Leather Saddles and Bridles in a Stable Tack Room

Riders almost always get on a horse from its left side. The habit is usually traced back to cavalry soldiers, who wore their swords on the left hip and kept the blade clear by swinging the right leg over. Horses are still trained to expect it. Well-worn saddles rest on wooden racks above rows of bridles in this tack room jigsaw puzzle, which is mostly warm leather against whitewashed brick. The word tack is short for tackle, an old name for a horse's gear.