Amazing All original Bona Allen! This original piece of western saddle history is a collectible early saddle from one of the most renowned and sought after saddle makers. I would estimate this is 1940s. This saddle was before Blevins buckles and the stirrups adjust with laces. The saddle has a 15 very deep hard leather seat. FULLY tooled lovely fancy basket weave type tooling. Original Texas star type conchos all around. The leather on this is truly in amazing shape minimal crazing or wear considering its age. You would have no idea it is around 75 years old! By what I can tell this is all original. I believe this might be either a mule saddle or a plantation saddle – does not have the typical horn of a western saddle. The only thing I have done to the saddle besides conditioning and cleaning the leather was to take off cinch rigging so I could clean it fully and check the rigging integrity and remove the cinch. All rigging straps seem to be original and includes the vintage rope cinch which is in amazing condition that came with it. I believe these must have been used when added to the saddle. I did not adjust the stirrups at all as I did not want to remove the original lacings. I believe you could adjust the stirrups fine with adding new lacings if you chose to remove the old ones. The fenders are in good shape and supple – one side shows some wear towards the bottom which I showed in pics -still lots of leather for integrity but want to note this. Lovely wooden Oxbow stirrups no splits. That being said, the tree is sound and rigging appears sound and in good condition. As mentioned before, long leather ties all around are original but are crazed/cracked. However, none are broken or replaced. Includes all cinch strapping shown – these are the ones that came with it and I would recommend putting new ones on if you did choose to use this. Fleece is also original and is quite worn as shown in pics. Tree is the steeper fork type consistent with its age. This saddle is in fantastic condition and the tooling is superb! LOTS of tooling on everything! Includes the cinch and Navajo pattern saddle pad shown in pics! 15 seat measured as a western saddle. I can send pics of measurements or any other pics you may want! This is an amazing part of Western History! Bonaparte Allen learned the trade of tanning from his father, Washington Allen. Bonaparte opened the Bona Allen Company at the age of 27 and operated it as a tannery and leather goods shop. It started off making whiplashes, then followed with the production of horse collars. In 1903, a fire swept through the building and destroyed the business and the entire building. It didn’t take Bonaparte long to restore his thriving business and pay off all of his debt. In 1925, Bonaparte Allen died. He left everything to his sons, Bona Jr. They took over their father’s business and continued to produce what some people have deemed the countrys finest leather. The Great Depression of the early 1930s had a positive effect on the Company’s tannery. The nation’s farmers could no longer afford to operate their tractors, so they had to return to using horses. This, in turn, created a demand for saddles and collars, as well as all other horse related equipment. In 1933, a Bona Allen saddle won a blue ribbon at the Chicago Worlds Fair. At the fair, The Bona Allen Company provided several jobs as well as entertainment; it sponsored many sports events and teams such as basketball, football, and the Bona Allen Company’s own baseball team. In 1941, a strike was called and shut down the Company’s shoe plant. Six months later, the government stepped in and reopened the shoe plant to repair army shoes. The Company’s collar factory was closed for good after WWII. The Bona Allen Company received special acclaim in the 1950s for production of its classic saddles. During the peak of western movies, many of Hollywood’s famous cowboy actors, including Roy Rogers, William F. (“Buffalo Bill”) Cody, Gene Autry, Kenny Rogers, Lash LaRue, Gabby Hayes, and the cast of the popular TV show “Bonanza, ” preferred a Bona Allen saddlesome even bringing their horses to Buford, Georgia, to get them custom fitted. To head its saddle department, the Company hired Victor Alexander, a famous saddle expert from the King Ranch in Texas. Under his management, the Bona Allen Company produced some of the finest hand-tooled saddles and bridles ever made, including a silver-studded special order saddle for Roy Rogers. In 1932, the Bona Allen Company hit the peak of its employment: 2,200 people worked there until rough times hit in 1943, when it closed its horse collar factory, shoe and chrome tannerydropping its total employee headcount to 500. The railroad depot closed in 1972, and the demand for horse-related leather goods decreased. Continued operations for a few years under the Bona Allen name, after the devastating tannery fire in December 1981, they chose not to rebuild, and the last of the Bona Allen Company’s 160 employees were let go. Felt pad underneath Navajo pad in picture not included! The item “Stunning All Original Bona Allen Vintage Western saddle-Plantation style” is in sale since Sunday, March 17, 2019. This item is in the category “Sporting Goods\Outdoor Sports\Equestrian\Western Saddles & Tack\Saddles”. The seller is “jmillsap3″ and is located in Hydesville, California. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Cayman islands, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay.
- Saddle Size: 15″
- Brand: Bona Allen
- Saddle Type: Plantation
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- MPN: Does Not Apply
- Color: Brown
