When searching through saddles for sale, it is a good idea to know the parts that make up a horse saddle so that you can have a checklist for which parts you need to evaluate before making your purchase. Though they have some differences, western saddles and English saddles have many things in common.
The Anatomy of a Saddle
Let's introduce some of the terms used in describing horse saddle components. Learning the parts of a saddle will help to open your awareness about the products you are evaluating. You don't necessarily have to memorize the entire anatomy of a saddle, but having a base knowledge will improve your selection process when you're looking at any saddles for sale.
The "tree" is the structural core of any sort of saddles for sale.
The "pommel" on the saddle is the front bump which keeps the rider from moving forward on the horse's back. Western saddles have horns coming out of their pommels.
The "skirt" covers the area where the stirrups attach to the saddle. They are available in round and square. Round skirts cover less of the horse's side.
The "seat" obviously is where the rider sits in the saddle.
The "cantle" is the raised rear part of a horse saddle that helps to keep the rider from falling backwards.
The "stirrups" on a horse saddle lay on either side of the horse and hold the rider's feet.
The "billets" are straps on the saddle which connect to the girth that is used to essentially tie the saddle to the horse's back.
English saddles only:
The "saddle flaps" on an English saddle cover the horse between the seat and the stirrups to prevent direct contact with the rider's legs and the horse.
Western saddle parts:
The "fenders" on western saddle are slender strips of leather in between the seat and the stirrups to keep the rider's legs from touching the horse.
There are many other parts of saddles when you go into further detail. And the other parts can be equally important in determining which of the many saddles for sale is right for you. But these terms should give you a basic understanding of the general layout of a saddle.
The Anatomy of a Saddle
Let's introduce some of the terms used in describing horse saddle components. Learning the parts of a saddle will help to open your awareness about the products you are evaluating. You don't necessarily have to memorize the entire anatomy of a saddle, but having a base knowledge will improve your selection process when you're looking at any saddles for sale.
The "tree" is the structural core of any sort of saddles for sale.
The "pommel" on the saddle is the front bump which keeps the rider from moving forward on the horse's back. Western saddles have horns coming out of their pommels.
The "skirt" covers the area where the stirrups attach to the saddle. They are available in round and square. Round skirts cover less of the horse's side.
The "seat" obviously is where the rider sits in the saddle.
The "cantle" is the raised rear part of a horse saddle that helps to keep the rider from falling backwards.
The "stirrups" on a horse saddle lay on either side of the horse and hold the rider's feet.
The "billets" are straps on the saddle which connect to the girth that is used to essentially tie the saddle to the horse's back.
English saddles only:
The "saddle flaps" on an English saddle cover the horse between the seat and the stirrups to prevent direct contact with the rider's legs and the horse.
Western saddle parts:
The "fenders" on western saddle are slender strips of leather in between the seat and the stirrups to keep the rider's legs from touching the horse.
There are many other parts of saddles when you go into further detail. And the other parts can be equally important in determining which of the many saddles for sale is right for you. But these terms should give you a basic understanding of the general layout of a saddle.
About the Author:
About the Author, Anne Katherine knows a lot regarding saddles for sale. Search for more posts by her elsewhere on the web if you like what you see here.
