questions on tacking up with a 1904 McClellan

[cailynne]

Hello All,
I have some questions on how to tack up my horse with my saddle. Like where should the keepers be situated, how to know if I need to adjust straps,how are breast straps attached...stuff like that. I have tried looking at youtube for any helpful videos..unfortunately I haven't found any. If anyone would be able to put together a video on how they tack their horses up from start to finish I would be grateful.
I found my saddle on ebay..it had been restored sometime in the past and came to me REEKING of cigarette smoke. I cleaned it and let it air out for a while and happily,the smell is mostly gone.
I know there are parts to it that aren't original..the stirrups and leathers for certain and I am not sure about the ring attachments..but it is more comfortable to sit in than any of the western saddles I have used thus far.
Also would anyone be able to point me in the right direction to find an appropriate saddle blanket. Even though I am not a reenactor I would like for things to look as right as possible.
Thanks for any help.
Lisa Griffith

[IowaYank]

Re: questions on tacking up with a 1904 McClellan

Hello Lisa, While that question can be answered here, it really isn't appropriate for these forums being that the saddle you have is not a Civil War saddle and the adjustments are different on your saddle vs an 1859 McClellan saddle. Here is a link to an article about McClellans more similar to what you have. http://www.gilmorehorsemanship.com/M...e_Fitting.html

The Society of the Military Horse is also a great place where there are articles and discussions concerning McClellan saddles spanning their entire history. http://www.militaryhorse.org/

Dan