In the used pack-saddle market, the O.P.R. Decker is a 100-year old saddle many consider the greatest ever built.
Remove the canvas aparajo on a used Decker pack saddle and look for the initials "O.P.R.," the gold standard for quality.
For some horsemen,the idea of buying a used pack saddle is as appealing as purchasing a pair of used boxers. After too many trail rides, a once pristine saddle can resemble a leftover French fry at the bottom of the fryer basket. But lurking on the dusty shelves of the used-saddle aisle could be a gem whose quality rivals anything made today – the O.P.R. Decker.
“They are considered the best pack saddles ever made, and they are collector’s items among those who know,” says Bob Hoverson, author of The Packer’s Field Manual.
The lead packer for the Ninemile Ranger Station in Lolo, Montana, Hoverson is one who knows. this historic Forest Service pack outfit has used O.P.R. Deckers since its inception in the 1930s, when Oliver P. Robinette made new saddles to order. A saddlemaker and blacksmith, Robinette built Decker-style trees from 1906 to 1948. today, Hoverson takes pride in the Ninemile Pack Train’s working fleet of vintage O.P.R. Deckers.
“The design is near-perfect and the construction is solid,”he says. “The steel bows have a high profile to allow for putting up ropes, and the bars are made of cottonwood , a lightweight wood that won’t split as easily as the pinewood Deckers manufactured today.”
The design was innovative and long-lasting. When the Forest Service published their official Decker pack saddle specification in 1937, the only real improvement they made was the addition of one carriage bolt to the two bolts Robinette used for fastening the steel bows to the wooden bars.
To custom-fit a used saddle to your horse or mule, Hoverson recommends the “flour method,” which consists of sprinkling a layer of flour over the animal’s back, wetting the bars of the saddle tree and pushing it straight down to resemble the weight of a pack load. Lift off the tree and examine it. Powdered areas are where the tree connects with the animal’s back, and non-powdered areas are gaps where it doesn’t. Ideally, 90 percent of the tree should be powdered with flour, showing even weight distribution. If gaps or high spots exist, use a rasp to remove enough wood to achieve a uniform fit.
“A well-fitting O.P.R. Decker rides better than anything, with few instances of rolled-over loads or pack animals with sore backs,” Hoverson says.
The criteria for what constitutes a good pack saddle has remained the same for more than a hundred years. If you’re lucky enough to acquire an O.P.R. Decker, no matter how grimy, wipe the tree clean, use the flour method to custom-fit it to your mule or horse, and keep on packing.
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Where would you look to buy an original O.P.R. decker? How much are they worth now?
Darrell,
Your best shot is to cruise saddle shops, antique stores, and farm auctions. Especially in Idaho and Montana, where Robinette sold his decker saddles back in the day. If you find one, congrats. If you find two, call me!
Regards,
Ryan
Your info is fairly correct, but those of us that are closely related to Olie Robinette Never use the word Decker anywhere close to his name. Decker was another saddle builder that stole the design from Olie. We refer to them as OPR pack saddles. They are rare but the best.
You must not be too closely related to my great-grandad or you would know how to spell the last name!! That would be Robinett.
Appreciate bob hoversons comments about the opr packsaddle. Thank you. I believe he passed away in 1946. I was born in 1945 and was too young to remember him. I also appreciate the fact that Ray Holes Saddle Co. always acknowledged OPR as being the inventor of the tree. They carried on the design features which may have been otherwise lost. The family still has many of his tools, including the (jack stand) he used to hold the tree while it was being made. Thanks again and hope to come to nine mile one day. Leo Robinett, grandson.
I have one that I would sell if you are looking for one.
Please let me know if you still have that O.P.R. you would like to sell!!
I have a nice OPR pack saddle and I am willing to sell it. bigoutfit@gmail.com
Scott, we discovered the pack saddle we bought at a stable auction 9 years ago is an OPR Decker. We want to sell it but don’t know the price. Do you have some idea? Thank you.
I’m interested if you haven’t sold it.
Libby and Paul,
I do have an idea of what it would be worth. I have one that I bought a few years back that was in excellent shape and I can tell you what I paid. If you want to get me your email or phone, we can talk. Thank you for offering to sell it.
I run the patrol horse program for Fish and Wildlife in Washington. We recently had two OPR pack saddles stolen from our tack room. Please let me know if you spot any suspicios OPR’s for sale in Washington. Both are marked “OPR”, one has a welded cross bar on the bars. I think one had department of game scratched into the tree and maybe the name of a horse long dead.