Final Draft

Saddles: A Society Shattering Technology

 

As I fit my left foot into the cold iron hoops of my stirrups, I grasp the reins in my left hand and swing my right leg over the saddle until I can slide my boot into the stirrup leather on the other side as the saddle creaks with age. The team’s Paint, Tarzan, and I begin to warm up and work through our paces as my team captain calls out instructions from the center of the ring. Each time we change direction or speed, the saddle groans and moans in protest of the cold. As my captain moves on to the next exercise, Tarzan refuses to move forward and ignores my leg as I gently squeeze the stirrup irons into his sides until he finally steps off. The two of us continue this dance, him not wanting to move forward, me gently encouraging him with the help of the saddle until he decides he can’t handle the process any longer. When I ask him for a canter transition, he begins to pick up the correct nicely until a few strides later when he sits on his haunches and slams to a sudden stop. The cushy seat of the saddle protects my bum and my heels sink down into the stirrups so that I can wrap my legs further around Tarzan’s stomach. By the end of our ride we managed to get a few minutes of decent work before ending the day on a good note. Without my saddle or being able to ride with my legs on both sides of the saddle, called riding astride, working with Tarzan would’ve been much harder and I wouldn’t have access to many of the tools I had needed. The invention and development of the saddle acted as a catalyst to change equestrian sports and shatter the rules of propriety that enabled women to break free from oppressing gender roles and helped create a continuous influence on society.

 

The need for saddles arose thousands of years ago from the demands of nomadic and war lifestyles. Long hours on horseback caused pain to both the horses and their riders however the saddle was designed to redistribute a rider’s weight equally over the horse’s whole back. The article, “History of the Saddle” written by Trish Haill, outlines a brief introduction where saddles came from and how they’ve developed into the complex technologies that we have today. Horses were ridden bareback for centuries and often riders would only have a cloth or skin to act as a covering or cushion when riding long distances. It wasn’t until the Iron Age that saddles began to appear. Riding bareback for extended periods of time can be quite tiresome and painful not only for the rider but for the horse as well. Haill writes that a rudimentary version of the saddles we know today were created in North Africa as a way to provide padding to the rider and relief to the horse. As time progressed, saddles became more advanced and new improvements were added that helped riders accomplish more tasks like holding a sword and shield when fighting. Wars became less common between nations and saddles became more decorated and elaborate in their design which often showed a sign of status or power.

 

While I am able to ride astride, which helps me when working with difficult horses, women didn’t always have this luxury. According to “The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal” by Deborah Gorham, there were very distinct differences between girls and boys in how they were taught, the lessons they learned, and their roles in society. Much importance was placed on teaching girls self-sacrifice and their education was primarily accomplishment based in skills such as needlepoint, foreign languages, and music (Gorham 21). This seems unfair in the 21^st century where women can choose to study whatever subject they wish and work in whatever field they desire. Strong-minded women were looked down upon throughout their childhood and even as married women (Gorham 103). Unfortunately, the oppression of women through these belittling rules and ideals inhibited the success and great accomplishments that could’ve been achieved during the Victorian era with such a strong-minded group of individuals that society wanted to oppress.

 

The society rules that enforced oppressive gender roles also affected women’s ability to ride horses. In fact, women weren’t allowed to ride horses but if a woman ever wanted to watch a field game that required her to be aboard a horse due to mud or location, she would only be able to sit facing the side of her horse while a groom held the reins. The creation of the side saddle was the technological breakthrough that changed the equestrian world and enabled most of the cultural changes that led to women having the same riding capabilities as men. As Rebecca Holland mentions in her video “How to Ride Side Saddle like a Victorian Lady,” the first side saddle that allowed women to ride was believed to be introduced by Queen Elizabeth I. This new saddle had a pommel at the front where ladies could put their right leg which allowed them to face forward and control the horse one their own. While they could ride through every gait, ladies were still unable to join the men until the creation of a second pommel broke through all remaining barriers, like instability in the saddle, keeping women on the sidelines. Women could jump and join in on the field fun without breaking the strict rules of propriety that demanded women don’t separate their legs in public and must always act like a lady, which for centuries were placed on them by society. The only obstacle inhibiting women from being men’s equals on the field was how long it took for society to accept the new technology and the changing propriety rules.

 

Figure 1: Ruth Parton in the Drunken Ride at the Toppenish Rodeo

With time, society accepted the side saddle and women took to the fields with force. When the idea of women riding horses became more accepted, riding astride no longer seemed as taboo as before and the invention of the trick riding saddle began yet another era of change in the equestrian world. Most men can’t perform the movements in trick riding due to their physical attributes such as height and a different center of gravity which automatically give women an advantage. In the photographs of Ruth Parton taken by Henry Eston Maris (see figure 1), we see a confident woman gallop across the Toppenish Roundup and Rodeo track not sitting but standing in her saddle. Despite her skirts, she participated in the same events that men could. From a second pommel to extra straps that allow a rider to perform tricks, minor changes to saddle design have paved the way for incredible shifts in the equestrian world. Women are now considered equal to men on the competition field and horseback riding is no longer a man’s sport. The days of waiting and watching on the sidelines are over in a new era where women can compete against the greatest male riders from around the world for the chance to win gold in the Olympics. The insignificant act of adding a pommel drastically changed how we view the equestrian world, and each other, in a very brief amount of time. However, the saddle has influenced interesting changes in society other than the equestrian realm.

 

Society has come a long way from a time when ladies weren’t allowed to ride astride, and the mention of sex was nearly unheard of. Today, we are constantly bombarded with sexual images, songs, movies, and books that hint at sex in while also becoming a common conversation topic in public without a care as to those around us. Unfortunately, because our culture has become so exposed to promiscuous activity, we desensitize ourselves by twisting harmless words to fit our sex obsessed culture. Where we once had a tool that women used to break the standards placed on them by society, “Saddle” now refers to sexual positions and encourages an industry that degrades women. “Pony,” a song written and sung by Ginuwine, cleverly conveys very sexual meaning without directly referring to sexual acts. For example, Ginuwine sings “if you’re horny, let’s do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle’s, waiting, come and jump on it” (0:01:14 – 0:01:28). He continues this theme throughout his verses like he sings “The things I will do to you, You and your body, Every single portion, Send chills up and down your spine, Juices flowing down your thigh” (0:01:56 – 0:02:08). Ginuwine and his writers did so by assigning a new meaning to the word “saddle” in such a way that the audience would be able to pick up on the new implied meaning very quickly.

