A Comitiva: The Australian Saddle

                                                        A Comitiva 

The Australian Saddle

"Transforming his leather into something beautiful, beyond the imagination of his creation, traveled the world, riders helped with passion"

In this post the content will be about one of the greatest tools that a rider will use in his life with horses, the saddle, but we will be focusing on the Australian saddle, its origins and its influence on the Brazilian saddle market, I hope you like it.

Crossing the World:

The original Australian Saddle originated, of course, in Australia, but this story tells much more than just one nation could, we as humans when discovering new areas on the map, we tend to bring with us the culture or anything we have in possession, such as animals, tools, ideas and concepts.

And it was like this with the saddle as well as with the horses from Oceania, brought by the British Empire from the moment that Australia became one of its domains, these colonizers brought with them to a new continent just that, animals, tools and ideas.

As they were in the European islands, the beginning of the saddle in Australia was with the famous and popular English saddle, a saddle seen until today in jumping, dressage and other equestrian events.

But like everything that is in a new environment, the saddle would not be different, it would be necessary to carry out a reformulation and new ideas for the saddle to be used by the new Australian custom, mainly by people who had a new purpose for horses than the English before had.

The Encounter With The Stock:

The main change that Australians found to change their saddles, was their new environment, this counting their new professions with horses, and of course, the local terrain which was very different from Europe.

For this reason, the Australians decided to use the originally English formula saddle for a new saddle, the Australian saddle, which thus had a better capacity for its activities, working with cattle.

Australians used to work with cattle in retinues, or in general cattle management work, in difficult and long terrain, so the English saddle was no longer ideal as it did not offer the right comfort for a long journey, the new Australian saddle did, however, provide the comfort that the farmer should have to cover long trips with the herd.

English saddle.

                                                 Original Australian Saddle

Now, A New Frontier:

 

Now I need to talk about the influence of this saddle with its origins in Australian needs, with its arrival in Brazil, it's a strange way of thinking, but if you participate or have ever participated in the traditional Brazilian community of the world of horses, you've probably heard someone say something about the "Australian" saddle, but is this Australian saddle from Brazil the same one that originated on the other side of the world?

Well, for me, the answer is yes and no, I would say that calling the Australian saddle from Brazil what the "Aussie Stock Saddle" is called would be the same as calling the original Australian saddle from Oceania an English saddle.

We need to understand that whenever something crosses borders like the saddles did, many changes occur, as was the case with the original saddle, but in Brazil the saddle that was created from the Aussie, is also called the Australian saddle, but it is Typically Brazilian, this Australian saddle from Brazil had the origin of the Aussie and has extreme similarity with the original, but we need to understand how our saddle really works.

Brazil's Australian Saddle

                                       Original Australian Saddle 

Marching in a saddle:

Well, we will now go into the use of the Brazilian Australian saddle, as well as the Aussie, the Brazilian Australian saddle was also used for a long time to work with cattle, and still continues to be so today, but the Brazilian saddle has more modern uses of the Brazilian gaited horse, you can get an Australian saddle for a cavalcade, a very common event in Brazil, or you can get a Track Saddle.

This one that has influence of the Brazilian Australian saddle, almost identical, but with a more private use, the Track Saddle is in that set of saddles originating from the Aussie and the English Saddle consequently, but this one is used by gaited animals in gait exhibitions all over Brazil.

   

Everything evolved:

It is really impressive when we observe everything that happens around us, when we observe a jumping saddle, hunting, sport of the European nobility, transform into an instrument of travel, for hard work with cattle, and later, when crossing a new frontier, become both a propulsion tool for walking comfort, and also to assist animals in exhibitions.

Thanks and Final Thoughts:

I remember the day I stepped into a saddle shop for the first time, it was amazing, knowing more about all these the things that are fundamental to an experience with the horse, where I was able to learn so much about concepts that I could never have imagined.

It was there, in a saddlery that I was able to realize how much things change, how a saddle can change and evolve as it happened in our history, but it was also there where I myself was able to evolve as a person, and for that I thank my friends at Kadok saddlery.

selariakadok.oficial visit the saddlery when you have the chance, and I guarantee you will leave happier and lighter than when you entered.

Exemplary of the Original Australian Saddle from 180 years ago, located in the Kadok Saddlery and kept with great respect and care:

Original Aussie Stock Saddle situated in Brazil Saddlery Kadok, Guarded with respect and affection.