saddle (redirected from basket saddle)

saddle, seat or pad to support the rider on an animal, chiefly a horse. The saddles mentioned in the Bible are generally considered to have been saddlecloths. The ancient Greeks sometimes used saddlecloths, but they had no saddles and often rode bareback. The Romans did not use a saddle until near the end of the empire. The Native Americans of the Great Plains of North America were famous horsemen, and usually rode without saddles. To riders accustomed to the saddle, however, its advantages are decisive. Probably it was developed either in France during the early Christian era or in the steppe region of Asia. In Europe the saddle came into general use in the Middle Ages. The exploits of medieval knights would have been difficult without the saddle. Saddles of various types include the packsaddle, to which the load of a pack animal is secured; the camel saddle; the howdah, used by riders of elephants; and the saddle used by riders of horses. There are two main types of horse saddles, the Hungarian and the Moorish. The Moorish saddle, which was used extensively by cowboys in the United States, has a horn which is essential in using the lasso. To hold it in place under the strain of the lasso, this saddle has two strong girths, each tightened by a cinch strap. The Hungarian saddle, of which the English saddle is an example, the McClellan saddle, and the racing saddle have no horns. The English saddle has padding, and the stirrup is hung farther forward than on the Moorish saddle or the McClellan saddle, neither of which is padded. For constant use, the hard saddle is believed in North America to be better for both the horse and the rider. The padded saddle has advantages in brief and occasional rides. See also equestrianism; stirrup.

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saddle

Seat for a rider on the back of an animal, usually a horse. The leather saddle was developed between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD, probably by peoples of the Asian steppes, where the stirrup and the horse collar also originated. The saddle greatly improved a rider's ability to control a moving horse, especially in combat. Improvements made in medieval Europe were related to feudal battles among knights. Modern saddles are mainly divided into two types: the light, flat English or Hungarian style used for sport and recreation, and the sturdy Western style used originally for cattle roping and now also for recreation.

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saddle

1. a seat for a rider, usually made of leather, placed on a horse's back and secured with a girth under the belly

2. a back pad forming part of the harness of a packhorse

3. the part of a horse or similar animal on which a saddle is placed

4. the part of the back of a domestic chicken that is nearest to the tail

5. Civil engineering a block on top of one of the towers of a suspension bridge that acts as a bearing surface over which the cables or chains pass

6. Engineering the carriage that slides on the bed of a lathe and supports the slide rest, tool post, or turret

7. the nontechnical name for clitellum

8. another name for col

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saddle [′sad·əl]

(design engineering)

A support shaped to fit the object being held.

(geology)

A gap that is broad and gently sloping on both sides.

A relatively flat ridge that connects the peaks of two higher elevations.

That part along the surface axis or axial trend of an anticline that is a low point or depression.