 

Much like how “Pony” builds a sexual connotation, TV shows create positive associations that enforce the values and beliefs that society wants its children to uphold through shows like “The Saddle Club”. The show’s title invokes the use of the word “saddle” to accomplish two things: hinting to the audience that the series involves horses but also the idea that saddles create lasting friendships and loyalty. Throughout the show, three girls become best friends through their common love of horses. While they face many trials like family that moves away, horses becoming injured, and the queen bee of the barn, the girls lean on each other through the good times and bad which builds an unbreakable bond. The main connection that the primary characters have, the reason they became friends, and one of the few constants in their lives, are the horses which hold their friendships together. While saddles aren’t the focus of this series, they lend an interesting insight as to how saddles gain connotations in society through exposure to varying audiences.

Figure 2: PonyUp Daddy product in use

 

Both “Pony” and “The Saddle Club” target specific audiences which plays a key role in their ability to sculpt new connotations. The PonyUp Daddy commercial uses this same strategy to associate family with the world “saddle” to create a new connotation of love and family bonding. Featuring images of parents giving their children pony rides (see figure 2), the commercial appeals to parents by showing what a perfect family could look like with the help of the brightly colored, neoprene saddle-like toy. The commercial furthers the notion that such a toy can promote family bonding by stating “parents, it’s time to play with your kids again” (00:00:41 – 00:00:51). The bright color scheme and silly theme song indicates that children are the true primary audience of this commercial which is yet again a brilliant strategy in developing a connotation. Children are known for their strong, endless imaginations and the PonyUp Daddy plays to that trait. The “saddle” acts as a gateway to other worlds where kids can ride dinosaurs, gallops horses, or leap through jungles on the back of their very own tiger. By showing that the PonyUp Daddy can unleash a child’s imagination, the commercial associates the word “saddle” with imagination and playtime which entices children to ask for the product. Throughout the commercials, the narrator draws nearly imperceptible connections between this toy and ideas of family, love, and spending time with one another which adds a deeper cultural understanding of the word “saddle.”

 

Culture is a fluid concept that constantly changes as time passes. With changing cultures, connotations evolve to match the trends. Likewise, the word “saddle” has rapidly accumulated a wide variety of connotations and associations within the last few decades where the connections weren’t advertised as much prior to that time. Societies and cultures change drastically over time as trends and ideals shift. Words and their meanings often reflect those changes in brutally honest ways. From the saddle’s humble start as a framework for weight distribution to a proud Victorian heritage of sidesaddle riding to the multi connotational usage today there have been both positive and negative changes in how we view such a wonderous technology. Without such an amazing technology, women wouldn’t have the freedom to gallop across an open field or compete in the Olympics. Saddles have made a tremendous influence on how the world views women and their roles in society however entertainment media, like the song “Pony,” slowly chip away at what we’ve accomplished and encourage reverting back to a past of oppression.

Rough Draft #3

Saddles: A Society Shattering Technology

 

As I fit my left foot into the cold iron hoops of my stirrups, I simultaneously grasp the reins in my left hand and the back of the saddle with my right. I step into the stirrup and swing my right leg over and slide that boot into the stirrup leather on the other side as the saddle creaks with age. The team’s Paint, Tarzan, and I begin to warm up and work through our paces as my team captain calls out instructions from the center of the ring. Each time we change direction or speed, the saddle groans and moans in protest of the cold. As my captain moves on to the next exercise, Tarzan refuses to move forward and ignores my leg as I gently squeeze the stirrup irons into his sides until he finally steps off. The two of us continue this dance, him not wanting to move forward, me gently encouraging him with the help of the saddle until he decides he can’t handle the process any longer. When I ask him for a canter transition, he begins to pick up the correct nicely until a few strides later when he sits on his haunches and slams to a sudden stop. The cushy seat of the saddle protects my bum and my heels sink down into the stirrups so that I can wrap my legs further around Tarzan’s stomach. By the end of our ride we managed to get a few minutes of decent work before ending the day on a good note. Without my saddle or being able to ride with my legs on both sides of the saddle, called riding astride, working with Tarzan would’ve been much harder and I wouldn’t have access to many of the tools I had needed. The invention and development of the saddle acted as a catalyst to change equestrian sports and shatter the rules of propriety that enabled women to break free from oppressing gender roles and helped create a continuous influence on society.

 

The need for saddles arose thousands of years ago from the demands of nomadic and war lifestyles. The article, “History of the Saddle” written by Trish Haill, outlines a brief introduction where saddles came from and how they’ve developed into the complex technologies that we have today. Horses were ridden bareback for centuries and often riders would only have a cloth or skin to act as a covering or cushion when riding long distances. It wasn’t until the Iron Age that saddles began to appear. Riding bareback for extended periods of time can be quite tiresome and painful not only for the rider but for the horse as well. Haill writes that a rudimentary version of the saddles we know today were created in North Africa as a way to provide padding to the rider and relief to the horse. As time progressed, saddles became more advanced and new improvements were added that helped riders accomplish more tasks like holding a sword and shield when fighting. Wars became less common between nations and saddles became more decorated and elaborate in their design which often showed a sign of status or power.

 

While I am able to ride astride, which helps me when working with difficult horses, women didn’t always have this luxury. In fact, most of the privileges that I have now weren’t always available to women like being able to ride horses, the opportunity to gain an education, or the ability to compete against men on the field or in the classroom. According to “The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal” by Deborah Gorham, there were very distinct differences between girls and boys in how they were taught, the lessons they learned, and their roles in society. Much importance was placed on teaching girls the importance of self-sacrifice and their education was primarily accomplishment based in skills such as needlepoint, foreign languages, and music (Gorham 21). This seems unfair in the 21^st century where women can choose to study whatever subject they wish and work in whatever field they desire. Strong-minded women were looked down upon and throughout their childhood and even as married women (Gorham 103). Unfortunately, the oppression of women through these belittling rules and ideals inhibited the success and great accomplishments that could’ve been achieved during the Victorian era with such a strong-minded group of individuals that society wanted to oppress.

