Saddle – A leather seat connected to the horse’s back, with or without a horn and cantle. The pad saddle and the frame saddle were the two main styles of Indian saddles. While all mounted Indians wore some type of saddle, the Indians mainly rode bareback when hunting buffalo and in combat. Pad saddles were popular among northern Plains Indians and those living west of the Rockies. The Native Americans of North America’s Great Plains were legendary horsemen who rode without saddles until European immigrants arrived. The Indians adopted saddles and full bridles with bits after being exposed to Europeans and their riding manner.
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