Please note: A complete presentation of this saddle pattern with multiple color photos can be found in my book, AMERICAN RIDING & WORK SADDLES (and Horse Culture), 1790-1920.
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The Somerset originated in England in the early 19th century at the behest of Lord General Charles Somerset, the second son of the 5th Duke of Beaufort. The English Somerset saddle was initially fashioned for elderly and inexperienced riders and differed from the standard English saddle of the era by the addition of a buff leather seat, knee and leg rolls on the front and rear of the saddle skirt for added security.1
It arrived in America sometime in the 1830’s or 40’s and was quickly “Americanized” to include a higher pommel, cantle and longer skirts. By the 1850’s it was firmly established in the United States as its own pattern differentiating it from the flat, common English Hunt saddle. The distinction in the American Somerset is that it generally utilized an American English tree with its slightly elevated peaks allowing for a deeper seat but usually adding a wider variety of enhanced leather treatments than the typically plain English saddles. In popularity it quickly developed as the fancy sibling to the English, Spring Seat and the high-cantle “American” saddle patterns.
Variations to the Somerset throughout the 19th century almost always included some kind of fancy enhancements including knee rolls (sometimes cantle rolls) and stitched down seats, fancy tooling, assorted skirt treatments, under padding and metal or (later) open wood stirrups but rarely fenders. This was in an effort to attract sales by offering more variety to the changing inclinations of the riding market particularly in the Southern culture.
Yet, the Somerset continued to evolve. By the Civil War, the American saddle had completely faded which allowed the Somerset to be a classy alternative to the common though harmonious, flat English and the Spring Seat saddle. During the post war era, its chief rival was the higher peaked Kilgore. Of course, the Kilgore did not use an English tree but was built using a four-piece tree that included bars that extended behind the cantle peaks. Still, in some post war catalogs the Somerset often appeared similar in finish to the Kilgore. Later, near the turn of the century catalog companies were turning out Somerset saddles with stitch-down seats that rivaled in appearance the Kentucky Spring Seat saddle popular at the time. All of this illustrates the ever evolving and competitive nature of the riding saddle market.
In general, other than the differing tree configurations the Somerset is most often identified from the high peaked patterns by a more modest pommel and a low, graceful, (sometimes almost flat), seat and cantle closer to English saddles and of course, its routine signature embellishments. Unfortunately, catalog saddle makers in the late 19th century blended so many finish styles that the Somerset can easily be confused with the English saddle, the Kilgore and, even Kentucky Spring Seat saddles. Appearances were sometimes differentiated only by name. Nevertheless, the basic configuration of an English tree with varying but enhanced finish features is what makes the American style Somerset.2
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