 

The society rules that enforced oppressive gender roles also affected women’s ability to ride horses. In fact, women weren’t allowed to ride horses but if a woman ever wanted to watch a field game that required her to be aboard a horse due to mud or location, she would only be able to sit facing the side of her horse while a groom held the reins. The creation of the side saddle was the technological breakthrough that changed the equestrian world and enabled most of the cultural changes that led to women having the same riding capabilities as men. As Rebecca Holland mentions in her video “How to Ride Side Saddle like a Victorian Lady,” the first side saddle that allowed women to ride was believed to be introduced by Queen Elizabeth I. This new saddle had a pommel at the front where ladies could put their right leg which allowed them to face forward and control the horse one their own. While they could ride through every gait, ladies were still unable to join the men until the creation of a second pommel broke through all remaining barriers, like instability in the saddle, keeping women on the sidelines. Women could jump and join in on the field fun without breaking the strict rules of propriety that demanded women don’t separate their legs in public and must always act like a lady, which for centuries were placed on them by society. The only obstacle inhibiting women from being men’s equals on the field was how long it took for society to accept the new technology and the changing propriety rules.

Figure 1: Ruth Parton in the Drunken Ride at the Toppenish Rodeo

With time, society accepted the side saddle and women took to the fields with force. When the idea of women riding horses became more accepted, riding astride no longer seemed as taboo as before and the invention of the trick riding saddle began yet another era of change in the equestrian world. Most men can’t perform the movements in trick riding due to their physical attributes such as height and a different center of gravity which automatically give women an advantage. In the photographs of Ruth Parton taken by Henry Eston Maris (see figure 1), we see a confident woman gallop across the Toppenish Roundup and Rodeo track not sitting but standing in her saddle. Despite her skirts, she participated in the same events that men could. From a second pommel to extra straps that allow a rider to perform tricks, minor changes to saddle design have paved the way for incredible shifts in the equestrian world. Women are now considered equal to men on the competition field and horseback riding is no longer a man’s sport. The days of waiting and watching on the sidelines are over in a new era where women can compete against the greatest male riders from around the world for the chance to win gold in the Olympics. The insignificant act of adding a pommel drastically changed how we view the equestrian world, and each other, in a very brief amount of time. However, the saddle has influenced interesting changes in society other than the equestrian realm.

 

Society has come a long way from a time when ladies weren’t allowed to ride astride, and the mention of sex was nearly unheard of. Today, we are constantly bombarded with sexual images, songs, movies, and books that hint at sex in some way, that sex has become a common conversation topic in public without a care as to those around us. Unfortunately, because our culture has become so exposed to promiscuous activity, we desensitize ourselves by twisting harmless words to fit our sex obsessed culture. Where we once had a tool that women used to break the standards placed on them by society, “Saddle” now refers to sexual positions and encourages an industry that degrades women. “Pony,” a song written and sung by Ginuwine, cleverly conveys very sexual meaning without directly referring to sexual acts. For example, Ginuwine sings “if you’re horny, let’s do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle’s, waiting, come and jump on it” (0:01:14 – 0:01:28). He continues this theme throughout his verses like he sings “The things I will do to you, You and your body, Every single portion, Send chills up and down your spine, Juices flowing down your thigh” (0:01:56 – 0:02:08). Ginuwine and his writers did so by assigning a new meaning to the word “saddle” in such a way that the audience would be able to pick up on the new implied meaning very quickly.

 

Much like how “Pony” builds a sexual connotation, TV shows create positive associations that enforce the values and beliefs that society wants its children to uphold through shows like “The Saddle Club”. The show’s title invokes the use of the word “saddle” to accomplish two things: hinting to the audience that the series involves horses but also the idea that saddles create lasting friendships and loyalty. Throughout the show, three girls become best friends through their common love of horses. While they face many trials like family that moves away, horses becoming injured, and the queen bee of the barn, the girls lean on each other through the good times and bad which builds an unbreakable bond. The main connection that the primary characters have, the reason they became friends, and one of the few constants in their lives, are the horses which hold their friendships together. While saddles aren’t the focus of this series, they lend an interesting insight as to how saddles gain connotations in society through exposure to varying audiences.

Figure 2: PonyUp Daddy product in use

Both “Pony” and “The Saddle Club” target specific audiences which plays a key role in their ability to sculpt new connotations. The PonyUp Daddy commercial uses this same strategy to associate family with the world “saddle” to create a new connotation of love and family bonding. Featuring images of parents giving their children pony rides (see figure 2), the commercial appeals to parents by showing what a perfect family could look like with the help of the brightly colored, neoprene saddle-like toy. The commercial furthers the notion that such a toy can promote family bonding by stating “parents, it’s time to play with your kids again” (00:00:41 – 00:00:51). The bright color scheme and silly theme song indicates that children are the true primary audience of this commercial which is yet again a brilliant strategy in developing a connotation. Children are known for their strong, endless imaginations and the PonyUp Daddy plays to that trait. The “saddle” acts as a gateway to other worlds where kids can ride dinosaurs, gallops horses, or leap through jungles on the back of their very own tiger. By showing that the PonyUp Daddy can unleash a child’s imagination, the commercial associates the word “saddle” with imagination and playtime which entices children to ask for the product.

 

Culture is a fluid concept that constantly changes as time passes. With changing cultures, connotations evolve to match the trends. Likewise, the word “saddle” has rapidly accumulated a wide variety of connotations and associations within the last few decades where the connections weren’t advertised as much prior to that time. Societies and cultures change drastically over time as trends and ideals shift. Words and their meanings often reflect those changes in brutally honest ways. “Saddle” has been a prime example of the changes that occur in meanings because within a span of 20 years, we’ve identified four different connotations which are sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and imagination. From the saddle’s humble start as a framework for weight distribution to a proud Victorian heritage of sidesaddle riding to the multi connotational usage today there have been both positive and negative changes in how we view such a wonderous technology and there will be many more to come as our culture continues to develop.

 

Works Cited

“Ginuwine – Pony.” Youtube, uploaded by GinuwineVEVO, 5 December 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbnoG2dsUk0.

Gorham, Deborah. The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal. Indiana University Press, 1982.

Haill, Trish. “History of the Saddle.” The History of the Riding Saddle, Limebrook Farm. http://www.limebrook.com/saddlehistory.html

Holland, Rebecca. YouTube, English Heritage, 13 Sept. 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV_oYU5f-8o.

Maris, Henry Eston. Ruth Parton in the Drunken Ride. 1914, Washington State University Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Pullman. Photograph.

Sarah Dodd, creator. The Saddle Club. Crawfords Australia and Protocol Entertainment, 2001.

