Horse blanket rear, but usually it has no other straps or attachments. It is intended to be used on a horse while the animal is being led or held by a person, and not left on an unattended horse. In windy weather, a loose surcingle may be added to prevent the cooler from blowing completely off. A traditionally-shaped blanket of loosely crocheted cotton, called an "anti-sweat sheet", is used to absorb moisture. Often used alone to wick moisture from the surface of the horse, if placed under a cooler, it is removed when it becomes wet. A "barrier blanket" is sometimes used
Harness saddle shafts from beneath. For display, a saddle pad may be placed beneath the saddle; historically in England a saddle pad, also called "housing" or "saddle cloth", was shaped to match the contour of the saddle, in the manner of an English numnah today. For heavy use, the saddle may be six or more inches long, front to back. For very light use, saddle and girth may be replaced by a surcingle. The harness saddle has at least two lines of evolution, both departures from the very ancient throat-and-girth harness . One line was developed as a refinement of that harness