Saddling Up With Western Gear 2

First lay the blanket (or pad if you aren't using a blanket) well forward on the back of the horse and pull it back toward the rear until the front rests at the withers.

This pulls the hair backward in the direction it should lie. Never pull a blanket or pad forward, as it will reverse the direction of the hair and cause discomfort. Ensure there aren't any wrinkles, and be sure the blanket offers adequate padding for the horse. Some horses require more padding than others and some may require extra padding at their withers to prevent binding the shoulders. Some use a pad with a blanket, purely to keep the pad cleaner.

Next, pick up the saddle so that the fork (front) is in your left hand. You will saddle the horse from its left side, so lay the cinch, or cinches if your saddle has a flank cinch and breast collar over the seat and hook the right stirrup over the saddle horn.

This keeps them from hitting the horse's side as the saddle comes down onto the back, as well as keeping them from getting caught underneath the saddle as you place it on the horse's back. Never approach the horse carrying a saddle with a dragging cinch, as you could step on it and fall under the horse.

Approach your horse from the front left, so he knows you are coming. Raise the saddle as high as you can and set it down gently onto the horse's back.

This helps prevent back soreness and helps assure the horse that the saddling experience is nothing to fear. Throwing the saddle onto the horse's back can cause bruising and may aggravate any existing back problems or sore muscles. Place the saddle so that at least an inch of blanket lies in front of it. Placing it too far up on the blanket could cause the blanket to work its way backward on the horse as you ride. Placing the saddle too far forward, restricts shoulder movement and causes discomfort. Too far back can cause kidney damage and sore backs.

Move to the opposite side by walking behind the horse. Keep a hand on his rump if you are walking close, and check to see if the blanket and/or pad sits evenly under the saddle. At least an inch of blanket/pad should be showing all the way around and should look evenly arranged under the saddle.

Talk to your horse frequently, especially when changing sides or starting something new. This ensures that he is aware of your presence and it helps to calm a nervous horse.

Let the cinches and stirrup down gently on the horse's side. Releasing the cinch and stirrup by pushing them over the saddle from the left side can cause injury to the horse or startle him into you. Also, ensure that the cinches are clean, as dirty cinches can cause saddle sores. Before tightening the cinches, again make sure the blanket and/or pad is even and that the cinch is straight. Then move back to the near side and pull the blanket up slightly and into the gullet of the saddle to prevent pressure on the withers and slipping of the blanket. Cutback pads have the front area cut out to lessen wither pressure.

Move back to the left side of the horse and reach under and grasp the cinch with your left hand, facing the rear of the horse. If you use a martingale or breast collar, you may want to loosely fasten the straps to the saddle rings at this time and tighten them at the end.

If you use a flank cinch, ALWAYS tighten the front cinch first. Put the latigo, or cinch strap through the cinch ring and the saddle D ring twice.

Then you can either tie a cinch knot to secure the cinch, or you can buckle it if the cinch has a buckle and your latigo has holes for it.

Completing the cinch knot before tightening the cinch is much easier if the initial cinching is not pulled tight. To tie the knot, tighten the cinch just enough to prevent it from hanging underneath the horse's belly. Then pull the latigo out to the side, crossing over the top just underneath and through front D ring.

Next, push the latigo through the loop you made when you crossed over the top,

and with the left hand, slowly pull the excess latigo tight to prevent pinching, an inch or two at a time.

Tightening it too quickly can cause your horse to be "cinchy," or irritable, during saddling. Some horses may even begin biting or rearing when you tighten the cinch if they anticipate discomfort. Anticipate the horse “sucking wind” in order to make the saddle loose. Tighten the cinch until it is snug enough to hold the saddle on the horse. You can tighten it more before mounting. Secure the end of the strap through the latigo carrier in front of the fender. Although most straps are not long enough to get stepped on, they should be kept up out of the way so that they do not blow against the horse's legs or belly.

Once your front cinch is secure, you can attach and tighten the flank cinch if you are using one. Buckle the flank cinch just tight enough so that a hand can fit flat between cinch and horse. It should not be excessively tight when the horse is first saddled, nor should it be so loose that a back foot could get caught in it.

The flank cinch has a strap that snaps to the rear ring on the front cinch to prevent it from getting into the flank area of the horse. Once all your cinches are tight, check the tightness of your breast collar and adjust it as necessary.

We are going to discuss bridling shortly, but after the horse is walked to the mounting area, recheck the front cinch. You probably will be able to take it up another hole or two, or get a couple of more inches of latigo, without getting it too tight. Most horses “suck wind” to prevent you from tightening the saddle too much initially. For riding, the cinch should be snug under the heart girth, but not excessively tight. You should be able to fit two fingers under the buckle without much difficulty.

Next page - on to the bridling.