Riding saddle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saddle with names of the individual parts
Underside of saddle from inside to outside: middle saddle compartment, right and left brown saddle pads and knee rolls, black sweat pads, belt straps and saddle flaps

A riding saddle is used on mounts to make riding safer and to protect the animal's back. This article relates to riding saddles for horses, there are also various saddle shapes for other riding animals.

The saddle is placed on the saddle position , the area behind the withers , and fastened with the saddle girth.

Saddles consist of a saddle tree made of wood , steel , aluminum or fiberglass , which gives the saddle its shape, and a seat made of leather or plastic. To ensure a perfect fit on horseback , saddle trees are available in a large number of sizes and chamber widths . There are also treeless saddles that are easy to adjust and saddles with a leather tree. Valances , saddle pads , pads , Westernpads or Woilache protect the saddle from sweat and serve as needed as a cushion.

history

  • The croissant saddle on the tombstone of a Roman cavalryman.

  • Reconstruction of a Roman horn saddle

  • Saddler around 1568

  • Officer's saddle from the 17th century

The first saddles were pack saddles in the form of goat saddles, which consist of two boards that rest on the right and left of the horse and were connected to each other with brackets at the front and back. Trestle saddles were suitable, on the one hand, to securely attach a lot of luggage to the animal and, on the other hand, to protect the animal's back and thus cover longer distances safely. The first step in using these saddles as riding saddles was to pad them with pillows and / or blankets.

The first saddles by no means corresponded to certain patterns, but each rider made his saddle as he needed it for himself and his horse. Saddles made of padded cushions were used early on in riding. The Greeks used lambskins or blankets that were held in place with a saddle strap. Xenophon recommended in his specialist literary works to use this belt in certain situations in order to give the legs more support.

In the Roman Empire , a type of saddle made of leather prevailed, which is known as a croissant saddle due to its four distinctive buttocks . It is believed to have been developed by the Celts and spread throughout the Roman Empire with the conquest of Gaul and was also known to the Parthians and Sassanids. From the 4th century AD the croissant saddle disappears and is replaced - very quickly in the east of the Old World, in the west not until much later (in the early Middle Ages) - by a saddle type with stirrups .

In the Far East, the stirrup had been known since the 3rd century. At first they probably only consisted of simple loops, then of stirrups made of wood and / or metal, which were initially very light and narrow, but over time, especially in Western Europe, became increasingly massive and were given a larger tread. Initially, the stirrup leathers, which were still short, were attached to the saddle girth, later they were attached higher to the saddle itself.

The saddle tree with front and rear pommel has been in use since the turn of the century . It was introduced by the Sarmatians , a nomadic people of Iranian origin. This saddle also had no stirrups, but it still gave the rider a certain security and support, as he could brace himself against the Hinterzwiesel when he came into contact with the enemy (as the Gardians still do now and then to help the horses move).

General

Dressage saddle
General purpose saddle
Jumping saddle
Racing saddle

The saddle flaps are the two large leather surfaces on the right and left of the saddle. The stirrup strap, which is attached to the top of the stirrup holder, rests on them. The stirrup has a slot through which the strap passes so that the stirrup hangs from the lower end of the stirrup strap. Under the saddle flaps are usually the sweat flaps , which are missing in some saddles. Between these two sheets there are sometimes much smaller cover sheets that hide the girth straps to which the saddle girth is attached.

The knee rolls are padding on the front and sometimes also on the back of the welding flap. They extend from the lower part of the leaf to almost the very top. Although the knee rolls are under the saddle flap, you can already see their position from the outside, since the leather of the saddle flap above the rolls differs from the rest of the leaf leather and is connected to this by a seam. In recent times, saddles are increasingly being produced in which the knee rolls are attached to the top of the saddle flaps. Depending on the type of saddle, the knee rolls are shaped and positioned differently.

Dressage saddle

The dressage saddle has a comparatively small contact surface and the rider sits very close to the horse. There are deep, half-deep and normal, also called anatomical, seat surfaces. A normal, rather flat seat offers more freedom of movement, for example to move the hips as required. A so-called deep seat is not closer to the horse, but more padded at the front and back, creating a seat that feels deep, calm and secure. The long, straight cut saddle flap allows a long leg, which is important for the differentiated aids in dressage . The saddle shown has so-called banana cushions and is particularly suitable for horses with a curved back. For horses with long, straight backs, saddles are suitable in which the cushions are extended to the rear by wedge cushions, which creates a larger contact surface.

