The first horse is the kind of tack Cav was talking about. Of course, the guy's uniform is the wrong color. ;o) The leather lead was just kinda tucked up under the tree at the front so it could be grabbed and would pull out in a hurry. That saddle is similar to the one Cav always rode in, but his was basically a rawhide covered wooden tree with fenders and rigging attached. Looked to be the most uncomfortable thing in the world, but he swore it sat better than his regular western saddle. He used to do reinactments, so it was an authentic reproduction of what they used to ride back then. I don't see how they could ever stand it. Maybe that's where the term "hard ass" came from. ;o)
My dad was in the Cavalry his first tour in the Army - he trained the Army mules and the Polo Ponies at Ft. Robinson. He got out and taught riding at a Military Academy in Virginia for about a year, then reenlisted at the start of WWII.
You can probably guess he was a difficult task master teaching me to ride :) and to care for a horse and tack.
My son is sitting here reading your post about the saddle. He said a friend of his said those saddles were really not that uncomfortable to ride in, but he wouldn't want to ride a bad horse in it, because the stirrups swing so free.
Becky
ROTFL!....I'll have you know, that I sat on the "right" side during the Dixie Stampede show.
Cutest little waiter in his "gray" uniform. ;')