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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.

Contents 1 Types of modern equestrian saddle 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

In the Western world there are two basic types of saddles used today for horseback riding, usually called the "English" saddle and the "Western" or "Stock" Saddle. In Asia there are numerous saddles of unique designs used by various nationalities and ethnic groups.

Main article: 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.

Main article: Western saddle

Main article: Australian Stock 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

• 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 (English) or Fenders (Western): The leather straps connecting the stirrups to the saddle tree.
• D-ring: a "D"-shaped ring on the front of a saddle, to which certain pieces of equipment (such as breastplates) can be attached.

There is evidence that man first began riding the horse as early as 4,000 BCE.^[1]. However, it was not until 700-800 BCE that the predecessor to the modern saddle evolved, thought to have been developed by the Assyrians, and consisting of a simple cloth fastened onto the horse with a girth. The Scythians also developed a saddle around the same, which included padding and great decorative embellishments, which was made not so much for support but simply for comfort. The Romans had a "four-horn saddle," which provided great support for the rider despite a lack of stirrups.

Later developments in Asia resulted in a saddle made of felt, built on a wooden frame, making it the first saddle with a "tree." This raised the rider above the horse's back, and distributed his weight on either side of the animal's spine rather than on it, greatly increasing the comfort of the horse and prolonging his useful life.

The Sarmatians also used saddles, with the addition of a breastplate and a girth to help keep the saddle on.

The stirrup was one of the milestones in saddle development, and its origin is debated. (see stirrup for a more detailed history) The first stirrup-like object was invented in India in the second century BCE, and consisted of a simple leather strap in which the rider's foot was placed. It offered very little support, however. The nomadic tribes in northern China are thought to have been the inventors of the modern stirrup. This invention gave great support for the rider, and was essential in later warfare.

Saddles were greatly improved upon during the Middle Ages, as knights needed something more supportive and stronger, and the resulting saddle had a higher cantle (to prevent the rider from being unseated backwards by a lance), a pommel (to protect the rider's stomach from the opposer's lance) and was built on a wooden frame. This saddle was slowly developed to be lighter in weight, being padded with wool or horsehair and covered in leather or textiles, and was eventually used for cattle work, bullfighting, and war. Indeed, it can still be seen in parts of Iberia and eastern Europe, and is also used by the Spanish Riding School.

By the 17th century, these saddle was being used for Haute Ecole riding, which was practiced mainly by royalty, aristocracy, the gentry, and wealthy merchants. To show off their status, embellishments were added to their saddles, including precious metals, jewels, and embroidery.

The saddle eventually branched off into different designs that evolved into the modern English and Western saddles.

One variant of the English saddle was developed by François Robinchon de la Guérinière, a French riding master and author of "Ecole de Cavalerie" who made major contributions to what today is known as classical dressage. He put great emphasis on the proper development of a "three point" seat that is still used today by many dressage riders.

In the 18th century, fox hunting became increasingly popular in England. The high-cantle, high-pommel design of earlier saddles was a great hindrance and very uncomfortable for riders as they jumped, so Guérinière's saddle design, with a low pommel and cantle which allowed for more freedom of movement for both horse and rider, became increasingly popular throughout northern Europe.

The modern Western saddle evolved from the Iberian saddles, which were brought by the Spanish Conquistadors when they colonized the Americas. These saddles were were adapted to suit the needs of vaqueros and cowboys of Mexico, Texas and California, including the addition of a horn that allowed a lariat to be tied or dallied for the purpose of holding cattle and other livestock.

The McClellan saddle was designed in the 1850s by George B. McClellan for use by the United States Cavalry and the rest of the United States Army, and was used continuously, with some improvements, until the 1940s. Today, the McClellan saddle continues to be used by ceremonial mounted units in the U.S. Army. The basic design saw use by military units in several other nations, including Rhodesia and Mexico, and even to a degree by the British in the Boer War.

Cleaning is an important part of caring for tack. Tack that is not cleaned will start to build up sweat and dirt, which will cause uncomfortable rubbing on the horse. Sweat and dirt also tend to cause cracking in leather, which may result in breaking. This not only decreases the value of the saddle, but can be very dangerous if critical equipment, such as a stirrup leather, breaks mid-ride. Proper care and conditioning of the saddle will not only increase its useful life, but will also help to retain its value.

A saddle should be cleaned regularily if it used for work. It is usually easiest to clean a saddle on a moveable saddle rack. Ideally, the rider should quickly wipe down the saddle after every ride with a lightly dampened, but not too wet, sponge or cloth, in order to remove any dirt and sweat it gathered. Once a week, or after every 5-7 rides, a more thorough cleaning should be performed using saddle soap and a conditioning (moisturizing) product that will restore the natural oils back into the leather. Neatsfoot oil is one traditional conditioner, but there are also many other commercial blends of conditioning products available. However, some oil products tends to darken leather from its natural color. Sometimes this is desirable and sometimes not, depending on the desired shade of the leather. Over-oiling may rot stitching, particularly in humid climates.

Strap parts of the saddle, such as the stirrup leathers, billets (on an English saddle) and latigo (on a western saddle) also need conditioning, but it varies by climate. In a dry climate, failure to oil straps may result in cracking and weakening of the leather, and they can snap or break. In a more humid climate, too much oil may weaken the leather. Properly conditioned leather is neither brittle nor floppy in texture and flexibility.

Before a horse show or other competition, the rider should take extra care to clean the saddle and polish all metal parts, including the D-ring, stirrups, stirrup bar and nail head on an English saddle, or the buckles, dees, and ornamental silver on a Western saddle.

1. ^ The International Museum of the Horse: Online Exhibit (History of the Horse)

• McBane, Susan. The Essential Book of Horse Tack and Equipment. David & Charles. Devon, England. Copyright 2002.