Old Daisy Mae was a Shetland pony and was about 138 years old when she died—well not “actually” but quite old for a pony—the quintessential “old nag.” She was so sway-backed her belly almost dragged on the ground and you could count every single rib. She had a back bone that would hurt a saddle. When riding her, there was only two possible ways to fall off— so no saddle was required. We rarely rode the ponies using saddles anyway. It was great fun to ride them bareback—using their mane to turn them in the direction you wanted to go. If you are going to play Cowboys and Indians you have to have a horse. If you were playing the Indian, a saddle was wrong anyway.