Pack Saddle

This wooden pack saddle consists of two long, parallel boards with rounded ends, shaped to fit along either side of a horse’s spine. A raised, sawhorse-like frame is riveted to the boards, keeping the load clear of the horse’s backbone. Packs were secured to the crossed ends of the frame with rope and leather harness straps. The harness includes a wide, soft belly band, a breast strap that passed beneath the horse’s chest, and straps that extended beneath the horse’s rump. Metal buckles connect sections of the harness. The pack saddle was found by the Plut family in a pile of discarded material on their property in Mount Currie.