to
the front, this open seam is not readily visible. All of
the other seams on the seat, jockeys, and the crests of
the pommel and cantle are intact.
The special stirrup hangers, introduced with this model,
are both intact and both safety catches function
properly. The stirrup straps are exacting replacements
made with original buckles and with detailed attention
to the regulation specifications, with the rough side of
the leather out, the proper number of holes spaced
exactly as they were on the originals, and the holes
numbered as they were on the original straps. The
original Model 1912 Stirrups retain their proper
darkened finished as is correct for the Enlisted Man’s
saddle and both are maker marked and stamped “US”.
As noted above, the components beneath the skirts and on
the underside of the saddle experienced the bulk of the
harm, and the extent to the various parts that are
involved is described as follows:
The Ground (or under) seat shows some wear, and a
portion of the leather covering is missing, but given
that this area is not visible when the saddle is on
display, this evidence of aging does not detract from
the saddle’s appearance.
The girth straps are not
present, but these are a fairly straight forward
component and could be easily restored, however given
their positioning their absence is not visible when the
saddle is displayed.
The side bar hinges are all intact and function
properly. Three
of the sidebar caps are present and all have a bright,
smooth finish to the leather.
The
right side bar is intact, and has both of the leather
end caps intact, and the side bar pad is present. The
stitching that joins the front end cap to the pad is
intact, but the stitching that joins the pad to the rear
end cap is separated. The surface of the pad shows wear
and some surface loss.
The left side bar has suffered the most obvious damage.
The rear end cap is intact and full form, but the side
bar pad and the front end cap are missing. While the
side bar proper is still in general form and is still
firmly intact to the side bar hinges, the under surface
of the bar has been eroded to some degree, apparently
exposed to moisture. There is some softness to the
wood, but the bar appears to be stable and strong enough
to support a restoration effort should you decide to go
that route.
None of the wear or damage noted to the under-surfaces
of the saddle is readily notable when the saddle is
displayed, and none of these points are such that they
could not be restored by a skilled and competent
saddler. All of the unique hardware and fittings are
present and functional, requiring only leather and some
basic wood restoration to complete the task.
Considering the rarity of these saddles, with a minimal
investment of time and money, this saddle could be
restored and if you decided to go that route, I would be
happy to cooperate with you or your saddler to that
end. I know of a very skilled saddler, experienced in
antique saddle restoration, who is willing to assist you
with this project.
However, restoration would not be necessary in order to
display the saddle and as it stands, it is a credible
and attractive example of the Model 1912 Saddle.
Positioned with some care and properly displayed with
the related special 1912 equipment such as the 1912
Cantle Bags, the bulk of the distractions would be
covered and for all appearances the saddle would be
complete.
Courtesy of the Society of the Military Horse, I have
been made aware of a document authored by a Colonel of
Ordnance at the Rock Island Arsenal. While undated,
based on the content, the document is believed to have
been written circa 1918 and the colonel reported the
total manufacture of Model 1912 Service Saddles was
limited to 8983. Given the difficult service to which
these saddles were exposed, it is not an overstatement
to regard any listing of an original Model 1912 Enlisted
Man’s Saddle as a rare offering.
This particular specimen
affords an opportunity to complete a collection, private
or public, with the US Army saddle that is the keystone
of any Punitive Expedition display.
(0441)
$1850
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