The Australian Stock Saddle
and the Saddlers that made them
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"Australian Stock Saddle History"
INTRODUCTION:
This website has been assembled to pay tribute to the memory of the humble stock saddle maker in Australia, who plied their trade to the best of their ability.
Despite common misconceptions of who may have been the inventor of the stock saddle, research has proved that many saddlers had a hand in developing this unique piece of equipment. For example, the first to advertise the manufacture of their stock saddles on Australian soil, was John Jones in 1833, and William Mitchell Jnr designed and manufactured the revolutionary "Wagga" saddle in 1865, as two very early examples.
Some were successful to the point of becoming "legendary" (mainly through entrepreneurial skills and their work, of course), others just kept the local population of their little town in good stead, with all things saddlery. Stories have been raised from the newspapers and published on these pages as they were originally, so there could be anomalies outside normal grammatical parameters.
The saddlers are listed by their surnames, alphabetically. Enjoy their stories..........
THE SADDLER
by Alfred Pyne, 1851 (an original excerpt as printed)
-all beholden to the craft of the Saddler.
From the meanest thong that binds the clog, to the reins which curb the steed, the
Saddler's art is entirely involved in the rule and sway of animals. If the cord and
the sack-cloth have disappeared in the elegant trappings of leather, tis his superior
skill that has done it all; for the first Saddler twisted a rope of hay and plaited a
seat of straw, but soon found means to improve on this rustic handicraft, till the
combined invention of ages eventuated in the harness and gear of modern times.
Of all work in leather, the Saddler's is decidedly the most chaste, beautiful and
durable-worthy of the intellect and taste of man, and the strength and grace of the
horse he rides. Only look at the even cutting, the elaborate sewing, the comely and
ornamental dentures and seams - the gorgeous mounting - and the new, yet lasting
appearance of his work -and dwell upon its use in restraining and guiding the
noblest of quadrupeds to judge of the Saddler's ingenuity, perseverance, and taste.
And well-according with this superiority of his craft, the tradesman himself has
maintained his superiority over his fellow-mechanics; a Saddler is an artisan,
gentleman, and always ranks above other journeymen.
Click on here if you wish to read the full Ode to the Saddler