Saddle blanket
Encyclopedia
Blanket
A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...
s, pads or fabrics inserted under a saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
. These are usually used to absorb sweat
SWEAT
SWEAT is an OLN/TSN show hosted by Julie Zwillich that aired in 2003-2004.Each of the 13 half-hour episodes of SWEAT features a different outdoor sport: kayaking, mountain biking, ice hockey, beach volleyball, soccer, windsurfing, rowing, Ultimate, triathlon, wakeboarding, snowboarding, telemark...
, cushion the saddle, and protect the horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
's back. Saddle blankets have been used for many centuries with all types of saddles. Some are a single thickness, others are made to be folded and used with a double thickness. While a pad or blanket cannot take the place of a properly fitted saddle, pads with shims or blankets with a special design can partially compensate for minor fitting problems.
The most blanket
Blanket
A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...
-like style is associated with the American-style western saddle
Western saddle
Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches...
. It is usually made of wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
, cotton, or synthetic fabrics with similar characteristics. When fitted under the saddle, they are approximately 35 inch (0.889 m) square, although designs vary to fit horses of different sizes.
Sheepskin
Sheepskin is the hide of a sheep, sometimes also called lambskin or lambswool.Sheepskin may also refer to:* Parchment, a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin** Diploma, originally made of sheepskin...
numnahs that are shaped to fit around a saddle are popular in some disciplines.
The term "saddle cloth" has two meanings. In Australian English
Australian English
Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
, a saddle cloth is usually a square pad worn under the saddle. In the United States, the term refers to a very thin, lightweight blanket placed over a pad or heavier blanket for purely decorative or identification purposes, such as the square cloths used under the saddles of race horses
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
.
Designs for Stock saddles
Both blankets and pads are used with western saddleWestern saddle
Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches...
s, the Australian Stock Saddle
Australian Stock Saddle
The Australian Stock Saddle is a saddle in popular use all over the world for activities that require long hours in the saddle and a secure seat...
and other saddle designs with a solid tree that covers many square inches of a horse's back. The standard stock pad is square or slightly rectangular, and is designed to show under the saddle, providing both protection and style. These pads come in many colors and designs, and at horse show
Horse show
A Horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and...
s may be color-coordinated to the rider's attire.
Designs for English riding
English saddle
English saddles are used to ride horses in English riding disciplines throughout the world. The discipline is not limited to England or English-speaking countries. This style of saddle is used in all of the Olympic and FEI equestrian disciplines, except for the newly-approved FEI events of...
s typically use a shaped pad, called a "numnah" in British English
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
. The original purpose of the English saddle pad was simply to protect the saddle from dirt and sweat, as the panels of the English saddle provided the necessary padding and protection for the horse. It was a simple pad, either a neutral shade designed to be nearly invisible under the saddle, or, more recently, white, and shaped to fit the outline of the saddle. Today, English style pads are also used to alter the balance of a saddle and to compensate for fit problems. In addition, square pads, called saddlecloths in the UK and Australia, have become a popular style for eventing
Eventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
, show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
and dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
, in part because of the ability to add insignia to the corners. They are also popular with children and casual riders because they are available in a wide range of bright colors.
There are additional new types of English saddle pads such as the "riser" pad, which is thicker in the back than the front. Other pads are made with an opening to allow extra room for the withers
Withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
of the horse, some are shaped to compensate for lordosis
Lordosis
Lordosis is a medical term used to describe an inward curvature of a portion of the lumbar and cervical vertebral column. Two segments of the vertebral column, namely cervical and lumbar, are normally lordotic, that is, they are set in a curve that has its convexity anteriorly and concavity...
or swayback, and many modern "space age" materials are used, such as gel or memory foam to absorb shock, and modern synthetic materials with wicking properties to absorb moisture.
Other designs
A hybrid design that is a cross between a saddle blanket and a horse blanketHorse blanket
A horse blanket or rug is a blanket or animal coat intended for keeping a horse or other equine warm or otherwise protected from wind or other elements. They are tailored to fit around a horse's body from chest to rump, with straps crossing underneath the belly to secure the blanket yet allowing...
, called a quarter sheet, is a larger blanket placed under the saddle but which covers the horse from shoulder to hip while riding. Quarter sheets are sometimes used in cold weather to keep a horse's muscles loosened up when warming up for competition, or on horses that may have to stand around when under saddle and run the risk of stiffening up if their muscles get chilled.
History
Domestication of the horse
There are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. Although horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art as early as 30,000 BCE, these were truly wild horses and were probably hunted for meat. How and when horses became domesticated is disputed...
, the saddle blanket was the first and only piece of equipment placed on a horse's back, attached with a strap or rope, used primarily to protect the rider. Over time, the blanket developed into a pad, and later the pad or blanket became a buffer and support for a saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
.
See also
- SaddleSaddleA saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
- Western saddleWestern saddleWestern saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches...
- English saddleEnglish saddleEnglish saddles are used to ride horses in English riding disciplines throughout the world. The discipline is not limited to England or English-speaking countries. This style of saddle is used in all of the Olympic and FEI equestrian disciplines, except for the newly-approved FEI events of...
- Australian Stock SaddleAustralian Stock SaddleThe Australian Stock Saddle is a saddle in popular use all over the world for activities that require long hours in the saddle and a secure seat...
- Domestication of the horseDomestication of the horseThere are a number of hypotheses on many of the key issues regarding the domestication of the horse. Although horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art as early as 30,000 BCE, these were truly wild horses and were probably hunted for meat. How and when horses became domesticated is disputed...