Timaru Star II Western Saddle #448
SILVER SHOW & PARADE SET (10th Donation)
Last but hopefully not least! In honor of NAN and NAMHSA who have done so much to make dreams come true; and further for the dozens of my customers who put in for a Parade set, yet could not be accommodated, the Timaru Star II is proud to announce: Number 448! What better way to finish off your show day than with a high-stepping Kentucky-bred horse on Parade!
July 11: Finally finished as of Wednesday, TSII Parade Saddle #448 is offered with a handtufted fitted black and cream Corona Blanket and an adjustable black and silver Bridle, similar to the one in the High Noon picture. We are particularly proud of the buckles on this bridle, not to mention the bit! As seen better in pictures below (particularly the bridle close-up), three buckles are handmade of solid Nickel: the noseband, the crown and the throatlatch. The bridle is not really black, but a very dark brown. The conchos on the individually-made, solid silver bit match the one on the horn. Silver is coated to discourage tarnishing. These new pictures show the size variety: from Howard's Ramses on down to ISH. The blanket will grow fuzzier and softer with age... and brushing.
Artist and model tackmaker Susan Bensema Young first found out about the hobby in 1978, and opened her tack shop the next year. Since then she has created more than 450 miniature Western saddles as well as McClellan and Peruvian saddles, harnesses, hackamores, bridles, blankets and everything from Arab halters to rifle cases. Her model specialty, in addition to perfecting the miniature silver Parade saddle, is braidwork. Timaru Star II model tack has featured in every NAN, winning National Champion Parade in 1997
and appearing in every Parade class. When it comes to model tack it is not too much to say "she wrote the book."
The artist says: "This exquisite miniature saddle is based on a circa 1930s set which was sold through the High Noon Western Americana Auction of 2008 in California. When I saw this beautifully restrained Old-West style example of the saddlemaker's art, with its solid silver panels for the back skirts -- something I'd never seen before -- I just knew I wanted to try my hand at making a portrait saddle. This scale-model has gold medallions and little longhorn-steer heads on the skirt, fender and tap corners and the breastcollar, just like the real thing. The saddle strings are encased in sterling silver, and the bridle bit is made of solid silver. All the conchos are individually stamped and cut, and the pommel caps are engraved by hand -- my first real engraving. The tooling pattern is yet another TSII original. I envision this saddle as a trophy prize gift for that next show winner, but it would serve equally as part of a stunning Parade entry or historical scene.
"This is truly a transition saddle for me, where I am exploring new territory in terms of methods and techniques. It is the first to combine my own tree with the i-kandis (hot fixes). It is the second to use a tree sculpted by me (indeed, only my third saddle to be made with a tree at all); it is my third use of i-kandis. Number 448 is the first saddle to use gold-colored i-kandis along with the silver ones --- a very good sign for the future! Other TSII transitional saddles include my famous Elk saddle. By definition, these saddles are unique amoung a body of unique works -- impossible to duplicate. I would also add that for the past two years I have made only one saddle per year, and this year have made only three so far."
TSII #448 started out being sized for Stone's TWH (the tree fits this back) and ended up fitting Stone's ISH, as shown here. Because of the shape of the gullet, the saddle needs some mane-free space over the withers. It DOES fit Stone's Palouse (amazingly), Breyer's Clock Saddlebred, Lonesome Glory, and Ruffian. It does NOT fit Breyer's Huckleberry Bey, Nobel II/Andalusian, or Conquistador/Earth/Capri -- the mane gets in the way.
Below and left is the saddle that inspired the creation of this miniature. The picture was taken from the High Noon auction site. Pictures below that were taken before the blanket and bridle were finished.
More details: The handmade solid silver bit is signed on the back side with "SBY." The blanket is not a Unicorn Woman one but a TSII original, and is also signed. The bridle's face chain and noseband are both adjustable and removable.
