Horse exhibit

[estcrh]

I recently was contacted by the American Museum of Natural History NY asking if I was able to provide a replacement samurai saddle tree (kurabane) for one that was promised for loan to an up coming exhibit but was no longer available, I was able to talk the Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator, Jennifer Donato into using a more complete saddle for the exhibit which will be in San Diego Ca. Here is a preview of the saddle and the mount that was made for it and a link to the exhibit, I am not sure if it will be in any other cities yet but if you are interested in horses and in the area it looks like an interesting exhibit.

http://www.sdnhm.org/exhibitions/upcomi ... /the-horse

 

[estcrh]

Here is how the samurai saddle ended up being displayed, I havnt had a chance to see the exhibit yet but I plan on going before it closes on January 20th. If you are in San Diego area The Natural History Museum of San Diego is a great place to visit, along with the other museums and the San Diego Zoo which are all located in the extraordinary Balboa Park, (http://www.balboapark.org/calendar) and the free outdoor pipe organ concerts are awesome. I have been told that after January "The Horse" exhibit will possibly travel to Calgary in February 2014, then North Dakota State Historical Society in August 2014, and finally in a new museum in Prairiefire, Kansas in March 2015. There may be another venue between San Diego and Calgary.

[drdata]

Thanks Eric. While I can't make this one, anyone who does would be wise to visit old-town, not far from Balboa park, for some hand-made tacos. Something about eating a tortilla that you just saw being made by a Mexican woman, not to sound sexists or racist, I hope.

 

Cheers

[estcrh]

Thanks Eric. While I can't make this one, anyone who does would be wise to visit old-town, not far from Balboa park, for some hand-made tacos. Something about eating a tortilla that you just saw being made by a Mexican woman, not to sound sexists or racist, I hope.

 

Cheers

Harry, I usually stay in Old Town when I visit San Diego, they have a lot of events there that spotlight the Mexican heritage of San Diego, its a unique place and your right about the food, the home made tortillas at the Old Town Cafe are great,

[IanB]

Eric, Please excuse my interfering, but the stirrup leathers of the displayed saddle are running wrongly. They should be threaded through the slot in the fore and aft part of the saddle tree, as they are, and through the small pad that covers the bindings between the two igi, then both ends go straight down to the buckle of the stirrup. The loop of leather on the inner pad of the saddle is for the girth whose ends come up from under the horse's belly, through that loop of leather and then between the two pads to emerge through the holes at the top of the outer pad. What you do then depends on the type of girth. If it is a traditional one, made of a strip of cloth, the ends are brought forward and tied off either around the pommel or in front of it. If it is an Edo period girth, of hemp strings with an iron ring on one end and two cords on the other, the ring is positioned just out of the hole on the right and the two cords passed under the tree and tied to the ring. This tying of the girth on top rather than under the horse's belly was why the generals at the Battle of Uji river could adjust his girth in mid-stream.

Ian Bottomley

[estcrh]

Ian thanks for the information, please feel free to "interfere" any time you want!!! To be honest I have spent a lot of time trying to get the right names for all the associated saddle parts and or finding images/authentic examples that I have just recently got around to figuring out the proper arrangement. There are very few images that show the stirrup straps in place and most of those seem to be wrong, even some images from Japanese museums, well known dealers and auction houses. I recently found an authentic breast strap, bridle and crupper and I am having the same problem, trying to find out the proper way to attach them as well.

 

Here is a saddle that from what you have said seems to have the stirrup straps attached properly.