“Notice: No service will be provided at this bar to anyone on a horse” is a bar sign that supposedly was displayed in saloons of old. However, ““No service will be provided at this bar to any Calgarian on a horse” dates only to 1971 and “No service will be provided at this bar to anyone on a horse” has been cited in print from 1977.
Back In Time Trading Post
SIGN a nice reprint of an old saloon sign. The sign is a heavy paper stock and reads “Notice No Service Will Be Provided At This Bar To Anyone On A Horse”, “Sagebrush Saloon” and “Tulsa, OKLA 1921” The sign measures about 14 1/4 inches across and is about 11 inches wide. The paper has browning for an aged appearance.
27 November 1971, Lethbridge (Alberta) Herald, pg. 10, col. 4:
Ride horse,
go thirsty
VANCOUVER (CP)—Mindful of the tactics of Calgary Grey Cup fans who have been known to ride their horses into hotel lobbies during pre-game festivities, the Hotel Vancouver has posted a sign in its bar which reads:
“No service will be provided at this bar to any Calgarian on a horse.”
24 May 1977, Albuquerque (NM) Tribune, “Off the Beaten Path,” pg. A6, col. 2:
I walked into the crowded saloon, known as the S Bar X, and thought I’d wandered into a “Gunsmoke” set.
A sign on the wall said, “No service will be provided at this bar to anyone on a horse.”
29 December 2000, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO), “From the slopes to the bars”:
It’s more of a two-steppin’ Texas saloon than a rowdy apres-ski bar, but don’t let that fool you: “No service will be provided at this bar to anyone on a horse.”
13 August 2006, The News-Press (Fort Myers, FL), “Rural bar becomes the place for blues” by Justin Richards, Tropicalia, pg. R20:
Now there’s a sign on the wall: “Notice: No service will be provided in this bar to anyone on a horse.”
Google Books
Montana Watering Holes:
The Big Sky’s Best Bars
By Joan Melcher
Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot
2009
Pg. 92:
A sign above the bar draws the line: NO SERVICE WILL BE PROVIDED AT THIS BAR TO ANYONE ON A HORSE.
USA Today
Great American Bites: Keens Steakhouse, NYC’s oldest, best
By Larry Olmsted, special for USA TODAY
Updated 3/23/2012 12:18 PM
(...)
From the outside, Keens looks like an innocuous theater district eatery, sporting a simple black awning and heavy wood door, but inside it is huge, and can serve dinner to 750 patrons a night. There’s a classic bar you can eat at that boasts one of the city’s best selections of whiskies, and a sign reading “No Service Will Be Provided to Anyone On a Horse.”
New York City • Restaurants/Bars/Coffeehouses/Food Stores • Sunday, April 01, 2012 • Permalink