This is a tiny tooled leather saddle with lush sheepskin pad underneath it. It features tooled leather horse heads on each side on the fenders.

Measures about 7.5” from front to back

About 5.5” across front piece

We can not find any identification marks or stamps on this anywhere.

Now, we’re not sure if this was a salesman’s sample, or if a saddle maker experiments on small versions in order to learn the craft? Or if it was a display for a tack shop? or to put on a tiny rocking horse?

We’ve seen tiny tooled leather toppers on some vintage purses, but this does not have a toggle or holes drilled through it to attach to a purse.

We compared this to a glossary of a saddle and its parts, and made the following notes:

The horn appears to be a bit worn, however the rest of the saddle looks untouched, like new.

There are a couple of parts that look like stirrups...but maybe not really..I don’t see an opening in the parts hanging down that would normally be the stirrups.

Pommel or Swell, with the horn out of the top of it.

The seat, with a cantle to the back. It’s on top of the back housing which is on top of the skirt.

There’s no billet strap and I don’t see anything that could be a Blevins Buckle. But there are front and rear rigging dee rings.

We do not know the exact age of this; it is from a farm estate. It has been suggested that it was obtained by the farmer’s wife in the 1970s or 80s, although she did continue to attend auctions through the early 1990s.