Saddle

"A saddle is a very personal thing. It has to be broken in, used, cared for."


 * - Captain Picard, on the personal nature of a saddle to a rider.

A saddle is a type of harness typically applied to a horse or similar animal, designed to provide comfort for the rider.

According to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a saddle is a personal thing to a rider, and most serious riders have one of their own. He kept his own saddle on-board the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) and went to get it after seizing on Commander Calvin Hutchinson's mention of horseback riding as a means of excusing himself from his reception. He became trapped on the Enterprise during a Baryon sweep, and later used it as a means of throwing Devor off-guard when he attempted to attack him with a laser. Someone later put the saddle in a maintenance locker, where it was found by Lieutenant Worf. When he expressed surprise at Picard's possession of it, Commander Riker and Doctor Crusher playfully chastised him, as "anyone who is an experienced rider naturally has his own saddle." Picard expressed regret that he didn't have the opportunity to actually use it on a horse.