Saddle (Period)

A saddle is a padded leather seat for the rider of a horse or camel.  It’s normally found as part of a horse’s equipage, but may be used as a charge in its own right, as in the arms of the Worshipful Company of Saddlers, 1585 [Bromley & Child 211], and the canting arms of Sattelin, 1605 [Siebmacher 117].  The horse’s saddle is the default, unless otherwise specified.  The stirrups, if shown, must be explicitly blazoned; in mundane heraldry, the phrase “saddle complete” may be used for this.

The term “selle” is an obscure synonym for “saddle”, derived from Old French, and usually used only for canting.

The 19^th Century saddle of the American West should not be used in Society emblazonry; a period saddle should be shown instead.  The illustrations show a 14^th Century tournament saddle and a camel saddle.  When “proper”, the saddle is brown leather; the saddle’s front faces dexter by default.

Camel saddle (Accepted)

Arabic ceremonial saddle (probable SFPP)

Saracenic heraldry gives us the “Arabic ceremonial saddle”, a highly stylized charge, found in the arms of Musa an-Nasiri, d.1355 [Mayer 168].

The Order of the Silver Saddle of Trimaris bears:  Per fess azure and vert, a tournament saddle argent.

Fatima al-Mendizayya bears:  Argent, in pale a leather camel saddle proper, two scimitars in saltire sable, and a pavilion, all within a bordure vert.

Anne de Fountain of Seldom Rest bears:  Tierced in point purpure, gules and vert, a fountain between a selle, a dome, and a rest Or.

Salim ibn abd al-Rahman al-Rashid bears:  Argent, two crescents sable and a fleur-de-lys azure, on a point pointed sable an Arabic ceremonial saddle argent.