Saddle

An "English" style saddle used for riding horses.
A saddle is a seat for a rider fastened to an animal's back. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures.

1 Types of modern equestrian saddl
1.1 English saddle
1.2 Stock saddles
1.3 Asian saddle
1.4 Other
2 Parts of an equestrian saddle
3 History and development
3.1 Early Civilization
3.2 The Middle Ages
3.3 The development of the modern saddle
4 Cleaning the saddle
5 References
6 External links

Types of modern equestrian saddle

In the Western world there are two basic types of saddles used today for horseback riding, usually called the English saddle and the "Stock" Saddle. The best known stock saddle is the American western saddle. In Asia and throughout the world, there are numerous saddles of unique designs used by various nationalities and ethnic groups.

English saddle

English saddles are used for English riding throughout the world, not just in England or English-speaking countries. They are the saddles used in all of the Olympic equestrian disciplines. To non-horsemen, the major distinguishing feature of an English saddle is its lack of a horn and its panels: a pair of pads attached to the underside of the seat and filled with wool, foam, or air.
The term English saddle encompasses several different styles of saddle, including those used for eventing, show jumping and hunt seat, dressage, saddle seat, horse racing and polo.

Stock saddles

Main article: Western saddle
Main article: Australian Stock Saddle

A western saddle
Western saddles are saddles originally designed to be used on horses on working cattle ranches in the United States. Used today in a wide variety of western riding activities, they are the "cowboy saddles" familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on tourist trail rides. The Western saddle has no padding of its own, and must be used with a saddle blanket or pad in order to provide a comfortable fit for the horse. It also has sturdier stirrups and uses a cinch rather than a girth. Its most distinctive feature is the horn on the front of the saddle, originally used to dally a lariat when roping cattle.
Other nations such as Australia and Argentina have stock saddles that lack a horn but have other features commonly seen in a western saddle, including a deep seat, high cantle, and heavier leather.

Asian saddle

A saddle from the Yi ethnic minority province in Yunnan province, China. Saddle has a leather base with lacquer overlay
Saddles in Asia date back several thousand years to the time of the Scythians. Modern Asian saddles can be divided into two groups: Saddles from Central Asia, which have a prominent horn and leather covering, and saddles from East Asia, which have a high pommel and cantle. Central Asian saddles are noted for their wide seats and high horns. The saddle has a base of wood with a thin leather covering that frequently has a lacquer finish. Central Asian saddles have no pad and must be ridden with a saddle blanket. The horn comes in particular good use during the rough horseback sport of ‘‘buskashi (see Pashtun culture), played throughout Central Asia, which involves two teams of riders wrestling over a decapitated goat’s carcass.

A Central Asian saddle from Kashgar, China.
Saddles from East Asia differ from Central Asian saddles by their high pommel and cantle and lack of a horn. East Asian saddles can be divided into several types that are associated with certain nationalities and ethnic groups. Saddles used by the Han Chinese are noted by their use of inlay work for ornamentation. Japanese saddles frequently are covered in a thick lacquer finish. Tibetan saddles typically employ iron covers inlaid with precious metals on the pommel and cantle and universally come with padding. Mongolian saddles are similar to the Tibetan style except that they are typically smaller and the seat has a high ridge. Saddles from ethnic minority groups in China’s southwest, such as in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, have colorful lacquer work over a leather covering.

Other

A McClellan cavalry saddle, used by the United States Army in the late 1800s

An Endurance saddle, based on a western saddle design
Sidesaddle, designed originally as a woman's saddle that allowed a rider in a skirt to stay on and control a horse. Sidesaddle riding is still seen today in horse shows, parades and other exhibitions.
Endurance riding saddle, a saddle designed to be comfortable to the horse with broad panels but lightweight design, as well as comfortable for the rider over long hours of riding over challenging terrain.
Treeless saddle or Flexible tree saddle, available in both Western and English designs, but not built upon a solid saddle tree, intended to be flexible and comfortable on a variety of horses, but also not always able to provide the weight support that a solid tree can.
Military or Police saddle, similar to an English saddle in general design, but with a tree that provides greater security to the rider and distributes a rider's weight over a greater area so that the horse is comfortable with a rider on its back for long hours.
McClellan saddle, a specific American cavalry model used in the post-Civil War era by the United States Army, particularly in the American west. It was designed with an English-type tree, but with a higher pommel and cantle. Also, the area upon which the rider sits was divided into two sections with a gap between the two panels.
Pack saddle, similar to a cavalry saddle in the simplicity of its construction, but intended solely for the support of heavy bags or other objects being carried by the horse.
Bareback pad, usually a simple pad in the shape of a saddle pad, made of cordura nylon or leather, padded with fleece, wool or synthetic foam, equipped with a girth. It is used as an alternative to bareback riding to provide padding for both horse and rider and to help keep the rider's clothing a bit cleaner. Depending on materials, bareback pads offer a bit more grip to the rider's seat and legs. However, though some bareback pads come with handles and even stirrups, without being attached to a saddle tree, these appendages are actually unsafe and pads with them should be avoided.

Parts of an equestrian saddle

Tree: the base on which the rest of the saddle is built. Usually based on wood or a similar synthetic material, It is eventually covered in leather or a leatherlike synthetic. The tree size determines its fit on the horse's back as well as the size of the seat for the rider.
Seat: the part of the saddle where the rider sits, it is usually lower than the pommel and cantle to provide security
'Pommel or Pomnel (English)/ Swell (Western): the front, slightly raised area of the saddle.
Cantle: the back of the saddle
Stirrup: part of the saddle in which the rider's feet go, provides support and leverage to the rider.
Leathers and Flaps (English) or Fenders (Western): The leather straps connecting the stirrups to the saddle tree and protecting the rider's legs from sweat.
D-ring: a "D"-shaped ring on the front of a saddle, to which certain pieces of equipment (such as breastplates) can be attached.
'Girth or Cinch: A strap that goes around the horse's barrel that holds the saddle on. Sphere: Related Content