General purpose saddle

In the all-purpose saddle, the rider sits close to the horse and can give precise weight and cross aids. English flatbed saddles are not designed as work saddles that lie on the horse all day, but as sports saddles for short-term loads that offer the rider a lot of freedom of movement.

Both dressage and jumping can be ridden with the all-round saddle. In riding schools it is the most common type of saddle, as it is versatile and suitable for beginners. Versatility saddles are particularly suitable for horse rides, as you can find a good hold and jump in them and, thanks to the longer saddle flap, you can work well and sit more comfortably than in an extreme jumping saddle. There are all-purpose saddles with a focus on dressage (VSD), which are characterized by a longer, straighter flap and smaller blocks. Versatility saddles with a focus on jumping (VSS) can be recognized by their shorter saddle flap cut further forward and thicker blocks. A good VSS is usually sufficient for small jumps.

In large versatility tests , a dressage saddle is used for dressage, a jumping saddle for jumping and a special jumping saddle for cross-country testing. In small exams, an all-purpose saddle can be sufficient for all three sub-exams.

Jumping saddle

Specially designed for show jumping , the jumping saddle is a little longer and the seat flatter than the dressage saddle, which enables saddle flaps with high knee rolls to be pulled far forward, which should provide the knee with good support when landing after the jump. It is also wider than the dressage saddle and better padded, as it is designed more to support the horse's free movement than to transfer even the smallest aids to it. A wide stud protection belt is often used for horseshoes with studs, which protects the horse's belly from touching the studs.

Racing saddle

Racing saddles are particularly small and light saddles that are used in horse races. They offer the racehorse as much freedom of movement as possible and thus enable high speed. Racing saddles are not suitable for sitting comfortably, instead they enable the racing seat, in which the center of gravity comes by bending forward in a crouch over the center of gravity of the horse, which is far forward in the racing canter. The saddle itself can weigh less than 150 grams and, complete with girth, stirrup leathers and stirrups, sometimes weighs just 250 grams.

Polo saddle

The seat of a polo saddle is often made of suede. Instead of the saddle belt buckles, traditional saddles have a long leather strap that is often wrapped in a large ring and thus tightens the waist belt. In addition, saddles in polo have their own safety belt for double protection, which runs over the saddle in case the saddle loosens or even comes off during the game. There are no knee rolls on the saddle flaps.

  • Polo saddle with open saddle flap

  • Suede polo saddle

  • Saddle pads for polo saddles

Side saddle

In the side saddle, the rider sits sideways, i.e. with both legs on one side - usually on the left - of the horse. The side saddle is inferior to the normal saddle, as the right leg is missing here to provide assistance. The side saddle is dangerous in the event of a fall, as the rider often cannot get off the saddle. As a result, it was gradually displaced after the First World War and banned in Germany for heavy jumping in 1928.

Military saddle

WW1 military saddle

In the military , goat saddles were used, which are characterized by their adaptability to the horse. In Europe, flatbed saddles were common, the costumes of which were lengthened to the rear in order to achieve more contact surface and possibilities for luggage attachment. Representatives are German (best known the model "Army saddle 25"), Swiss and Austrian military saddles. In America, the McClellan saddle was used. The latter enables particularly good ventilation of the horse's back due to its construction and became the starting point for the design of numerous newer models for trail and endurance riding .

School saddle

A school saddle is a variant of the bock saddle used in the baroque era (which is still found today as a traditional Spanish saddle ), which is especially suitable for teaching high school lessons. In addition to high bulbs, which are supposed to give the rider support above the ground in schools, he generally has a seat made of suede leather and a possibility to tie up the stirrups. Front and rear panels can also be mounted.

Iberian saddle

Western saddle (Round Skirt)
Elaborately hallmarked western saddle

Iberian saddles are characterized by the raised galleries on the Vorder and Hinterzwiesel. They are used for the Iberian riding style .

