Pack Saddle

Pack Saddle

Product Information:
*Tree is made of Oregon pine.
*Fits both horses and mules.
*O.P Robinette style bars.
*Harness leather and chrome plated solid brass hardware.
*Rolled leather on breast collar and breeching.


This pack saddle is the pride of WesternSaddle.com. Built to withstand years of hard packing. O.P. Robinette style tree has Oregon pine bars and solid steel hoops. Wicket and Craig harness leather, nickel plated steel rigging rings and chrome plated brass buckles. Edges of the 3" wide, flat breastcollar and breeching are smoothed to prevent chafing. Heavy 24-oz canvas half-breed is reinforced and bound with leather and includes pack boards. All straps are easily adjusted with conway buckles to fit most horses and mules. Adjustable rigging comes complete with latigos and mohair cinch (standard size is 28"; please specify if a different size is desired).

Pack Saddle

The knowledge of packing and certain packing terms came to British Columbia through the Spanish and Mexican people in the early 1800's. It was they who taught the local people the techniques and tricks of packing. Words such as corregidor, stevedore and segundo became familiar terms amongst the packers. The horse and mule pack trains usually had about 100 pack animals, however, some trains were smaller and some were as long as 150 animals. Each pack animal had to be trained and usually carried 200 pounds. Depending on the size and type of animal, they could carry as much as 600 and 700 pounds. Both the mule and the horse were used in packing because they each had different packing abilities. Mules can carry more weight, work longer hours, need less feed and can manouvre more easily around narrow rocky areas on the trails. Horses, on the other hand, can travel through mud and swamps a lot easier than mules since their feet are broader. A packer had to take special care when packing the animals and make sure that goods that could get spoiled if immersed in water were packed on the mules and not on the horses. In hot weather, a horse will lie down in a creek to cool itself off and could damage the goods it was carrying. On a routine day, the packers were usually awake by 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning to get their animals packed before the flies and bugs came out and made them hard to pack. The men worked in pairs placing the packs on the pack saddles. It was very important to load the pack animals properly because a shifty pack could injure the animal's back or, even worse, send them tumbling off a cliff to their death. Once the packs were in place, the famous "diamond hitch" was thrown over the packs. When everything was ready, a bell was rung and the train was off, with an experienced horse or mule in the lead. This lead animal wore a bell and all the others knew to follow. Usually, for every ten pack animals, there was one packer riding horseback. The foreman rode up and down the train, making sure all was well. When the lead horse came to a difficult place in the trail or a stream crossing, the boss would ride up to supervise. As a rule, the cook rode on ahead of the train. He would have camp set up and a hot meal ready when the train arrived. These stops were usually at grassy feeding places along the trail. The animals became so familiar with the trails and the stopping places that they would become impatient as they approached the camp. When the pack train arrived at the campsite, the horses and mules would file up in a great half-circle around the lead horse. The packs were taken off and placed beside the harness of each animal. The animals were then turned free to graze around the camp. By this time, the cook and his helper had made a roaring fire and supper was on. The packers were finally able to retire for a well-earned rest.

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