Horse saddle used by stuntman Ernest "Ernie" Robinson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A horse saddle used by Ernest Robinson. It has two stirrups toward the front. Each stirrup is covered in leather where the foot rests. Each side has a leather fender covering the belted portion of the stirrup and hobble strap. The saddle horn has a small metal attachment on the inside in the shape of a shield with “11 INCH / SEAT” engraved on it. The cantle has three metal attachments fastened to the inside and outside with rectangular holes in the middle. Metal rings, buckles, fasteners, and other attachments are along the outside and lower portions of the saddle seat. The Seat has oblong holes running down the center from the horn to the cantle. The seat underside is lined with wool. Embossed on the proper left side of the saddle behind the seat is “RVP 4918.” Letters scratched below the embossed lettering appear to read “LEL.” A canteen is attached to the front proper left side of the saddle. The canteen is covered in brown canvas with “U.S.” stenciled on it. The canteen's cap is wood with a leather strap attached at the top. Attached to the proper left side of the saddle is a front cinch made of knotted rope and leather.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1971
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Used by: Ernest Robinson, American, born 1932
• Subject of: Black Stuntmen's Association, founded 1967
• Type: saddles
• Medium: leather, cloth, wool, thread, metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 40 1/2 × 26 × 23 1/4 in. (102.9 × 66 × 59.1 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Labor
• Topic: Men
• Topic: Professional organizations
• Topic: Television
• Object number: 2014.21
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Teresa Robinson Fisher in honor of Ernie Robinson
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.