“The Official Pony up Daddy Commercial | As Seen on TV.” Youtube, uploaded by OfficialAsSeenOnTV, 16 August 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mguSmqozG4

Second Rough Draft

Saddles: A Society Shattering Technology

 

As I fit my left foot into the cold iron hoops of my stirrups, I simultaneously grasp the reins in my left hand and the back of the saddle with my right. I step into the stirrup and swing my right leg over and slide that boot into the stirrup leather on the other side as the saddle creaks with age. The team’s Paint, Tarzan, and I begin to warm up and work through our paces as my team captain calls out instructions from the center of the ring. Each time we change direction or speed, the saddle groans and moans in protest of the cold. As my captain moves on to the next exercise, Tarzan refuses to move forward and ignores my leg as I gently squeeze the stirrup irons into his sides until he finally steps off. The two of us continue this dance, him not wanting to move forward, me gently encouraging him with the help of the saddle until he decides he can’t handle the process any longer. When I ask him for a canter transition, he begins to pick up the correct nicely until a few strides later when he sits on his haunches and slams to a sudden stop. The cushy seat of the saddle protects my bum and my heels sink down into the stirrups so that I can wrap my legs further around Tarzan’s stomach. By the end of our ride we managed to get a few minutes of decent work before ending the day on a good note. Without my saddle or being able to ride with my legs on both sides of the saddle, called riding astride, working with Tarzan would’ve been much harder and I wouldn’t have access to many of the tools I had needed. The invention and development of the saddle acted as a catalyst to change equestrian sports and shatter the rules of propriety that enabled women to break free from oppressing gender roles and helped create a continuous influence on society.

 

The need for saddles arose thousands of years ago from the demands of nomadic and war lifestyles. The article, “History of the Saddle” written by Trish Haill, outlines a brief introduction where saddles came from and how they’ve developed into the complex technologies that we have today. Horses were ridden bareback for centuries and often riders would only have a cloth or skin to act as a covering or cushion when riding long distances. It wasn’t until the Iron Age that saddles began to appear. Riding bareback for extended periods of time can be quite tiresome and painful not only for the rider but for the horse as well. Haill writes that a rudimentary version of the saddles we know today were created in North Africa as a way to provide padding to the rider and relief to the horse. As time progressed, saddles became more advanced and new improvements were added that helped riders accomplish more tasks like holding a sword and shield when fighting. Wars became less common between nations and saddles became more decorated and elaborate in their design which often showed a sign of status or power.

 

While I am able to ride astride, which helps me when working with difficult horses, women didn’t always have this luxury. In fact, most of the privileges that I have now weren’t always available to women like being able to ride horses, the opportunity to gain an education, or the ability to compete against men on the field or in the classroom. According to “The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal” by Deborah Gorham, there were very distinct differences between girls and boys in how they were taught, the lessons they learned, and their roles in society. Much importance was placed on teaching girls the importance of self-sacrifice and their education was primarily accomplishment based in skills such as needlepoint, foreign languages, and music (Gorham 21). This seems unfair in the 21^st century where women can choose to study whatever subject they wish and work in whatever field they desire. Strong-minded women were looked down upon and throughout their childhood and even as married women (Gorham 103). Unfortunately the oppression of women through these belittling rules and ideals inhibited the success and great accomplishments that could’ve been achieved during the Victorian era with such a strong-minded group of individuals that society wanted to oppress.

 

The society rules that enforced oppressive gender roles also affected women’s ability to ride horses. In fact, women weren’t allowed to ride horses but if a woman ever wanted to watch a field game that required her to be aboard a horse due to mud or location, she would only be able to sit facing the side of her horse while a groom held the reins. The creation of the side saddle was the technological breakthrough that changed the equestrian world and enabled most of the cultural changes that led to women having the same riding capabilities as men. As Rebecca Holland mentions in her video “How to Ride Side Saddle like a Victorian Lady,” the first side saddle that allowed women to ride was believed to be introduced by Queen Elizabeth I. This new saddle had a pommel at the front where ladies could put their right leg which allowed them to face forward and control the horse one their own. While they could ride through every gait, ladies were still unable to join the men until the creation of a second pommel broke through all remaining barriers, like instability in the saddle, keeping women on the sidelines. Women could jump and join in on the field fun without breaking the strict rules of propriety that demanded women don’t separate their legs in public and must always act like a lady, which for centuries were placed on them by society. The only obstacle inhibiting women from being men’s equals on the field was how long it took for society to accept the new technology and the changing propriety rules.

Figure 1: Ruth Parton in the Drunken Ride at the Toppenish Rodeo

With time, society accepted the side saddle and women took to the fields with force. When the idea of women riding horses became more accepted, riding astride no longer seemed as taboo as before and the invention of the trick riding saddle began yet another era of change in the equestrian world. Most men can’t perform the movements in trick riding due to their physical attributes such as height and a different center of gravity which automatically give women an advantage. In the photographs of Ruth Parton taken by Henry Eston Maris (see figure 1), we see a confident woman gallop across the Toppenish Roundup and Rodeo track not sitting but standing in her saddle. Despite her skirts, she participated in the same events that men could. From a second pommel to extra straps that allow a rider to perform tricks, minor changes to saddle design have paved the way for incredible shifts in the equestrian world. Women are now considered equal to men on the competition field and horseback riding is no longer a man’s sport. The days of waiting and watching on the sidelines are over in a new era where women can compete against the greatest male riders from around the world for the chance to win gold in the Olympics. The insignificant act of adding a pommel drastically changed how we view the equestrian world, and each other, in a very brief amount of time. However, the saddle has influenced interesting changes in society other than the equestrian realm.

 

Society has come a long way from a time when ladies weren’t allowed to ride astride, and the mention of sex was nearly unheard of. Today, we are constantly bombarded with sexual images, songs, movies, and books that hint at sex in some way, that sex has become a common conversation topic in public without a care as to those around us. Unfortunately, because our culture has become so exposed to promiscuous activity, we desensitize ourselves by twisting harmless words to fit our sex obsessed culture. Where we once had a tool that women used to break the standards placed on them by society, “Saddle” now refers to sexual positions and encourages an industry that degrades women. “Pony,” a song written and sung by Ginuwine, cleverly conveys very sexual meaning without directly referring to sexual acts. For example, Ginuwine sings “if you’re horny, let’s do it. Ride it, my pony. My saddle’s, waiting, come and jump on it” (0:01:14 – 0:01:28). He continues this theme throughout his verses like he sings “The things I will do to you, You and your body, Every single portion, Send chills up and down your spine, Juices flowing down your thigh” (0:01:56 – 0:02:08). Ginuwine and his writers did so by assigning a new meaning to the word “saddle” in such a way that the audience would be able to pick up on the new implied meaning very quickly.

