The Vaquera Saddle
The silla vaquera is the working saddle of the Spanish vaquero, the mounted cattleman of the great southern estates. It is the saddle of the dehesas of Extremadura and Andalucía, and it is one of the four saddles that came into Working Equitation from its founding countries.
Its construction reflects the long hours and sudden changes of direction involved in cattle work.
I · What the Work Asked of It¶
The vaquero spent the day in the saddle. He crossed water and broken ground, gathered and held cattle, and worked close to the bull, where the horse turns and checks underneath him without warning.
The saddle had to hold him deep and low over the horse's back, so that horse and rider moved as one weight through sudden movement. A saddle that let him slip, or forced him to brace, could not do the work.
And it had to leave a hand free. The garrocha occupied one hand for the whole working day, so the rider was held in place by the saddle and by his own seat rather than by a second hand on the rein.
II · How It Is Built¶
The traditional silla vaquera is stuffed with rye straw, and its panels are filled with animal hair.
The materials allow the saddle to settle with use. Over time the stuffing settles to the shape of the individual horse it is ridden on, so the saddle comes to fit that horse rather than approximating it. It also lies quiet on the back instead of shifting.
A sheepskin lies over the seat, held on with leather thongs. The sheepskin adds cushioning for long periods in the saddle.
The saddle lays a large, even contact across the horse's back, broader than the saddles used in the arena disciplines. Spreading the load over more area matters when a horse is carrying a rider all day rather than for a forty-minute test.
Its shape places the rider deep, with the leg long, supporting the position used for the working riding.
III · The Mixta Form¶
You will see the vaquera mixta offered alongside the traditional form.
The mixta adds a raised borrén behind the pommel. It gives the rider more security in fast work, which is why it is common among riders doing a lot of quick cattle work or competing.
IV · The Bridle That Goes with It¶
The silla vaquera is ridden with the cabezada vaquera, a spare bridle of little more than a headpiece, a browband and a noseband passed through the loop of the bit strap. Its bit is the bocado, the vaquera curb, traditionally forged in iron that darkens with use. At the brow hangs the mosquero, a fringe of horsehair, leather or silk. The mosquero keeps flies off the horse's face through a long day in the open, and by its swing a rider can read whether the horse is walking in even time.
One older piece stays in the field and out of the arena. The serreta, a metal-edged noseband used in parts of the tradition, is not allowed in Working Equitation competition under the WAWE rules.
Read next The bridle and the bit
V · How It Compares with the Other Three¶
Working Equitation carries four national saddles into the same arena, and they look nothing like one another.
| Country | Saddle | What distinguishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | silla vaquera | Rye-straw stuffing and hair-filled panels that settle to the horse; sheepskin seat; broad even contact; raised borrén in the mixta form |
| Portugal | sela portuguesa | Deep seat and high cantle; the baroque-backed saddle kept as the saddle of the mounted bullfight |
| France | selle gardiane | High pommel and cantle closing around the rider; stirrups shut at the front so the foot cannot slip through |
| Italy | bardella (Lazio) · scafarda (Tuscan Maremma) | Wide, padded seat for a working day that starts before first light |
Their construction differs, but all four support a deep, secure working position with a long leg.
Under the WAWE rules a competitor rides in the national costume of the country they represent, and the horse is harnessed in that country's manner, with the description sent to WAWE and approved in advance.
Read next The Portuguese saddle
VI · Where the Saddle Came From¶
Doma Vaquera is the working cattle riding of Spain, formed across centuries in the dehesas, and a competitive discipline in its own right under the Real Federación Hípica Española.
The saddle belongs to that tradition, and Spain is one of the four founding countries of Working Equitation.
Read next Doma Vaquera
VII · What the Saddle Changes¶
The vaquera saddle was built around long working days, security and a rider who needed to remain effective around cattle. Its construction changes the physical relationship between horse and rider.
A deeper seat and a different arrangement around the rider's leg change where the body sits and how movement is received through the pelvis. That makes the saddle part of the riding question as well as part of the tradition.
For College Members, the study begins to connect the equipment to the rider using it.
The same principles of balance, following the horse and keeping the aids available still have to function, but they are being expressed through a different saddle and a different working history.
That is where studying traditional tack becomes useful. Its construction starts to explain something about the seat, position and riding that developed with it.