Saddle Up,
Pardner
By Bill R. Bludworth
"Throughout history, from the most ancient art to the latest electronic visual entertainment, portrayals of horseback men accomplishing great feats have universally stirred the hearts of mankind. Images of man in the saddle fascinate and capture imaginations in every culture." -- Carson Thomas, Master Saddle Maker
From the time when man began to use the horse for transportation, he has been challenged to design a better way of staying aboard. While the saddle is just a piece of equipment to the working cowboy, there are many variations on that equipment, depending upon whether the rider is a true cowboy, an event competitor or just a pleasure rider. The purpose of a saddle is to help the rider keep his balance and to adjust it smoothly while allowing the horse to change its balance, without interference, whenever it starts, stops or turns. There are many separate components that go into a saddle. The intended use of the saddle determines the size, shape and relative locations of these parts. For example, a roping saddle will be shaped differently than a cutting saddle. For a working cowboy who does some of each, a compromise in specific features of the saddle has to be made. The ultimate shape of the saddle is determined by the style and size of the saddle. The foundation, or skeleton, of the saddle is called the "tree," because it is normally made of wood, usually oak. The tree is made up of five basic parts. The longitudinal, wide, flat pieces that lay on each side of the horse's spine are called the bars. The bars are connected in the rear by the cantle and in the front by the fork. The horn is fastened to the top center of the fork. The bars are the support system for the saddle and help distribute the weight of the saddle and rider evenly along the horse's back. The cantle serves as the back of the seat, and the fork serves several purposes, including providing a place for the rider to brace his legs, depending upon the shape of the swells. The horn is for dallying or tying a rope onto, or as a handle for holding onto. After the parts of the tree are fastened together with glue, nails, screws and bolts, the entire tree is covered with wet rawhide, which is stretched tightly over it and is then stitched and tacked into place. Once this rawhide cover dries and shrinks, it forms an extremely tough cover that not only helps hold the tree together, but makes it flexible and resilient so that it will return to its proper shape after it has been loaded and stressed by different riding maneuvers. Although some manufacturers have made trees out of plastic, aluminum and fiberglass, none has proved to be as strong, flexible and durable as a rawhide-covered wooden tree. The fork style and shape are determined by the use for which the saddle is most commonly ridden. A saddle used for barrel racing or cutting will have a high, wide fork or swell to provide a place against which a rider can brace his or her legs in sudden turns and side-to-side jumps. On the other hand, an "A"-shaped fork might be used by a roper to make the horn more prominent and clear for dallying and tying off. The cantle varies as well. The higher the cantle, the more secure the rider is in the saddle. Calf ropers prefer a low cantle that will not inhibit a quick dismount as they swing their legs over the saddle on their way to the ground to tie the calf. Depending upon their use, horns can be short and thick or tall and slender. Cutters and barrel racers prefer a tall and slender horn the diameter of a broomstick. This allows the riders to get a full handgrip on the horn for balancing in the twists and turns of their events. Roping horns are usually shorter and larger in diameter and are covered with rough-out leather or rubber to provide greater friction and holding ability when tying off a steer or calf. The shape and material used in the saddle seat will have the greatest impact on the comfort of the saddle for the rider. Whether the seat is wide, has a steep slope and is the proper size all contribute to this factor. The size of the seat is the dimension from the top of the fork at the backside base of the horn to the top center of the forward edge of the cantle. It is better to have a saddle that is a half-inch too big than a half-inch too small. If a seat is built up too much (too many layers of leather) and has too much padding, the rider's buttocks are farther from the horse's back, resulting in less "feel" between them. Whether there is padded, tooled, stitched, suede, rough-out or smooth leather in the saddle seat is a matter of personal preference. Suede and rough-out seats give the rider a better non-skid surface on which to sit. The same considerations go into the choice of the jockeys, skirts and fenders. The fenders provide protection to a rider's legs and clothing from the friction, dirt and sweat from the sides of the horse. Whether skirts are square or rounded also may depend upon the size of the horse. Rounded skirts look better and allow more freedom of movement on a short-backed horse like an Arabian. Larger square skirts may look better on a large Quarter Horse. Another important part of the saddle's construction is how it is rigged. According to Carson Thomas, a master saddle maker from Wyoming, most Texans prefer "full double rigging." That means there are two stainless steel rings on each side of the saddle, one at the front and one at the back. They are linked together by a connector strap. The cinch and girth straps tie into these rings. In Montana, Wyoming and the western Dakotas, the "three quarter" or "three quarter double" is the favored rigging position. Riders from Nevada, Oregon, Idaho and parts of California favor the "center-fire" position. These descriptions relate to whether the front cinch ring is half-way from the cantle to the horn, the "center-fire" position, or directly under the horn, the "full" position. Stirrups are a matter of style and personal preference as well as use. Wide, flat-bottomed stirrups are most commonly used for roping and pleasure riding because of the ease of release and the comfort and support provided by the large tread surface areas of the stirrup. Cutting horse riders seem to prefer the "oxbow" shaped stirrup, the bottom of which fits snugly under the arch of the foot where the sole of the boot meets the heel. This tight fit "locks them in" to a firmly entrenched position atop a horse that moves quickly from side to side. Whatever the type of riding one does, there is a style of saddle to match. Whether the saddle is plain or fancy, the saddle buyer should always keep in mind that the saddle should be of good quality, made so that it fits the horse and the rider, and is not so thick and bulky that the horse and rider cannot have a feel for each other.
References: Carson Thomas The Western Horseman, Inc. Doring Kindersley Limited
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