Saddles

Collectors value saddles for their connection to horse racing and equestrian sports as well as their innate beauty and craftsmanship. Saddles immediately illicit thoughts of horses and everything they represent, from iconic races such as the Kentucky Derby to the Steeplechase in Nashville, Tennessee. They also bring to mind traditions and mythologies from both the old and new worlds, including fox hunting, dressage, and the cowboys and Indians of the American West.

The saddle is a semiotically rich object that encompasses associations both high and low simultaneously. It is the cushioned seat that provides comfort for elite royalty and cattle ranchers alike. The saddle is produced by local craftsmen throughout the American southeast for utilitarian purposes as well as the loftiest European artisans as objets d'art.

Saddles were invented by Eurasian nomads around 4000 B.C., shortly after the domestication of horses and reconceived in various forms by numerous cultures thereafter including the Chinese during the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire. Saddles offer a fascinating window into man's age-old relationship with the horse, an animal whose history is more integrally linked with that of humans than perhaps any other with the exception of the dog.

Quick Facts

• The esteemed luxury goods maker Hermès offers a bespoke saddle for upwards of $10,000
• The Western saddle, most commonly associated with the cowboys of the American West, can be traced back to the Moorish horsemen who invaded Spain around 700 B.C.
• Saddles are now designed for a variety of uses including roping, cutting, barrel racing, and rodeo