Ranahan (“Top Hand”)

Seidel’s Saddlery custom “Collector Grade” saddle.  Specs include:  Wade tree, 16″ seat, 3″  high Guadalajara wood post horn with 4″ cap, 4″ cantle, 1 3/8″ tooled Cheyenne roll,  ALL ONE PIECE OF LEATHER — SWELL, SEAT, RIGGINGS,  AND SKIRTS WITH NO SPLIT AT THE BACK OF THE SKIRTS.  The decoration in the tooling is a full floral pattern using a variety of different flowers.   There is no hand hole in the seat, but it features a slot for the fenders, called a seat rigging.  The inlaid padded seat is covered in a dark brown colored garment tanned piece of alligator from the throat of the hide.  Because the throat and the padded seat are similar in shape, the size and layout of the tiles of the alligator throat are just perfect for this application.  The stirrups are 1/2 covered, with part of the wooden stirrup exposed, but the lining is all one piece as well, incorporating the tread  and side walls of the stirrups all into one piece.  Again, keeping with the “one piece” theme, the fenders and stirrup leathers are all one piece as well, and incorporate a custom Seidel’s Saddlery “buckle” that replaces the Blevins buckle, allowing for stirrup length adjustment.  This buckle is proprietary and not pictured as it is patent pending.

Just a note about the name chosen for this saddle.   This is the first saddle that Keith made in the one-piece configuration, and is a saddle deserving of a true “top hand”, thus the name “Ranahan”.  The name can also be attributed to Thomas J. Ranahan (1839 – 1926), a well-known Pony Express rider, stagecoach driver, and civilian scout for the army.  A “Ranahan” was a top ranch hand or a good all-around cowboy.