Pony express saddle

September 2014
And here’s another historic set! Well, it is a set, but the bridle is already with the owner, so it’s actually only a saddle, haha. This saddle is one from the Pony Express, and the real thing was used to deliver post in as short a time as possible.

It’s quite fun to tell how they did this. Back in the days horses were the fastest mode of transport, and the Pony Express specialised in delivering mail as quick as possible. One of their ways to be able to go so fast, was the way they changed horses. When a horse was tired, they would change it for a fresh one at a station. The fresh horse would be ready and waiting (saddled and all), and the rider just had to lift the mochilla (cover) from the saddle of the tired horse, put it over the saddle of the fresh horse and then he could ride on! This super efficient way to change horses meant that they only lost 2 minutes time when getting a fresh horse!