Unsaddling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Taking the saddle off an animal such as a horse after riding
2. The act of lifting and removing the saddle from a mount once it is no longer needed
3. Removing the equipment placed on the back of a horse to prepare the animal for rest

Etymology: "Unsaddling" is the present participle of "unsaddle," which in Middle English appeared as "onsadelen" or "unsadelen." The verb is built from the prefix "un-," meaning "remove" or "reverse," joined to "saddle." So the word is literally a reversal of saddling: to unsaddle is to take the saddle off, and the same logic applies whether the animal is a horse, a mule, or a camel. The root "saddle" itself comes from the Old English "sadol," which referred to the seat or seat-like equipment for a rider. The "un-" prefix was added to this older word in Middle English, when English speakers freely attached it to verbs to name the undoing of an action. The result is a plain, transparent formation whose meaning can be read directly from its parts.

Synonyms: removing saddle