The Evolution of Horse Saddles
Horse saddles help protect the rider from injury. The most common type of saddle is the kind made for a horse, but there are also saddles for other animals like camels. The first saddles were a far cry from what they are today. In fact, the early saddles were simple pads with an attached leather strap called surcingles. As the years went on, horse saddles became more sophisticated and specialized. While the earliest saddles were made around 800 B.C.E, the stirrups, which usually work in conjunction with horse saddles, were not known to be used until around 302 A.D. These days, saddles have evolved so much that we separate them into two separate categories: Western and English. Western saddles have the horn, while the English do not. The necessity of saddles when riding a horse is what has caused so much evolution in saddles.