saddled

A saddled horse has a saddle on its back. A saddled person, on the other hand, is burdened or weighed down by some difficulty.

If you're saddled with debt after going to college, it means that the money you owe on your student loans is a huge hardship and responsibility for you. This figurative meaning of the adjective comes from the horse meaning — which is easy to see if you imagine the heavy saddle (and rider) being a burden for the poor horse that has to carry it around.

Definitions of saddled

1. adjective

   having a saddle on or being mounted on a saddled animal
   “saddled and spurred and ready to ride”

   antonyms:

   unsaddled

   with no saddle

   bareback, barebacked

   riding without a saddle
2. adjective

   subject to an imposed burden
   “left me saddled with the bill”

   “found himself saddled with more responsibility than power”

   synonyms:

   burdened

   bearing a heavy burden of work or difficulties or responsibilities