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[[File:StubbenTristan.jpg|thumb|An "English" style saddle used for riding horses.]]

[[File:StubbenTristan.jpg|thumb|An "English" style saddle used for riding horses.]]

[[File:EnglishSaddleParts.png|thumb|220px|Parts of an English Saddle]]

[[File:EnglishSaddleParts.png|thumb|220px|Parts of an English Saddle]]{{More sources}}

A saddle is like a seat for a rider, which is held to an animal's back by a belly strap called a [[girth (tack)|girth]]. The most common type is the [[equestrian]] saddle made for a [[horse]]. Saddles have been made for [[camel]]s and other animals. The earliest saddles were simple pads fixed with a [[surcingle]] seen by [[800 BC]], with the saddle tree coming into use about 200 BC, and paired [[stirrup]]s by [[322|322 AD]] Saddles in use today, date back to the 1700s. Today, modern saddles come in different styles, designed for different [[equestrian]] activities. They need careful fit for both the rider and the horse. Proper saddle care can extend the useful life of a saddle, often for many years.

The most common type is the [[equestrian]] saddle made for a [[horse]]. However, saddles have been made for [[camel]]s and other animals.

The earliest saddle known to history was discovered in a [[tomb]] in [[China]]. It dated to between 727–396 BC.<ref name=":0">Wertmann, Patrick (September 2023). "The earliest directly dated saddle for horse-riding from a mid-1st millennium BCE female burial in Northwest China". ''Archaeological Research in Asia''. '''35''' 100451. doi:10.1016/j.ara.2023.100451.</ref> The saddle is made of cushioned cow hide.<ref name=":0" /> It shows signs that someone used and even repaired this saddle.<ref name=":0" /> Most early saddles were probably similar: a pad held on by a belly strap.  

The two most common saddle types used for horse riding are the English saddle and the Western saddle. The English saddle is used for horse sports like [[equestrianism|show jumping]], [[equestrianism|dressage]], and [[equestrianism|eventing]]. It is also used for horse showing. It has less [[leather]] and is lighter than most Western saddles.  

The saddle tree came into use about 200 BC, and paired [[stirrup]]s by [[322|322 AD]]. The type of saddle we use today dates back to the 1700s.  

The Western saddle is used for horse activities where the rider needs more support than in and english saddle. It is also used for showing, [[barrel racing]],  rodeo, and many other sports. The biggest difference is it has a horn on the front, and a higher cantle. This was used originally for tying [[cattle]] off when working, so the ranchers could brand or work with the cow. It's now used more widely, in barrel racing it's used for support, in roping events, it's still used to tie cattle.  

 

There are many different types of English and Western saddles. All are designed for a specific purpose. So while they might look different, they all help the rider for the sport or activity for which they were designed. For example, a rider would not want to jump in a Western saddle because the horn would make it hard for them to stay in the correct position over the jump. A rider would not want to work cows in a jumping saddle because they would not have a horn and because the Western saddle puts the rider in a better position for working cows.

The two most common saddle types used for horse riding are the English saddle and the Western saddle.

The English saddle is used for horse sports like [[equestrianism|show jumping]], [[equestrianism|dressage]], and [[equestrianism|eventing]]. It is also used for horse showing. It has less [[leather]] and is lighter than most Western saddles.

The Western saddle is used for horse activities where the rider needs more support than an English saddle would give them. It is also used for showing, [[barrel racing]], [[Rodeo|rodeoing]], and many other sports.

== Saddle Media ==

== Saddle Media ==

File:Yisaddle.JPG|A saddle with [[lacquer]] overlay from the [[Yi people|Yi ethnic minority]] province in [[Yunnan]], China

File:Yisaddle.JPG|A saddle with [[lacquer]] overlay from the [[Yi people|Yi ethnic minority]] province in [[Yunnan]], China

File:Alvin G. Davis Saddle, Post, TX IMG 1729.JPG|A saddle at [[Garza County Historical Museum]] in [[Post, Texas]], United States

File:Alvin G. Davis Saddle, Post, TX IMG 1729.JPG|A [[Western saddle]] at [[Garza County Historical Museum]] in [[Post, Texas]], United States

File:Western saddle tree 1.JPG|The tree of a western saddle

File:Western saddle tree 1.JPG|The tree of a western saddle

File:Roman saddle reconstruction.jpg|A reconstructed [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] military saddle with a four-horn design

File:Djenne Terracotta Equestrian (13th-15th cent).jpg|A mounted figurine from the Inland Niger Delta region without a saddle, {{Circa|13th to 15th century}}

File:Saddle, Nubia, Qustul, Cemetery L, Noubadian, X-Group culture, c. 375 AD, described as the world's oldest known saddle to use a frame - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC08071.JPG|A [[Nubia]]n saddle and frame, {{Circa|375}}

File:Siodla 17 wiek caly garnitur3.jpg|A saddle commonly seen in the 16th and 17th centuries

File:Djenne Terracotta Equestrian (13th-15th cent).jpg|A mounted figurine from the Inland Niger Delta region without a saddle, {{Circa|13th to 15th century}}

File:1st Viscount Gage.jpg|"Viscount Gage on his roan hunter, a landscape beyond"

File:Siodla 17 wiek caly garnitur3.jpg|A saddle commonly seen in the 16th and 17th centuries

File:CollegiateEventer.jpg|A Hunt Seat style English saddle

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[[Category:Horse tack and equipment]]

[[Category:Horse tack and equipment]]