 

Much like how “Pony” builds a sexual connotation, TV shows create positive associations that enforce the values and beliefs that society wants its children to uphold through shows like “The Saddle Club”. The show’s title invokes the use of the word “saddle” to accomplish two things: hinting to the audience that the series involves horses but also the idea that saddles create lasting friendships and loyalty. Throughout the show, three girls become best friends through their common love of horses. While they face many trials like family that moves away, horses becoming injured, and the queen bee of the barn, the girls lean on each other through the good times and bad which builds an unbreakable bond. The main connection that the primary characters have, the reason they became friends, and one of the few constants in their lives, are the horses which hold their friendships together. While saddles aren’t the focus of this series, they lend an interesting insight as to how saddles gain connotations in society through exposure to varying audiences.

 

Figure 2: PonyUp Daddy product in use

 

Both “Pony” and “The Saddle Club” target specific audiences which plays a key role in their ability to sculpt new connotations. The PonyUp Daddy commercial uses this same strategy to associate family with the world “saddle” to create a new connotation of love and family bonding. Featuring images of parents giving their children pony rides (see figure 2), the commercial appeals to parents by showing what a perfect family could look like with the help of the brightly colored, neoprene saddle-like toy. The commercial furthers the notion that such a toy can promote family bonding by stating “parents, it’s time to play with your kids again” (00:00:41 – 00:00:51). The bright color scheme and silly theme song indicates that children are the true primary audience of this commercial which is yet again a brilliant strategy in developing a connotation. Children are known for their strong, endless imaginations and the PonyUp Daddy plays to that trait. The “saddle” acts as a gateway to other worlds where kids can ride dinosaurs, gallops horses, or leap through jungles on the back of their very own tiger. By showing that the PonyUp Daddy can unleash a child’s imagination, the commercial associates the word “saddle” with imagination and playtime which entices children to ask for the product.

 

Culture is a fluid concept that constantly changes as time passes. With changing cultures, connotations evolve to match the trends. Likewise, the word “saddle” has rapidly accumulated a wide variety of connotations and associations within the last few decades where the connections weren’t advertised as much prior to that time. “Saddle” has always referred to the piece of equipment used to ride horses but now contains connotations with sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and even imagination.

 

Societies and cultures change drastically over time as trends and ideals shift. Words and their meanings often reflect those changes in brutally honest ways. “Saddle” has been a prime example of the changes that occur in meanings because within a span of 20 years, we’ve identified four different connotations which are sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and imagination. From the saddle’s humble start as a framework for weight distribution to a proud Victorian heritage of sidesaddle riding to the multi connotational usage today there have been both positive and negative changes in how we view such a wonderous technology and there will be many more to come as our culture continues to develop.

First Rough Draft

Saddles: A Society Shattering Technology

As I fit my left foot into the cold stirrup irons, I simultaneously grasp the reins in my left hand and the back of the saddle with my right. I step into the stirrup and swing my right leg over and slide that boot into the stirrup leather on the other side as the saddle creaks with age. The team’s Paint, Tarzan, and I begin to warm up and work through our paces as my team captain calls out instructions from the center of the ring. Each time we change direction or speed, the saddle groans and moans in protest of the cold. As my captain moves on to the next exercise, Tarzan refuses to move forward and ignores my leg as I gently squeeze the stirrup irons into his sides until he finally steps off. The two of us continue this dance, him not wanting to move forward, me gently encouraging him with the help of the saddle until he decides he can’t handle the process any longer. When I ask him for a canter transition, he begins to pick up the correct nicely until a few strides later when he sits on his haunches and slams to a sudden stop. The cushy seat of the saddle protects my bum and my heels sink down into the stirrups so that I can wrap my legs further around Tarzan’s stomach. By the end of our ride we managed to get a few minutes of good work before ending the day on a good note. Without my saddle or being able to ride astride, working with Tarzan would’ve been much harder and I wouldn’t have access to many of the tools I had needed. The invention and development of the saddle acted as a catalyst to change equestrian sports and shatter the rules of propriety that enabled women to break free from oppressing gender roles and helped create a continuous influence on society.

 

While I am able to ride astride, which helps me when working with difficult horses, women didn’t always have this luxury. In fact, most of the privileges that I have now weren’t always available to me like being able to ride horses, the opportunity to gain an education, or the ability to compete against men on the field or in the classroom. According to “The Victorian Girl and the Feminine Ideal” by Deborah Gorham, there were very distinct differences between girls and boys in how they were taught, the lessons they learned, and their roles in society. Much importance was placed on teaching girls the importance of self-sacrifice and their education was primarily accomplishment based in skills such as needlepoint, foreign languages, and music (Gorham 21). As the girls underwent puberty and became young ladies, they were expected to help with household chores or care for their younger siblings. Further expectations were that the young ladies would either marry or find work which was limited to teaching, being a governess, earning a position as a schoolmistress, nursing, or working as an unpaid servant for a relative (Gorham 27-29). Lastly, young women were expected to be inferior, “pleasant and useful companions to men” (Gorham 102). Strong-minded women were looked down upon and throughout their childhood and even as married women, girls were taught that they were weak, fragile creatures that needed men to care for them and the only purpose to learning masculine subjects such as Geography or History was so that they could be better listeners (Gorham 103).

 

The society rules that enforced oppressive gender roles also affected women’s ability to ride horses. In fact, women weren’t allowed to ride horses but if a woman ever wanted to watch a field game that required her to be aboard a horse due to mud or location, she would only be able to sit facing the side of her horse while a groom held the reins. The creation of the side saddle was the technological breakthrough that changed the equestrian world and enabled most of the cultural changes that led to women having the same riding capabilities as men. As Rebecca Holland mentions in her video “How to Ride Side Saddle like a Victorian Lady,” the first side saddle that allowed women to ride was believed to be introduced by Queen Elizabeth I. This new saddle had a pommel at the front where ladies could put their right leg which allowed them to face forward and control the horse one their own. While they could ride through every gait, ladies were still unable to join the men until the creation of a second pommel broke through all remaining barriers keeping women on the sidelines. Women could jump and join in on the field fun without breaking the strict rules of propriety placed on them by society. Time was the only obstacle inhibiting women from being men’s equals on the field.

