off-saddlen.
/ˈɒfsadl/, U.S. /ˈɔfˌsæd(ə)l/, /ˈɑfˌsæd(ə)l/, South African English /ˈɒfsæd(ə)l/ South African. Now rare.
A break or rest in a journey during which horses, etc., are unsaddled.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > [noun] > a ride or spell of riding or excursion > a rest in
sob1593
Welsh bait1603
off-saddle1845
1845 W. N. Irwin Echoes of Past (1927) 235 I..take the opportunity of the first off saddle to stretch myself in the Shade, and..read your welcome epistle.
1860 A. W. Drayson Sporting Scenes (ed. 2) 72 My horse appeared much distressed. The day was intensely hot, and I thought an ‘off-saddle’ for half an hour might refresh the animal.
1882 F. C. Dixie In Land of Misfortune 394 For seventeen hours, with the exception of the two short off-saddles, the horses had been on the move.
1900 Pall Mall Gaz. 4 Jan. 1/3 The Cape horse..can canter along steadily all day under a burning sun, with an occasional off-saddle.
1908 Daily Chron. 10 Nov. 3/5 I had him by the hip at ‘off-saddle’ time.
1937 J. Stevenson-Hamilton S. Afr. Eden 191 With donkeys I usually found it best to complete the day's trek without making a long halt with its necessary off saddle.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
off-saddlev.
/ɒfˈsadl/, U.S. /ˌɔfˈsæd(ə)l/, /ˌɑfˈsæd(ə)l/, South African English /ˈɒfsæd(ə)l/ South African.
1. intransitive. To unsaddle a horse, etc., esp. for a rest; (hence, by extension) to make a break in a journey.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > a journey > journey [verb (intransitive)] > make a break in a journey
call1642
to call in1643
halt1656
stop1743
off-saddle1823
to stop over1855
night-stop1951
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride a horse (or other animal) [verb (intransitive)] > make a break in a journey
off-saddle1823
1823 T. Philipps Lett. (1960) 203 I rode up to the door and began the never-varied question ‘Can I offsaddle?’
1850 R. Gordon-Cumming Five Years Hunter's Life S. Afr. I. vi. 119 Accordingly we off-saddled, and in a few minutes I was once more asleep.
1893 F. C. Selous Trav. S.-E. Afr. 21 Here..I had determined to off-saddle for the first time.
1915 R. Kipling New Army iii. 22 The batteries off-saddled in silence.
1936 H. F. Trew Botha Treks 126 If the commandos were on the march at daylight, they always off-saddled for ten minutes just as the sun rose.
1970 Outpost 143 On our return we wrote a history of the patrol in the area book and a more monotonous document would be hard to find. Most of it was ‘Offsaddled at Rosebank Farm 3p.m.: Mr. Brown had no complaints.’
2. transitive. To unsaddle (a horse, etc.), esp. for a rest or break in a journey.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > riding on horse (or other animal) > ride (a horse or other animal) [verb (transitive)] > take saddle off (a horse)
off-saddle1849
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [verb (transitive)] > saddle > unsaddle
unsaddle1382
unpanel1620
to saddle off1835
off-saddle1849
1849 N. J. Merriman Cape Jrnls. (1957) 60 We ‘off saddled’ and ‘knee haltered’ our steeds, after the colonial fashion.
1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting 389 I offsaddled Kebon, kneehaltered him and then lay under the shade of a tree.
1887 H. R. Haggard Jess xxxiv. 323 John was sharply ordered to dismount and offsaddle his horse.
1905 J. du Plessis 1000 Miles in Heart Afr. 99 Donkeys are off-saddled and turned off to grass.
1937 F. B. Young They seek Country 168 Jan Botha off-saddled his horse, knee-haltering it and allowing it to stumble away in search of grazing.
1974 ‘B. Mather’ White Dacoit ii. 22 They halted and off-saddled and picqueted the horses half a mile downstream.
Derivatives
off-ˈsaddling n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > horse-gear > [noun] > saddle > saddling or unsaddling
saddling?c1475
off-saddling1849
unsaddling1855
1849 E. E. Napier Excursions Southern Afr. II. 12 Another term of Colonial import is that of ‘saddling-up’, and ‘off-saddling’.
1906 H. R. Haggard Benita ix. 120 Directions as to their herding, and the off-saddling of the horses.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1845v.1823