Saddles are seats for
the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth
(English-style riding) or cinch (Western-style), a wide strap that goes
around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs. Some
western saddles will also have a second strap known as a flank or back
cinch that fastens at the rear of the saddle and goes around the widest
part of the horse's belly.
It is important that the saddle is comfortable for both the rider and
the horse—an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the
horse's back muscle (Latissimus dorsi) and cause the horse pain and can
lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured.
There are many types of saddles, each specially designed for its given
task. Saddles are usually divided into two major categories, "English
saddles" and "Western saddles" according to riding discipline they are
used in. Other types of saddles, such as racing saddles, Australian
saddles, and endurance saddles do not fit in either category.[1]
A treeless saddle - A new class of saddles have no tree inside (treeless
saddles); they are mainly used for pleasure and trail riding and
endurance.
English saddles
Jumping or close contact saddle
Dressage saddle
Polo saddle
Lane Fox, also known as a "Saddle Seat" or "Park" saddle
Racing saddle
Show saddle (gaited)
A/P or All Purpose (G/P General Purpose)
Western saddle
Roping saddle
Barrel racing saddle
Endurance saddle
Trail saddle
Pleasure saddle
Sidesaddle
English sidesaddle
Western sidesaddle
Military saddle
Australian Stock Saddle
Treeless saddle
For the parts of the English saddle, see English saddle or Parts of the
English Saddle. For the parts of the Western Saddle, see Parts of the
Western Saddle.
Copyright (c) A. S. Websales.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software
Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no
Back-Cover Texts.