 

With time, society accepted the side saddle and women took to the fields with force. When the idea of women riding horses became more accepted, riding astride no longer seemed as taboo as before and the invention of the trick riding saddle began yet another era of change in the equestrian world. Most men can’t perform the movements in trick riding due to their physical attributes which automatically give women an advantage. In the photographs of Ruth Parton taken by Henry Eston Maris, we see a confident woman gallop across the Toppenish Roundup and Rodeo track not sitting but standing in her saddle. Despite her skirts, she participated in the same events that men could. Minor changes to saddle design have paved the way for incredible shifts in the equestrian world. Women are now considered equal to men on the competition field and horseback riding is no longer a man’s sport. The days of waiting and watching on the sidelines are over in a new era where women can compete against the greatest male riders from around the world for the chance to win gold in the Olympics. The insignificant act of adding a pommel drastically changed how we view the equestrian world, and each other, in a very brief amount of time. However, the saddle has influenced interesting changes in society other than the equestrian realm.

 

Culture is a fluid concept that constantly changes as time passes. With changing cultures, connotations evolve to match the trends. Likewise, the word “saddle” has rapidly accumulated a wide variety of connotations and associations within the last few decades where the connections weren’t advertised as much prior to that time. “Saddle” has always referred to the piece of equipment used to ride horses but now contains connotations with sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and even imagination.

 

Society has come a long way from a time when ladies weren’t allowed to ride astride, and the mention of sex was nearly unheard of. Today, we are constantly bombarded with sexual images, songs, movies, and books that hint at sex in some way, that sex has become a common conversation topic in public without a care as to those around us. Unfortunately, because our culture has become so exposed to promiscuous activity, we desensitize ourselves by twisting harmless words to fit our sex obsessed culture. Where we once had a tool that women used to break the standards placed on them by society, “Saddle” now refers to sexual positions and encourages an industry that degrades women. “Pony,” a song written and sung by Ginuwine, cleverly conveys very sexual meaning without directly referring to sexual acts. Ginuwine and his writers did so by assigning a new meaning to the word “saddle” in such a way that the audience would be able to pick up on the new implied meaning very quickly.

 

Much like how “Pony” builds a sexual connotation, TV shows create positive associations through shows like “The Saddle Club”. The show’s title, “The Saddle Club,” invokes the use of the word “saddle” to accomplish two things: hinting to the audience that the series involves horses but also the idea that saddles create lasting friendships and loyalty. The main connection that the primary characters have, the reason they became friends, and one of the few constants in the lives of their lives, are the horses which hold their friendships together. While saddles aren’t the focus of this series, they lend an interesting insight as to how saddles gain connotations in society through exposure to varying audiences.

 

Both “Pony” and “The Saddle Club” target specific audiences which plays a key role in their ability to sculpt new connotations. The PonyUp Daddy commercial uses this same strategy to associate family with the world “saddle” to create a new connotation of love and family bonding. Featuring images of parents giving their children pony rides, the commercial appeals to parents by showing what a perfect family could look like with the help of the brightly colored, neoprene saddle-like toy. The commercial furthers the notion that such a toy can promote family bonding by stating “parents, it’s time to play with your kids again” (00:00:41 – 00:00:51). The bright color scheme and silly theme song indicates that children are the true primary audience of this commercial which is yet again a brilliant strategy in developing a connotation. Children are known for their strong, endless imaginations and the PonyUp Daddy plays to that trait. The “saddle” acts as a gateway to other worlds where kids can ride dinosaurs, gallops horses, or leap through jungles on the back of their very own tiger. By showing that the PonyUp Daddy can unleash a child’s imagination, the commercial associates the word “saddle” with imagination and playtime which entices children to ask for the product.

 

Societies and cultures change drastically over time as trends and ideals shift. Words and their meanings often reflect those changes in brutally honest ways. “Saddle” has been a prime example of the changes that occur in meanings because within a span of 20 years, we’ve identified four different connotations which are sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and imagination. From the saddle’s humble start as a framework for weight distribution to a proud Victorian heritage of sidesaddle riding to the multi connotational usage today there have been both positive and negative changes in how we view such a wonderous technology and there will be many more to come as our culture continues to develop.

 

Conclusion to be added later

Stage 3 Mini Essay

Culture is a fluid concept that constantly changes as time passes and as such connotations involving verbiage evolve to match the trends. Likewise, the word “saddle” has rapidly accumulated a wide variety of connotations and associations within the last few decades where the connections weren’t advertised as much prior to that time. “Saddle” has always referred to the piece of equipment used to ride horses but now contains connotations with sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and even imagination.

Society has come a long way from a time when ladies weren’t allowed to ride astride, and the mention of sex was nearly unheard of. Today, we are constantly bombarded with sexual images, songs, movies, and books to the point where it has become common place to discuss sex and sexual activities in public without a care as to those around us. Unfortunately, because our culture has become so exposed to promiscuous activity, it has desensitized us as we twist completely harmless words to fit our sex obsessed culture. “Saddle” now refers to sexual positions and encourages an industry that degrades women when it was once a tool that women used to break the standards placed on them by society. “Pony,” a song written and sung by Ginuwine, cleverly conveys very sexual meaning without directly referring to sexual acts. was done by assigning a new meaning to the word “saddle” in such a way that if the audience hadn’t heard the word used in that way before, they would be able to pick up on the new implied meaning very quickly.

Much like how “Pony” creates a sexual connotation by association, TV shows create more positive connotations in the same way through shows like “The Saddle Club”. Throughout the show, horses are the main connection that the primary characters have and the reason they all became friends in the first place. As the series continues, we see that horses are one of the few constants in the lives of these girls that helps hold their friendship together. While saddles aren’t the focus of this series, they do provide an interesting insight as to how saddles have additional connotations in society. The show’s title, “The Saddle Club,” invokes the use of the word “saddle” to accomplish two things: hinting to the audience that the series involves horses and later the idea that horses, and in turn saddles, can create lasting friendships and loyalty.

