Old Hickory

Old Hickory is the nickname given to Andrew Jackson, the 7^th president of the United States. Jackson’s property, The Hermitage, is a stunning landmark near Nashville, Tennessee. As colonel and commander of the TN militia, Jackson earned the respect of his men, and consequently the nickname “Old Hickory” after he defied an order and led the militia back to Tennessee.

In 1813, Jackson and 2^nd Division Tennessee Regiment were sent to what is not just north of Natchez Mississippi to defend against a possible attack by the British on New Orleans. When Jackson received a “disband” order it meant he would cast his volunteers adrift to find their own way home, with their own money and resources. So, Jackson financed the supplies and led his men back to Tennessee via the Natchez Trace. Giving up his horses for the sick and walking alongside his men. “His determination, combined with his willingness to suffer alongside his men, caused his men to come up with the nickname ‘Old Hickory.’” (NPS, 2019)

The Old Hickory saddle is rugged like Jackson, but luxurious like his home outside Nashville. And, like his nickname, its custom made to fit your horse. Tennessee Saddlery, with our partner Steele Saddle Tree you can choose from our in stock wood trees including gaited, full quarter horse, quarter horse, and semi-quarter horse, or you can find the absolute best fit using one a Steele Saddle Tree of your exact choosing.

Add-Ons

1. Wool blend Gaited Saddle Pad
2. Bridle, Breast Collar, & Reins
3. Saddle bag

Details on Our Made in USA Saddles

• Steele Wood Tree from Steele Saddle Tree in Tennessee.
• High quality American tanned full grain cow hide leather from American Leather Direct.
• Amish made in Tennessee
• Stainless steel hardware
• Angled rear D’s for cross fire rigging.
• Wool blend under padding.
• High density foam padded leather seat.

Steele Saddle Trees

Our quality hand-crafted saddle trees are made by Steele Saddle Tree, LLC in Tennessee using Southern Yellow Pine and laminated with quality plywoods. Self-designed and engineered lathes at Steele produce your tree parts from the same patterns for years to come, insuring consistency even decades into the future. All tree parts are then hand-trimmed, sanded and assembled to specifications in jigs, resulting in every tree being square, level and symmetrical.

All trees are assembled with industrial adhesives and fastened with multiple 2” staples on all joints. Trees are once again sanded to insure contours are smooth flowing before being covered in hand-laid 6 oz. fiberglass cloth.

American Leather

For our American made saddles, we use what we believe to be the best leather available in the United States for our saddles: skirting leather from American Leather Direct.

Our skirting leathers are 100% vegetable tanned using an artisanal process that takes nearly four weeks. After the tanning process is complete, the leather is drum dyed. The tanning process produces firm leather that is good for tooling, carving, stamping, embossing, oiling, and dyeing.This full grain leather will produce high quality finished goods with strength. Products made with our signature skirting will develop a beautiful patina over time.