The well-documented saddle in China appeared during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the invention of the saddle can almost be compared to the invention of the wheel. With it, cavalrymen could do all kinds of maneuvers on their horses more easily, and the history of human warfare really ushered in the era of invincible cavalry.

Saddles have been around for more than 2,000 years and were first made of leather. Stirrups come in different materials such as silver, copper, iron-gilt silver and iron. It is a crucial part of the harness. It was invented to help riders mount their horses.

Archaeologists have found physical materials that are clearly hoof stirrups in Goguryeo era remains in the three northeastern provinces, dating from the 3rd-6th centuries AD. Some researchers have suggested a possible reason that this could be related to the mountainous natural environment of the region.

The political core of Goguryeo was a variety of mountain towns, surrounded by mountains, and riding horses in these areas, there was a greater need to protect their hooves, as well as to strengthen their anti-slip properties, so hoof irons came into being. But in the central plains, the natural environment is relatively good, even if there is no hoof iron, make do can also use, and therefore did not appear for a long time.

Expanded:

Horseshoes may have been a Roman innovation, and were common at sites in the 1st century BC. Catullus (c. 8 horseshoes 5-54 BC) mentions a mule losing a horseshoe. Common horseshoes were made of iron, fairly light, and stamped with a pierced nail hole from one side. The edges of the horseshoe often had a corrugated profile, with the unfastened ends bent into a non-slip spur.

Together with the head of the nail, it protruded, as it did on medieval horseshoes, to keep the horse's hooves firmly on the ground. These horseshoes were used through the Middle Ages. But flatter and heavier horseshoes were also used from Roman times and became the most common style in the subsequent Middle Ages. The curious "hipposandal" (horse sandal) was also common in Roman society.

The hipposandal was a smooth iron disk bent into a ring at each end. It was apparently attached to the horse's hoof, no doubt for protection. A few "horse sandals" had spikes to help the horse grip the ground. It may have been used on cobblestone or other bumpy ground. From the "thin-stemmed needle hay shoe" used for cattle to the use of fastened hoof irons, it has lasted a long time with few changes.

Horseshoes were not universally used, however, and a large number of animals were not shod. Horseshoes were bound by nails fixed to the horny skin of the horse's hooves, that is, the "horseshoe" was burned and cast into shape, and then padded under the horse's feet, and then hammered, nailed, and nailed this piece of thick iron into the soles of the horse's feet,

and used the barbs of the iron nails to make it fixed in the horse's ankle bone to avoid falling off, and the modern way is to locking it on with screws. This is permanent, so if the horseshoe wears out, it's generally difficult to remove it and re-drive a new pair, at best a new layer of fixing is added underneath.

References:

Baidu Encyclopedia - Saddles