Both “Pony” and “The Saddle Club” target specific audiences which plays a key role in their ability to sculpt new connotations. The PonyUp Daddy commercial uses this same strategy to associate family with the world “saddle” to create a new connotation of love and family bonding. Featuring images of parents giving their children pony rides while the parents crawl across the floor on hands and knees, the commercial appeals to parents by showing what a perfect family could look like with the help of the brightly colored, neoprene saddle-like toy. The commercial furthers the notion that this saddle toy can promote family bonding by stating “parents, it’s time to play with your kids again” (00:00:41 – 00:00:51). The bright color scheme and silly theme song indicates that the true primary audience of this commercial is children which is yet again a brilliant strategy in developing a connotation. Children are known for their strong, endless imaginations and the PonyUp Daddy plays to that trait. The “saddle” acts as a gateway to other worlds where kids can ride dinosaurs, gallops horses, or leap through jungles on the back of their very own tiger. By showing that the PonyUp Daddy can unleash a child’s imagination, the commercial is able to associate the word “saddle” with imagination and playtime which entices children to ask for the product.

Society and cultures change drastically over time as trends and ideals shift. The words and meanings behind them often reflect those changes in brutally honest ways. “Saddle” has been a prime example of the changes that occur in meanings because within a span of 20 years, we’ve identified four different connotations which are sexual activities, friendship, family bonding, and imagination. From the saddle’s humble start as a framework for weight distribution to a proud Victorian heritage of sidesaddle riding to the multi connotational usage today there have been both positive and negative changes in how we view this wondrous technology and there will be many more to come as our culture continues to develop.

Another Meaning

“Ginuwine – Pony.” Youtube, uploaded by GinuwineVEVO, 5 December 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbnoG2dsUk0.

This song was released in 1996 and re-done by ToughLove in 2017.  Ginuwine, the original artist, is giving a concert in a bar which transitions to a brightly lit concert stage as the music video progresses. Nearly every time he sings the chorus where he mentions how his “saddle is waiting” he makes a provocative motion with either his hips, hands, or both. Later in the video one of his fans, a young woman, is riding what appears to be a mechanical bull and at key points in the song, the camera focuses on her while she displays some provocative moves on the bull. Throughout the song, both artists makes it blatantly clear that they aren’t talking about the kind of saddle you use to ride an animal.

“Pony” was written in such a way that cleverly conveys very sexual meaning without directly referring to sexual acts. Like “The Saddle Club,” this was done by assigning a new meaning to the word “saddle” in such a way that if the audience hadn’t heard the word used in that way before, they would be able to pick up on the new implied meaning very quickly. While created around the same time, “The Saddle Club” and “Pony” have created vastly different meanings by targeting two vastly different audiences. While “The Saddle Club” targets children and advertises itself as a family show that promotes positive moral values. On the other hand entirely, “Pony” is directed towards adult audiences that would appreciate the sexual references and promotes sexual activity.

Society has come a long way from a time when ladies weren’t allowed to ride astride and the mention of sex was nearly unheard of. Today, we are constantly bombarded with sexual images, songs, movies, and books to the point where it has become common place to discuss sex and sexual activities in public without a care as to those around us. For goodness sake, even many of the cuss words that I hear on campus have some reference to sex! Unfortunately, because our culture has become so exposed to promiscuous activity that it has desensitized us, we twist completely harmless words to fit our sex obsessed culture. The word “saddle” has sadly become one such word where it once stood for a unique tool and a time when women broke through the norms placed on them by society but now refers to sexual positions and encourages an industry that degrades women. How have we become so consumed by and permissive of this disease that has taken over society?

The Saddle Club

“Hello World – The Saddle Club.” Youtube, uploaded by tsconlinechannel, 17 September 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWAvMvPb_jo.

“The Saddle Club” was a TV show that started in 2001 as a children’s show that featured three friends who shared their love of horses and rode at the same stable. The series followed the three girls as they faced a multitude of challenges and adventures as they navigated through the trials of growing up like making new friends, learning new skills, and how to handle conflict with the other characters as well as among themselves.

While saddles aren’t the main focus of this series, they do provide an interesting insight as to how saddles have additional connotations in society. Horses are the main connection that these girls have and the reason they all became friends in the first place. As the series continues, we see that horses are one of the few constants in the lives of these girls that helps hold their friendship together. The show’s title, “The Saddle Club,” invokes the use of the word saddle to accomplish two things: hinting to the audience that the series involves horses and later the idea that horses, and in turn saddles, can create lasting friendships and loyalty.

We often assign hidden meanings or ideas to various words that we don’t usually think about. “Saddle” is one such word. It obviously refers to the tool horseback riders use to help them stay on their horse but like “The Saddle Club” shows us, it holds other meanings too. In this case, viewers start to associate “saddle” with feelings of loyalty, friendship, and trust because the girls in the show become friends through their common love of horses and how they enjoy spending their time riding together. I could use this source in conjunction with some of my earlier sources from stage one to explore how the meanings behind the word “saddle” change over time.

A Strange New Use

“The Official Pony up Daddy Commercial | As Seen on TV.” Youtube, uploaded by OfficialAsSeenOnTV, 16 August 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mguSmqozG4

This commercial advertises a children’s toy to be used when playing the timeless pony game where a child sits on their parent’s back as they crawl around the floor on their hands and feet. This product is designed to resemble a western saddle and seems to be made from an elastic material with Velcro straps to secure the contraption to the parent. It even includes a small handle and padded seat pieces. The commercial argues that this product will prevent stretched shirts, ripped collars, and broken jewelry as well as providing a call to action for the parent audience by stating “it’s time to play with your kids again” (0:41 – 0:51).

With it’s silly music and bright color scheme, this commercial clearly targets children as their primary audience however there are a few short clips throughout the commercial that target parents as a secondary audience. While it strays pretty far from the typical saddles we see used on real horses, it’s intended use remains the same. There is a vast difference between riding a horse and getting a pony ride on the back of a parent but the game has been played for years between parents and their children. This product is obviously not intended for the equestrian realm yet the general idea remains the same while also expanding the use and environment for saddles beyond their horse-based purpose.

The idea that a saddle can be used as a method to bring family together without the assistance of a horse is a relatively new idea. However, it creates a new market and allows a wider group of people to interact with saddles. Usually, saddles require a user who is relatively flexible and has mostly full muscle control due to not only the process for mounting a horse but also to manipulate the tiny bars and buckles required to adjust the stirrups or tighten cinches. With this new version of the saddle, young children are now able to use it, albeit without the horse, while putting their imagination to the test to create worlds of creatures that they can ride.

Leather: An Insignificant Material with Significant Effects

Leather isn’t one of the first things that comes to mind when contemplating materials used in consumer products yet it’s the primary resource used in constructing saddles and has a long history that impacts our environment. Most of the leather we use is either created artificially or is harvested from cattle, treated with a wide variety of chemicals, and tanned using even more chemicals. Imagine how big of an impact all those chemicals will already have on the environment and the final product, that saddle, hasn’t even been thought of yet!

