Brief History of the Saddle

If you are riding a horse or a camel, you probably aren't bothered by the saddle you are sitting on, as long as you feel comfortable. But your attitude toward the saddle would be very different if you were the owner of the horse or the animal that uses it. Most of the time, saddles are custom-fit to the animal you take good care of. It should fit perfectly so as not to hurt your horse or camel. It should also be easy to detach from your animal's body for cleaning and other maintenance purposes.
About 2000 B.C., horse riders put a piece of cloth or animal hide on the part of the area of the animal they will sit on. These materials are believed to be the first saddle. It was late Iron Age when the first 'real' saddle (very much similar to what we have now) appeared. The first use of saddles was attributed to the Moors in North Africa. The Moors realized that riding a horse in a long period of time could be really uncomfortable and tiring for the part of the rider. Saddles, during this time was a simple padded barrier placed between the horse back and the rider's butt and legs.

In 700 B.C. the Assyrian warriors of the Middle East were the first ones to use saddles with elaborate and detailed decorations. Early saddles were furnished with animal fur, leather, felt, hair and gold. Scythians were the ones to first use cushions in saddles. The development continued until two types of saddles are known today:

• Western Saddle. It has a horn to which a lasso can be tied. It is the kind of saddle used by the cowboys of US.
• Hungarian Saddle. One of its kinds is the English saddle. It has padding and a longer stirrup

Qualities of a Good Saddler

• Able to make a perfect fitting saddle for your horse
• Open to decor customization and other personal requests
• Able to give you advice on proper cleaning and correct loading and unloading
• Offer you products that help maintain your saddle in good condition
• The quality of the materials used by the saddler should be genuine and of high quality
• Offers service warranty for a certain period of time