The Cavalry Saddle

The McClellan Cavalry Saddle is the most well known of its kind, being that the saddle has a steel cantle and pommel and no horn. It has an open, metal- reinforced wooden tree, saddle skirts of leather, and all the hardware made of brass. Accessories include a nose bag, a curry comb, picket pin and lariat.

The saddle was adopted by the War Department in 1859 and became part of the horse cavalry standard issue. This particular style of saddle was durable and endured many changes over the years, proving the longevity of the original model.

The US War department has taken a personal interest investing lots of time and money into the development of the saddles that Soldiers would mount on top of horses. The intent is that the horse would have the safest and least painful ride, when going into battle.

The loss of a horse due to injury or fatigue has often caused great losses in Soldier strength during a battle. For these reasons the US War department has looked at several designs to include the standard service Grimsley, Campbell, Hope and Jones “adjustable tree” saddles. All these saddles were tested for efficiency, and practicality before a decision was made.