OT-Old photo of young boy on horse. Quite a mystery?

[rangerider7]

I don't know what happened to the young man on the horse but I hope he had a decent life. The saddle is very old but I don't know the period of time this photograph was made. The adults in the background suggest to me he was just placed on the horse for the photo but he does have riding boots on. What happened to disfigure him, I guess we will never know. It almost looks like he was scalped but it could have happened in a number of ways. Like I said, I hope he lived a good life.

[J Miller]

Burn scars?

I don't know about him being placed on the horse. He just looks like he belongs up there to me.

Joe

[Borregos]

I think these old pictures you post are just great, keep 'em coming, thanks

[Griff]

Then again... it might just be damage to the photo... The sadde's a slick fork, and prevalent from the 1870's thru the 1930's, decreasing in numbers from the turn of the 20th century. That one looks old, well worn with some gear cobbled up from other parts of common tack. His boots are knee-hi laceup logger or army boots possibly post 1915.

My $.02

[FWiedner]

Doesn't look set up to me. Looks like a kid out riding his horse.

I can't tell that he's disfigured, I thought it was a smear on the print.

If he is, maybe he took up riding because someone thought he could use the confidence.

I like the photo.

[rjohns94]

that mark appears to "go into" the cloud behind. I think it is damage, fading of the emulsion. He looks a natural up there to me.

[Lastmohecken]

The picture is probably natural, but his hand position with the reins don't look very natural to me, but then again, I have always ridden horses that neckreined, and judging by the way he is holding the reins, I recond that horse plow reins.

[rangerider7]

I think you guys are right, that is just damage to the photograph. Good!

[2row]

Guys look at the horse he is from the old stock horse of the late 1800 early 1900 high withers low hips the kid looks good to me

[Hillbilly]

I dont read much into the way he's holding the reins... the horse is in a snaffle and it's not uncommon to ride a snaffle with 2 hands. I think that kid is just out for a ride... he looks like he's been on that horse alot too me.

That horse has some of that faulty conformation we were looking at the last few horse pictures we've seen here. At least by today.s standards. I have looked at a lot of horse photos from the pre 30's era... and those guys musta had iron kidneys.

[pokey]

looks like texas to me.

saddle is real nice, sam stagg double rigged texas trail type.

the horse looks like a cavalry remount to me, the boy?

may be a post nearby/folks raising horses for the tail end
of mounted troops, 1910/1920?

another chance to run the imagination, thanks.

[DarryH]

That saddle was not built for a very big person.
Look at the space in front and in back of the kid.

I doubt it was a youth model, and remember, most people were not very large back then.
This picture could have been taken at
what passed for a resort in the early 1900's.

Good Shootin!!
DarryH

[76/444]

Yup,... this kid sits a confident seat, to me.

[Hillbilly]

if you examine a lot of pre 1940 ...even pre 1960 saddles most will measure in the 14 inch range.

The 16, 17 and even 18 inch association tree we can buy today is a by-product of good feeding we partake in these days.

[Griff]

I "blew" thr pic p to take a close look at the boots and have to take back wha I said about the saddle, it looks to be exactly what I thought and pokey labeled. BUT.... that has to be the rattiest saddle blanket I've EVER seen!

[76/444]

Something started bugging me ever since I looked at the pic and posted before. It seemed that as comfortable as this kid seems ,.... something just seemed off balance. I finally figured it out! The way he is holding the reins,... I think this is the family plow horse when junior there is not out having fun! Not so uncommon, I would think, back then.