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,
Tree girth measurement tree and by extension the girth should be measured with respect to the same base point. This point is fixed at the same location over time as the tree grows. In addition this is a reference point that is present and consistent in all trees no matter the height of the girth measurement. Even if the girth is measured at a non- standard height because of low branching, a large burl, or even on the upslope side of a large girth tree on sloping ground, all heights can still be consistently referenced to this single point present on all trees.