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 of the tree. In these cases the measurement should be taken there and the height above the base of the tree noted. Some trees have branches at or lower than a height of . Since the purpose of a girth measurement is to get a full measure of the tree’s trunk, measurements should be taken at the narrowest point below any significant branching. When taking a girth measurement at a non-standard height the height of that measurement above the base of the tree should be noted. Epicormic sprouts, suckers, and dead branches can be ignored. Some guidelines have suggested that