THE SPRING SEAT SADDLE AND THE KENTUCKY SPRING SEAT SADDLE

     American spring seat applications on English tree saddles date back at least to the 18^th century. A “spring” was achieved by stretching simple web or leather across the waist of the tree underneath the seat to give it more cushion or shock absorption for the rider. At least a dozen and a half U.S. patents for variable spring seat saddles or “spring” contraptions are noted beginning about 1822 to 1860. However, none were more practical than simple leather or webbing.

      Usually heavily under-padded and built for comfort and style this saddle is found with various finishes to the seat and skirts, but strictly as a commercial pattern the spring seat is distinguished by no other aspect than its seat (or tree) “spring” application. The subsequent “finish” or leather treatment to the tree was inconsequential.¹

     From the beginning, the Spring Seat saddle was made exclusively on English or Americanized English trees. About the 1840’s, the English tree Somerset made its appearance in America and then it too was often adapted with a spring seat application. About the time of the Civil War, the Spring Seat saddle pattern seems to have lost its allure in the pantheon of popular saddle sales. Though long skirts, fanciful quilted stitching, cantle and knee rolls, etc. remained popular in Gentlemen’s riding saddles these embellishments were applied to other trees including flat English, Somerset and even horned trees in an effort to drive sales. The term “Spring Seat saddle” was considered old fashioned until later in the post war era when it experienced a renaissance.

The Kentucky Spring Seat:

     In the early 1880’s Eugene Minihan of Owingsville Ky. is credited with inventing the “Kentucky Spring Seat” saddle, which revolutionized the Southern Riding Saddle trade. Minihan used a double gullet, broad cantle tree either in the flat English style or, on a Somerset tree both of which required double iron reinforcement of the pommel. However, most importantly he greatly improved the flexibility of the saddle with a brilliant but simple alteration.

     First, Minihan cut and removed the center section of each bar of the tree to completely separate the cantle from the pommel. Then, he replaced those sections with layers of six to eight ounce leather to create a hinge affect which gave the tree a significant flexibility to self-adjust to the movement of the animal. Finally, he heavily padded then finished his “stitch-down” seats with an elaborate quilting pattern called “Trapunto”.

     The trapunto method begins with the saddler stitching the desired pattern onto the seat leather underlain by a sheet of muslin cloth. Wherever there is a desired element of design, holes are made in the muslin through which sheep wool is stuffed to raise that part of the pattern. This gives the leather a multi-dimensional, raised cushion effect. Cheaper “stitch down” seats just used felt or cotton batting sandwiched between the leather and muslin with the pattern stitched through all three layers. In addition, the Trapunto method provided the opportunity for Minihan to showcase some of the finest saddle craftsmanship in America.

     Minihan’s Kentucky Spring Seat saddles were noted for their varying but quite fancy Trapunto finish treatments and were frequently accompanied with a pronounced cantle roll sometimes called “Bluegrass style”. More than just a saddler Minihan was an artist, masterfully producing many scrolled, quilted seat patterns using colorful thread commonly in rose, heart or other designs. His most elaborate seats were finished with a unique “angel wing” design across the cantle. Apparently, Minihan’s young daughter was taken from him at a young age and this design is said to have been developed by him as a tribute to her. These saddles are particularly remarkable for their near mirror image left side/right side seat design. They remain prized collector’s pieces today.

 

Another restored Minihan (above) showing the exquisite detail of the quilted “trapunto” padding an Minihan’s signature “angle wings” fanning out over the cantle. Trapunto styling dates to before the war but Minihan’s adoption took it to new heights. Today, Minihan saddles are highly prized collector’s items.

     Minihan’s innovative saddletree and his creative employment of the decorative trapunto method resulted in not just a dynamically beautiful saddle but an improvement in comfort for both horse and rider. Other commercial makers quickly adopted or copied Minihan’s innovations and even his seat designs often adding a pommel roll as well. Several saddle makers that apprenticed under Minihan or worked for him at various times eventually left to open their own shops making similar saddles under the names Robert Applegate (Flemingsburg, Ky.), Sloan (West Liberty, Olive Hill, Ky.), Hutchinson and the Salmon Brothers (Mt. Sterling, Ky.). Several of these became well known names in regional saddle making and at the same time promoting the image and reputation of Kentucky for fine quality saddles.²

 

     The comfort and attractive appearances of the Kentucky Spring Seat saddles made the Spring Seat saddle very fashionable once again. Both were offered well into the 20^th century by small shop artisans, large saddle houses and sold by mail order powerhouses like Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck. Though the quality of the “quick and cheap” saddles often suffered under their inflated headlines in the mail order catalogs, the Kentucky Saddle genre remained a staple of popular saddle sales well past the Great Depression.

     The Kentucky Spring Seat saddle innovation was the most successful of the flexible tree designs in 19^th century America. However, an interesting variation of Minihan’s saddletree can be found in the “solid leather” English tree design. First patented in America by Mathias Haldeman in 1829 the solid leather tree resurfaced in the 1890’s as a result of the success of Minihan’s leather spring tree. By 1900, Sears was offering many of their “smooth” spring seat and Kentucky Spring seat saddles made with a “special 16 inch solid leather tree” declaring it is “made so as to conform to the horse and rider and will not make the horse’s back sore or tire the rider.” Vaunted expectations indeed.³

      It should be noted that the typical catalog era Kentucky Spring Seat saddle was often constructed virtually the same in outward appearance as other spring seat saddles that used the more common English or Somerset tree. The interior flexible tree design is the only distinguishing factor between the Spring Seat and the Kentucky Spring Seat. A comparison of numerous catalogs often shows virtually identical finishes but no other perceivable difference between them except in name only. Nevertheless, sales of both were hugely successful around the country but particularly in the Southern riding market. The Spring Seat and the Kentucky Spring Seat’s comfort and stylish appearances made them one of the most popular riding saddles of the 19^th century America.