HornThe post at the front of the saddle. A cowboy ties or dallies (wraps) a rope round it to hold a roped cow; it is not a handle to hang onto.
Swells (pommel)The raised front of the saddle that the horn sits on. Shaped by the tree.
SeatWhere the rider sits; more pronounced than an English saddle's.
CantleThe raised back of the seat, high on a Western saddle.
FenderThe wide leather flap that the stirrup hangs from.
StirrupWider in the tread than an English stirrup. Not made to come off. With a heeled boot this keeps a foot from slipping through.
Front cinchThe Western girth, holding the saddle on. It circles the horse just behind its elbows.
Skirt, fender and stirrup 3
SkirtThe large leather panel under the seat, lined underneath with sheepskin.
Saddle blanketThe pad under the saddle. A Western saddle has no padding of its own between the tree and the horse.
ConchosRound metal decorations, usually silver or a metal like it.
Rigging and cinches 3
Cinch ring (rigging)The metal ring of the front rigging that the latigo runs through. Fixed to the tree.
LatigoA long flat strap from the cinch ring to the cinch. Made of leather or nylon. Tied with a latigo knot or buckled.
Back cinchA second cinch round the widest part of a horse's barrel. On a double-rigged saddle.
How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-27. Wikipedia, Western saddle, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_saddle : the horn, used to hold a rope round a cow's neck tied or dallied round it, and not meant as a handle; the tree that shapes the bars, seat, swells, horn and cantle, and the pommel and cantle on the seat; skirts lined with sheepskin underneath; no padding between the tree and the horse, so it is ridden with a saddle blanket; metal conchos, usually silver; stirrups that cannot detach but have a wider tread; the cinch, the Western girth, anchored with a flat leather or nylon strap called a latigo, tied with a flat knot or buckled; a pronounced seat and cantle; the front rigging's metal cinch rings, attached to the tree, holding the front cinch round the heart girth just behind the elbows; the back cinch round the widest part of the barrel, on a double rig. Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-27. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
The parts of a Western (cowboy) saddle from the near side, with its cinches hanging down. Start with the 7 main parts, then the top, the sides and the rigging.
Read the full guide
Horn to cantle
The horn stands on the swells at the front, where a rope can be tied or dallied. Behind it the rider sits in the seat, with the high cantle at the back. The skirt spreads under them over a saddle blanket.
What holds it on
A latigo runs from the cinch ring of the front rigging down to the front cinch, which goes round the horse just behind the elbows. A double-rigged saddle adds a back cinch round the widest part of the barrel.
The horn is for a rope, not a handle: holding it does not make a rider more secure.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a Western saddle called?
The horn, swells, seat and cantle on top; the skirt, fenders and stirrups on the sides; and the rigging: cinch rings, latigos, the front cinch and often a back cinch.
What is the strap that holds a Western saddle on called?
The cinch, the Western name for a girth. It is fastened with a latigo, a long flat strap tied with a latigo knot or buckled.
What is the difference between a Western and an English saddle?
A Western saddle has a horn, a more pronounced seat and cantle, wider stirrups that do not come off, and a cinch and latigo instead of a buckled girth. It has no padding of its own, so it needs a saddle blanket.