According to Raymond Cherry the author of General Leathercraft, long before the chemical tanning process was created, Native Americans would create leather by letting their hides decay until they could scrape the hair and flesh from the skins. From here, “oil and animal brains were pounded into the skins. Following this, the skins were often smoked” (137). Cherry continues to discuss how several types of bark such as oak, hemlock, and chestnut were used by the ancient Hebrews, as well as other peoples, up to the end of the nineteenth century to tan leather. At the end of the nineteenth century was when chromium salts were discovered and the first chemical processes for tanning hides were developed. Today we are very fond of our mechanized processes to produce cheaper products at a higher quantity but this desire for increased profits comes at a larger cost than most recognize. Cherry is merely informing his readers as to the history of such an influential material however he also shows us that our chemically saturated processes aren’t the only way to make the products we love and that we can continue to make them in a much more environmentally friendly way. Our love for leather products has created a need for standards that help reduce environmental risks but also help create a market for consumers where they can trust the products they buy.

By creating standards for production processes, we can protect the consumers and those who interact with the products daily. One such standard is the “Standard Practice for Conditioning Leather and Leather Products for Testing.” This standard was set forth by the ASTM and outlines very clear specifications and processes for condition leather. The reason behind the standard is that leather is very absorbent and will draw water from air in humid climates. The standard protects the quality of leather because when leather is waterlogged, it can become dry and brittle and will eventually crack when the water has evaporated out. It also won’t be very waterproof if it was waterlogged during its refinement. By having a standard as to how it’s supposed to be conditioned, the amount of inferior quality leather due to being waterlogged is decreased. The standard also allows consumers to trust their suppliers and the products they sell because a supplier that may or may not be deliberately selling a waterlogged and inferior product will have stricter rules that ensure such products won’t pass testing. Unfortunately, all of the work that we put into creating standards that protect the consumer would be completely unnecessary if we were to use more environmentally friendly methods for tanning leather in the first place.

Although saddles may not seem like a very important technology, leather is a more common crafting material than many would think. Shouldn’t we try to protect our environment while still providing a high-quality product? With the ever-increasing amount of chemicals being used in our production processes no one knows for sure the true impact that they will have on the environment during production, use, and during decomposition or disposal. Interacting with so many chemicals isn’t only bad for the health of factory workers but for all of us. The decomposition of our products, especially leather, is the most dangerous during decomposition or disposal because the chemicals in that product are reacting with those from other products which have the potential to create chemicals far worse than we could ever imagine.

An In Class Workshop

Describe your tech in the most vivid detail you possibly can.

Saddles have been made from the highest quality, most supple leather since they were first created. The rich, caramel or deep mahogany color stretched over a sturdy wooden or metal frame. The supple, loose, and agile stirrup leathers hang gracefully from the metal safety bar securely hidden under the skirt slaps against the side panels as the cold iron stirrup is pulled down into its position. The pommel has a gentle slope that benefits the horse by providing room for its shoulders to rise and fall as it works through the gaits and movements demanded by the rider. The gentle slope rolls back to create a seat that supports the riders bum with smooth, creamy leather and a slight amount of padding.

Try to make your reader feel shocked about a shocking thing you’ve discovered.

It is well known that horseback riding is now considered a mixed gender sport meaning that men and women compete against or ride with each other. However, this was not always the case. Not long-ago women weren’t even allowed to sit on a horse let alone ride one like they do today because society had deemed it improper for a woman to separate her legs in public. Despite society, the demand for women to have the ability to watch their men on the hunting field without getting their skirts dirty won out and sitting aside was born.

Describe your technology using only true statements without giving away what it is.

Over time, an endless amount of safety measures have been developed for the various tools and technologies that we use in our everyday lives. Yet this one technology still contributes to some of the most gruesome injuries and terrifying deaths ever seen. Without proper care it can easily crack, rot away, or loose stitching which can have catastrophic affects to its users. It was designed to be beneficial and help make the lives of many nations, cultures, and civilizations easier through many health benefits but no matter how beneficial it seems, there is always a risk that it will cause injury to its user.

What if we became too reliant on the technology?

Saddles have taken over society in ways we never could have imagined. Their original purpose was to help nations win wars, travel long distances, or even make a long day on the range easier for ranchers. However, we now see saddles invading our culture and causing drastic changes to how we live our lives. They are now considered excellent decorations in themed restaurants where they’re used as barstools or even just decoration. They’ve become part of 25 cent kiddy rides outside of grocery stores. We even see them components of them in our doctors’ offices! They may seem completely harmless at first but what will happen to our cattle populations when the demand for leather becomes too great to feed our endless hunger for saddles? Will we be able to keep up with the demand and still have resources left over to sustain ourselves with enough nutrients?

Suppose your technology and all peripheral technologies disappear, what is the effect?

Without saddles or the technologies that help make them, horseback riders would no longer be as comfortable or have the ability to do as many disciplines as before or accomplish as many tasks. We wouldn’t have access to leather, cattle, or even iron and steel. We wouldn’t be able to build our skyscrapers that reach for the sky because we wouldn’t have the strong metals to support such weight. Items made from leather would have to be made from cloth or wood. We would all have to become vegetarians or harvest those cute little penguins or other animals that we don’t currently use for food. We would no longer be able to mass produce food in temperature controlled rooms let alone ship it to markets around the world.

Who can use the technology and who will struggle with it?

Saddles seem like a simple enough technology to use at first glance however upon closer inspection it is much more complex. First off, one has to be relatively flexible and have the ability to bend one’s legs quite a bit just to get onto the horse let alone begin using the saddle as a tool. Adjusting the stirrups and girth will take a lot of fine muscle control pull the various pieces and move the tiny little bars.

Does the footprint of the tech match its need? Is there an alternative way to create it that would have less of an impact?

The saddle may no longer be a necessity to society like it was thousands of years ago for the ancient civilizations that used horses all the time but it still has great historical impact on how society has gotten to where it is now. The saddle is not only part of the developments leading up to the invention of the car but it also plays a key role in many social aspects like women’s suffrage. Current leather tanning practices aren’t very environmental friendly and use a lot of chemicals however, before those technologies existed, peoples where known to use the bark from oak, chestnut, and hemlock trees to tan the hides or even use a mixture of oil and animal brains in the case of the Native Americans.