Unit 3 Composition: Definition Essay
Saddles Riding is a very fun and tiring task. It is hard work, but if you have the correct tack, it can make it easier. Tack is equipment used to handle a horse, such as the halter, the bridle, and the saddle. But besides the bridle, the most important piece for riding is the saddle. That is why it is so important for them to provide comfort and safety, both of which have come a long way in the history of saddles. But saddles, to me, mean more than that. They help you spend time with a horse and doing a very fun activity that helps you make a friend and maybe find a new hobby.
The interesting thing is, there are so many types of saddles that you could probably find one for anything that you ever wanted to do on horseback. Many of them are special saddles built specifically for one or two sports or interests, but many can be used for more than one purpose. Saddles are often classified into two groups, English for English riding and Western for Western riding. Most Western saddles are the same, just different brands. To understand the description, you need to understand what I call “saddle talk”. The cantle is the back of the saddle, and on a Western saddle it goes pretty high. The pommel is the front of the saddle, and on Western ones, the pommel raises up into a horn to hold or tie a lasso to. Lastly, the stirrups are footholds that you stick your feet in and they help you keep your balance. The stirrups of the Western saddle are wide, and usually adjustable. English saddles come in a lot of different ways, but usually they all have a few things in common. One, they are pretty flat and have no horn. Two, they don’t have nearly as wide of stirrups as Western saddles do. Like I said, these are just general rules for English saddles, but because there are so many, sometimes these will differ from saddle to saddle. These are just a few of the specified versions of English saddles; jumping saddles, dressage saddles, showing saddles, American saddle seats (for a few horses that have a special gate called a running walk), endurance saddles, and the side saddle.
The first saddles weren’t really saddles at all! They were actually just cloth blankets or padding that you put between you and the horse’s back. After that, saddles closer to what we have today were made with stiffer materials (such as leather), and shaped for easier riding. Then, in the 1700’s, a sport called foxhunting became popular because hunting of other animals was scarce. But, this sport needed a better saddle that didn’t have so high of a pommel or cantle. So a flatter one was made, and it was the beginning of the English saddle. Western saddles had their beginning in--where else--the West! The cowboys who rounded-up cattle needed a sturdy saddle, so the Western style of riding with neck reining (making it easier and faster to turn your horse) was made.
As I said before, the saddle is very important to have fitted well and they have come a long way. But another important thing to do is that if you are going to buy a new one, get a saddle fitter. She will look at you and your horse, then have you ride your horse bareback in front of her. This way she can see the horse’s gait and decide how to make the saddle. Then, if you have a saddle currently, you will tack your horse up and ride with your current saddle. The saddle fitter will be able to tell how your current saddle fits and know what measurements to do (or to not do). You will be able to specify what type of saddle you want, and then she will have it made. When she drops it off, she will want you to ride with the old saddle and the new saddle, just to see if any adjustments need to be made, then she will tell you the price.
Most people think of saddles as the dictionary does, “A seat for a rider on a horse.” But a saddle represents more than that. When man first tamed horses, they became not only a symbol of fun and transportation, but of friendship and partnership with this beautiful animal. In the same way, saddles don’t just represent riding; they represent the hard work that it takes to ride, and looking at how many different saddles there are you can see how far riding has come.
Bibliography Books McBane, Susan. The Essential Book of Horse Tack & Equipment. Hong Kong:
David & Charles, 2000
Encyclopedias
World Book Co. “Saddles.” World Book Encyclopedia.
2012 ed. Vol. 17, pages 7-8.