Harold Vanderhoof
born: December 26, 1908   died:  1999

                                         

Harold and the form-fitter
 

THE FORM-FITTER told by Vernell

          I worked at several places in the hay as I was growing up, but never got any money.  I had my first paying job when I was sixteen, and with that, first money, I bought my brother, Harold, a saddle.  I had seventy-five dollars.  Harold, another friend and I got in the old Model T Ford and went to Malad.  I had gotten a new saddle a couple of years before, so as we were walking up past a hardware store and saw this new saddle, we decided we had to go in and look at it.  It was a form-fitter; one we had never seen before.  We wanted it and I had the money, so I bought the saddle.  Wasn’t much chance getting bucked off with a form-fitter.

          Harold saddled his horse as soon as we got home, and with a pleased, satisfied look and a wave, he rode off.  It was the beginning of hundreds and hundreds of miles that saddle would see pleasurable use. Today, fifty-four years later, that saddle is in my possession and is the one I ride on trail rides in Oregon.