Scythian Saddle

This saddle cover is similar to the one that the Bulgars would have used as seen in the cliff relief at Madara (The Madara Horseman). Even though this is from the 5th century BC and from the Eastern Altai, styles did not change drastically since animal motifs continued to be used by the Bulgars. The saddle cover is made of felt, leather and horsehair displaying a winged griffin standing on an ibex he is about to capture. Scenes of the hunt were typical in nomadic to semi-nomadic horsemen cultures like that of the Bulgars where life was realized to only come at the expense of other life. They believed that this mythical depiction had a message to tell them about their own way of life.