What are saddles and what are they made of?

In our country, four types of saddles are most widely used: drill, Cossack, sports and racing.

Drill and Cossack saddles

For a long time they were used in the cavalry. They were well suited for multi-day trips on any roads and in any weather conditions, they created convenience for a rider dressed in military uniforms. The possibility of attaching packs with uniforms to the saddles was also provided. The weight of a drill saddle with a pack reached about 40 kilograms. There are also special pack saddles, but they are not used for riding. Currently, combat and Cossack saddles are used on expeditions, when grazing, for filming movies.

sport saddles

They should make it as easy as possible for the horse to move in all gaits and when jumping. Sports saddles are divided into saddles for show jumping, triathlon, steeple chase, for higher riding school, vaulting (special gymnastic exercises are performed on them) and for learning to ride (training saddles). Training saddles are simpler in design and are usually made from cheap materials.

A sports saddle consists of a tree, two wings, two fenders, a seat, two pillows, two girths, four or six harnesses, two putlisches, two stirrups, two shnellers and a sweatshirt.

Lenchik are made from metal. It is the solid foundation of the entire saddle and consists of two benches held together by metal arcs. These arcs are called the forward and rear pommel. The length of the tree depends on the type of equestrian sport.

Wings и wheel arch liners are made from leather. They serve to protect the rider’s legs from touching the girths, harnesses and buckles, and cover the sweatshirt. In racing saddles, the wings are more forward, since during the race the rider stands in the stirrups, pushing his legs forward. Saddles for higher riding school have wings lowered vertically down.

Seat are made from leather. It enables the rider to take a correct and comfortable position on the horse’s back.

Pillow made of dense material and stuffed with wool. Place them under the seat; they adhere to the horse’s body on either side of its spine, helping to avoid impact on it.

Tank top made from thick felt. It softens the pressure of the saddle and pillows on the horse’s body, prevents the formation of scuffs, absorbs sweat during the horse’s work. A rectangular piece of white linen fabric 70 x 80 cm in size is placed under the pad. The pad protects the horse’s skin from a dirty pad. It is not part of the saddle.

Suspenders made from braid. A modern sports saddle most often has two girths, which, with the help of buckles and clamps, tightly cover the horse’s body from below and from the sides, preventing the saddle from sliding sideways and moving along the back.

Stirrup made of metal and hung on a leather belt with a buckle, called putlishch. Putlishche threaded into Schneller – a special metal device with a lock. The length of the putlish can be changed by adjusting it to the length of the rider’s legs. The stirrups serve as additional support for the rider.

Sometimes racing saddles are mistakenly classified as sports saddles – as light as possible, intended for racing at hippodromes. But hippodrome racing is not a classic equestrian sport, and therefore racing saddles (working and prize) should be attributed to a special type.

Sports (except for vaulting) and racing saddles weigh much less than drill and Cossack saddles: from 0,5 to 9 kg