Horses in warfare of today's English saddle. Both the Scythians and Assyrians used pads with added felt attached with a surcingle or girth around the horse's barrel for increased security and comfort. Xenophon mentioned the use of a padded cloth on cavalry mounts as early as the 4th century BC. The saddle with a solid framework, or "tree", provided a bearing surface to protect the horse from the weight of the rider, but was not widespread until the 2nd century AD. However, it made a critical difference, as horses could carry more weight when distributed across a solid saddle tree. A solid tree,
Webbed belt Webbed belt A webbed belt, military belt or skater belt is a type of belt distinguished by its belt buckle design and lack of holes in the cord, which is usually found in other belts where a pin is used as the fastening mechanism in the belt buckle. The design of the belt buckle is usually a hollow metal rectangular box through which the cloth cord passes through, when fastened, a pin with the length equal to the width of the cord is pushed up from a groove and stops the cloth by increasing the amount of friction needed to