Western saddle

Western saddles are used in western riding and increasingly also in recreational riding . The western saddle is a further development of the saddles of the conquistadors . It originally consisted of a wooden tree covered with rawhide and a structure made of leather , which is often abundantly hallmarked for decoration . Newer, inexpensive models are also made with plastic trees and leather or plastic structures. Due to its large contact surface, which distributes the weight well on the horse's back, and its seat shape for the rider, the western saddle is well suited for long rides. Traditional western saddles are very heavy (> 10 kg), which is why saddles with a lower weight have been developed since the late 20th century by doing without unnecessary items and using lightweight materials.

The fit on the horse is largely determined by the height and width of the chamber (gullet), the angle and the longitudinal curvature and twist (twist) over the longitudinal axis of the saddle tree.

The main sizes are:

The abbreviation RS (Round Skirt) stands for rounded saddles for horses with a very short saddle. There are different models of the western saddle depending on the workload:

  • Cutter for cutting , a sport in which horse and rider have to separate a calf from a herd without any further aids
  • Pleasure for pleasure riding, the dressage of western riding
  • Roper for catching cattle with a lasso
  • Show for sporting competitions, usually richly decorated with silver plaques (conchos)
  • Barrel Racer for the barrel race with a deeper seat and convex heels for quick, hard turns

The characteristic horn on the front of the saddle originally served as a fixed point for the lasso when cattle were caught with the lasso from the horse. Today the horn is traditionally part of the western saddle. However, only in the Roper is the horn made stable enough to withstand the load that occurs. So that the saddle does not rise at the rear when the cattle pulls, a waist belt is used in addition to the normal saddle belt, which otherwise remains loosely buckled. A western pad serves as a cushion between the horse and the saddle on the western saddle .

Trekking saddle

The touring saddle is mainly used for hiking tours lasting several days . It must lie on the horse over a large area so that it does not generate any pressure even during long stays in the saddle and offers sufficient opportunities to attach luggage. Old military saddles are often used as hiking saddles, but the modern ones are lighter.

Distance saddle

The endurance saddle is designed for endurance rides of 100 kilometers and more. It has to be light and comfortable for horse and rider. Australian stick saddles are also popular in endurance sports.

Stick saddle

Stick saddle

The stick saddle originated in Australia in the 18th century from the English saddle. The rider sits deeper and safer in the Australian stick saddle than in the English saddle, but at the expense of freedom of movement. In addition, the traditional costumes on the flatbed saddle were lengthened, as the stick saddle is not used in sport but as a work saddle.

Töltsattel

A töltsattel is a riding saddle that is primarily intended for gaited horses . In order to be able to separate their gaits ( walk , trot , gallop , tölt and pass ), the rider has to distribute his own weight differently on the horse's back than with other horses. The flat tölt saddle enables this behavior. It usually has its center of gravity further back than normal saddles, but can also look similar to an all-purpose saddle. Because the center of gravity is further back in the saddle, tölting is easier for the horse. The seat is not always smooth, but often also ribbed, as are the knee rolls .

Maremmana

The Maremmana or Bardella is the saddle of the Butteri, the cattle herders of Tuscany. It is a thick, treeless leather saddle that is filled with animal hair and - once it has been broken in - adapts very well to both horse and rider. The Maremmana is therefore not suitable for use by several people.

equipment

  • Saddle strap, for attaching the saddle.
Saddle girths are made from a wide variety of materials: cord girths that adapt well to the horse's body, easy-care neoprene girths, anatomically shaped and padded leather saddle girths. For sensitive horses there are belt protectors made of lambskin or synthetic fur covers.

See also

Web links

Commons : Saddles  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Arnim Basche : History of the horse. Sigloch, Künzelsau 1984. (2nd edition. Stürtz, Würzburg 1991, ISBN 3-8003-0396-5 , pp. 128-134) ( Stierreiter and Gardians ), here: p. 134.
  2. ↑ Axel Gelbhaar: Medieval and early modern riding and driving accessories from the possession of the art collections of the Veste Coburg. Olms, Hildesheim et al. 1997, ISBN 3-487-08380-9 (also: Bamberg, University, dissertation, 1996).