Richardson Saddle

Anyone who has information about the saddlemaker, Mr. Richardson, please contact me via email: Dianna, Also contact me with the history of the plantation saddle, or details on the museum.

	Side view shows both stirrups- wooden ones, very wide. This is a comfortable saddle, built for an easy-riding Plantation Walking Horse.
...	Notice scalloped edge on the seat piece, decorative brass dots, and lacing on pommel. Right On the right side of the pomel, (just in front of the brass dots), shows the leather is worn extremely thin by the friction of the rider's hand against the saddle, an indication of many hours of use by a right handed rider.
	Left See the worn away leather where the rider's thigh would rest, indicates many miles of use. Right Girth (cinch) made of web with very thick leather end pieces.
	Left Note the lacing on the skirt behind the cantle, and the rolled seams on edge of cantle. Right Stirrups show extreme evidence of use by the worn down side of the bar where the stirrup leathers would be. Virtually half of the wood is worn away by the friction of leather on wood. Think how many miles this saddle has travelled to make that much wear.

Seavy Hight (1887-1989) owned and used this saddle for many years. He told me it was built in Culleoka, Tennessee, by a saddlemaker named Mr. Richardson.

Seavy Hight, known to me as Pa, brought this saddle to me in Alaska in the early '70's, possibly 1973. I was most likely the last person to ride in the saddle, and that was in the late 1960's. Unfortunately, the saddle was very old even then, the straps were brittle. A vital piece of leather broke which startled ole Stewball, and I then had a runaway on my hands. We went around the cornfield, past the kitchen window at a high rate of speed, ending up at the barn.

Pa always made sure we had a horse or pony when we visited. Pa also had ponies for my Mom, Georgie Mae, her favorite was an especially good one named Buttons. Mom and Buttons won a lot of horse show classes together. Mom also told me that when Pa would come courtin' to see Grandmother (Willie Tyler, 1904-1995), he let Mom ride his horse while he and Grandmother visited.

In 2004 I decided that the saddle should be on display where people could view this unique saddle and think about its history. The Saddle Shop in Lewisburg, Tennessee, offered to display it, (there is a Knight relative there, whom I gained acquaintance with by way of Martha Cross who is one of my Knight cousins.) Before that deal was consumated, I heard from Jack Dugger who suggested that Jack Craig might have started a museum in Columbia for such items. I felt this was a good option because Jack Craig is Seavy's nephew.

Before I mailed the saddle to Jack Craig in Columbia, Tenn., I took some photos for the sake of memories, and for this webiste, to give it a wider audience than just the museum.

Seavy Hight also gave one of the Richardson saddles to Charles J. Knight, my father, in Maryland. Dad has had it in his garage for many years, but is now going to have it restored and put on display somewhere. When he provides "before" and "after" pictures, they will be posted here.

Jack Dugger also had a Richardson saddle in his family. Mr. Dugger says, "My father had one that he treasured very much. In fact, I grew up with that saddle-he was not really fond of our using it." and about having the saddle in the museum, he said this:"....and I hope it reminds a lot of people of the old Richardson Saddle Shop in Culleoka."

Bill Thrasher writes: I rode a Richardson saddle one summer as a kid. Uncle Jack had loaned it to me. Granddaddy Thrasher also had one.

Seavy Hight (1887-1989) Not only is his saddle of interest, notice his amazing necktie arrangement!! (click photo to enlarge)

Georgie Mae Dawson, at age 15 Wearing the dress she won riding the pony Buttons in a show. Both the dress and the photo shoot were her prizes.

Seavy Hight with three gals (his mother was Elizabeth Park). Mr. Thrasher suggests that: The two girls in the front are Lucille and Nettie. We are having a long and confusing discussion on the two in the back. I thought the man was Seavy, but now there is a question raised about that. And I was way off base on the lady. Closest guess at this time is Susie, wife of Clay. But the topic is still under discussion. Bessie? we don't know. Since Seavy's mother died when he was young, the picture is definitely not Elizabeth. Notice horse in background, is attached to buggy.(click photo to enlarge) And here is a likeness of Elizabeth Park Hight at a later time in life:.. (click to enlarge) (It would sure be interesting to see a picture of Mr. James Cordie Hight, husband and father).