Breif history of the minihan saddle

In the late 1800’s Eugene Minihan is credited with being the first saddler to devise the "Kentucky Spring Seat Saddle". This innovation was a flexible tree that gave a spring to the saddle, which gave a comfortable ride to both horse and rider that no previous saddle type had. Minihan and brothers, John & Tom Salmon and J.W Hutchison, a Virginian who was a crippled Civil War Veteran, worked with him on producing these saddles in Minihans time.

He gave us the saddles till his Death in 1926.

History tells us when he lost his young daughter, he carved angels in a saddle to commemorate her.

Many of the Mountain Pleasure Horse owners have and use these type of saddles and take pride in owning the original saddles of the time to preserve the heritage of the Mountain Pleasure Horse.

Photos courtesy of Cyd and Rob Blakeslee

and Nora Deaton.