Image from unforth
Not too long ago I posted about Saddles of the World and in doing that research I ran across a number of antique saddle images I had to share too.
The saddles below span the past 600 years and a variety of cultures around the globe. It’s quite interesting to see how this essential riding tool is shaped by each culture.
Some of them are absolutely beautiful and others just make me think “Ouch!”
Nez Perce Woman’s Saddle – Late 19th Century
Jeweled Alexander Litovchenko Saddle – Late 19th Century
German Officer’s Saddle – Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
Image from Cgoodwin
Saddle From Tribes in the Northern Plains
Image from Xenophon
Eastern Tibetan Saddle Early 20th Century
Image from unforth
German Parade Saddle 15th Century
Image from unforth
Ivan The Terrible’s Saddle 16th Century
Image from Shakko
Confederate Saddle 19th Century
Image from unforth
So Many Types
From old to new there are hundreds of saddle types, but what it all boils down to is how well they do their job. The evolution of this tool is shaped by different cultures & terrains, as is domestic horse itself. What kind of saddle do you use?
eastern Tibetan saddle actually Mongolian saddle. Mongolain saddle is father of the ancient saddle also asian.
Thank you for displaying these excellent pictures of saddles from different cultures. The two Native American saddles you show both have extremely
high front and rear pommels that are similar to the high front and rear pommels on the early saddles of East Asia that go back to the time of the invention of the saddle by the people of Asia. Nothing unusual about that because I believe that is the source of Native American saddle technology. That belief is based not only on the high pommels on the saddle but also the breast strapping and the crupper belts used by the Native Americans on their saddles which is a primary feature of Asian saddles from the earliest times of
the use of the saddle in Asia.
What is an interesting fact to note on the two Native American saddles above is that they all have an uncanny resemblance to the feature on a western saddle that we know of as the “horn”. The horn on the western saddle is the
top portion of the front pommel on the western saddle and has as its main purpose an anchor for the cowboy’s lariat in roping horses or cattle. Those
pommels on the N/A saddles are so similar that I believe the question can be asked “Is there a connection between the N/A saddle pommels and the western saddle horn and if so which one came first?”
Dear sir,
I have an antique tibetian saddle quite similiar to the one shown here . I would like to sell it . Can u help ?
Ruchee
Hello Ruchee,
Please email me the pictures of tibetan saddle on phunde@yahoo.com
You can reach me at 347-839-0669 . I live in New York .
I love tibetan saddle , can you tell me more about .