The term ‘saddlebag’ is incorrectly used as, although the Native American Indians of the Great Plains were accomplished horsemen, they usually rode without saddles. The Indians did, however, use various types of pouches. The two basic styles of American Indian bags were soft pouches, made of tanned animal hides (usually deerskin), and parfleche, made of stiff rawhide. The picture below shows a beautifully decorated Apache Pouch.