The oldest known saddles - Subeixi Culture

 Salvete Omnes,

One of the oldest saddles found to this date - the Subeixi/Subeshi culture cemeteries (in Turpan/Turfan, Xinjang in PRofChina) contained saddles and horse tack, along with other martial culture and human mummified burials. Similar to the Altai Saka of Pazyryk/Ukok (known from the Soviet Union prof. Rudenko's discoveries and alter research in Russian Federation and Mongolia), these horse people, perhaps the Tocharians and/or the offshoot of the Saka of the pointed hats or Tigraxauda as known in the ancient Persia eg 

Apadana, Persepolis, the Saka delegation leading their tribute to Darius I, perhaps their own special war horse, a different type or breed

king Skunkha

the Behistun Darius the Great's inscription

Issyk

,   I wrote in 2011 a little bit about old Saka saddles in this post. And in this a did a sketch of Saka Tigraxauda.

 Patrick Wertmann  et al.,  The earliest directly dated saddle for horse-riding from a mid-1st millennium BCE.  Female burial in Northwest China (2023),  the article with illustrations - here  text, or pdf.

Subeixi saddle in more technical detail

comparison between saddles from Yanghai, Tuekta, Subeixi and Pazyryk no 3

saddle - different views - oxen, or perhaps goat

and more 

Yanghai cemetery

Saka of the Peaked Hat

the famous scale armor - 

bow with gorytus - ATARN's  Karpowicz & Selby article from 2010 

Prof. Mair's article about the Tarim basin mummies  from Penn State. 

Valete