HORSE TA ES
"Illustrated Guide" A Glimpse into Mackinac's Horse Tradition
by Candice C. Dunnigan

"New ideas and new inventions for increasing the speed of the horse and promoting the comfort of the driver are devised and patented daily. Therefore should you not find what you are looking for, do not hesitate to write us about it, and we will at once give your wants attention."

Yours for business,

C.M. Moseman and Brother

During the late 1890s the great cottage boom occurred on the bluffs and the Annex of Mackinac Island. In our little town there was a flourishing hack trade (carriages for hire) to view natural wonders. Elsewhere, in major cities across America, the horse and carriage were at their zenith as an essential mode of transportation. In New York City, two brothers named Charles and Edgar Moseman transformed their saddlery and harness business into very big business by offering mail order service to anywhere in the United States. They were far sighted and quite successful. Moseman's saddlery and fine goods shop filled a five-story building at 125 Chambers Street in New York. It was full of sale rooms, all devoted to carriage, polo, racing, and everyday horse goods and horse wares. The business thrived for more than 40 years. Moseman's catalog was as common as that of Montgomery Wards or Sears and Roebuck's. You can be certain a "Moseman's" was included as part of the stable management in the fashionable barns at Mackinac.

Moseman's empire began in 1886, right after the end of the Civil War. The brothers' father, Charles M. Moseman Sr., was running a feed store in New York. He took a chance and bought at auction an immense array and supply of Army goods, all surplus from the Civil War. He was able to purchase great lots of these horse goods for very little money. Moseman continued to run his feed store, yet the goods business eventually gave way to more saddlery and harness. Within 10 years, Moseman moved his establishment to Chambers Street. He began to be known as a top purveyor of saddles and harnesses. In fact, his showrooms were "among the largest and handsomest in the city." More than 275 different styles of harness were on display.

Moseman's reputation grew. His sons took over the business. They were the sole fitting and furnishers for the horses in Barnum and Bailey's Circus enterprise. The brothers opened an import and export business with branch offices in Berlin, Paris, and Vienna. In addition to this, they purchased an entire saddle shop and factory in Walsall, England, dedicated to fill Moseman's harness and saddle business. "Custom made" was their second name.

The cover of "Moseman's Illustrated Guide" Catalog.

Their catalog was entitled "Moseman's Illustrated Guide for Purchasers of Horse Furnishing Goods Novelties and Stable Appointments." It was a huge book, 15 inches by 19 inches, and was printed on very heavy stock paper. The catalog cost one dollar and was offered to anyone in America who sent in the money and who had a mailing address. There were more than 3,000 engravings, all done by hand. Below each featured article, a number. This was the reference number for the price list. However, copies of the price list were published periodically and updated. Interestingly, no copy of a valid price list has yet to be found.

Throughout the Moseman's the reader is warned, "Do Not Cut this Book! but simply give 'Number' of the article you wish to obtain." Smart idea. As an example, there are more than 32 different oils and dressings listed by manufacturers, with corresponding numbers, alone.

I have often joked that summer here at Easterly Cottage, working and riding out of our small 103-year-old barn, is a bit like the real thing: living history, or living day to day with antiques. Reading Moseman's only emphasizes the feel. Yesterday I moved an old dried-out bottle I had saved on a shelf. It was Propert's Standard Boot Blacking, and today I came face to face with an illustration of the same jar. Another find was with an old can of Miller's axle oil, circa 1904. (Of course, carried by Moseman's.) For anyone who is interested in the daily life of years gone by, it's fascinating to take a good look at this working catalog - items like the aforementioned were yesterday's commonplace. Trade names such as Vaseline and Witch Hazel, also listed, have survived, but "Boston Coach Oil" has not, nor "The Scientific Horse Hoof Leveler" or Pipe Clay for the whitening and cleansing of white leather goods.

It is sad nobody will order from a Moseman's catalog in the barns of Island liveries of today. However, I do know of one that you can find, and even check. Try the horse section of the Mackinac Island Public Library. By the way, if you do, let me know what you think of the Ice Crimpers for horses and the bicycle-driven horse shearers.

P.S. I have dibs on the buckhorn cherry hunting crop.

Candice Dunnigan is an active member of the American Equestrian Association, the Waterloo Hunt, and the Mackinac Island Horsemen's Association. Seasonally she resides at Easterly Cottage.