Saddling Up With Western Gear 3

Now for the Bridling. Working on the horse's left side again, drop the nosepiece of the halter off the nose and refasten the crown strap around the neck. Avoid placing your face too close to the horse's head during bridling and use caution when handling the ears. This helps ensure that you do not get hit in the face should the horse toss its head.

If you have roping reins, or one piece closed reins, place them over the horse's head and neck. If you have split reins, place them over your right shoulder, making sure they do not droop where you or the horse could step on them. Throughout this process, be particularly careful not to wrap any piece of equipment attached to the horse around your hand or arm, as it could cause serious injury in a panic moment.

Spread the crown of the bridle with the right hand and hold the bit in the left. Place your right arm over the horse's head between its ears and approach the horse's mouth with the bit.

Be sure to keep the cheek pieces out of its eyes and avoid banging its teeth with the bit. With the bit pushed lightly against the horse's lips, insert the left thumb in the corner of the mouth. There are no teeth here, so if necessary you can put pressure on the bar of the mouth with your thumb to encourage the horse to open its mouth. Many horses will open their mouths readily as you approach with the bit without doing this. Lift the bridle upward with the right hand as you gently feed the bit over the teeth.

Never jerk the bridle, and move with the horse if it moves its head. Place the crown of the bridle over one ear and then the other, bending the ears forward gently as you pull the bridle over them.

Rough handling of the ears can cause horses to be head-shy and difficult to bridle. Be careful not to drag the cheek pieces over the horse's eyes. Straighten out the forelock to avoid irritation, and fasten the throat latch, allowing enough room for you to insert your hand sideways throughout the jaw area.

The bridle should be properly adjusted before you ride. Be sure the browband does not hang down in the horse's eyes and that the bit is neither too high nor too low. The bit should rest on the bars of the mouth. It should be high enough that it creates one small wrinkle at the corners of the mouth. If there are two or three wrinkles, the bit is probably too high. On the other hand, if the bit hangs so that it comes in contact with the incisor teeth, it is too low. Also check the curb chain, or curb strap. You should be able to fit three fingers sideways between the horse's chin and the chain, but the chain should be tight enough that it places pressure on the chin when you pull back on the reins. This assists in the control of your horse.

Once the bridle is secure, remove the halter from around the neck. You're ready to ride!

Unsaddling

Unsaddling is just the opposite. I usually tie the halter around my horse's neck, as we did when we put the bridle on. Next, remove the bridle by first unbuckling the throat latch. Grasp both sides of the bridle near the brow band and gently pull the crown over the ears. The horse will release the bit as it's weight begins to rest on the back of his teeth. Then put the halter back on your horse's head properly and tie him up. To unsaddle, simply reverse the saddling process. Always unfasten the breast collar connecting strap and the flank cinch FIRST to prevent an accident should the saddle turn while you are unsaddling. Your horse may panic if the saddle turns with these still fastened.

If you have had a hard ride, loosen the cinch gradually before taking the saddle off. This allows the blood to flow back under the saddle slowly. Untie the saddle knot or unbuckle the cinch buckle and lift the saddle slightly before pulling it off. This is more comfortable for the horse and also aids in a more gradual blood flow to the back. Before you pull the saddle off, place the right stirrup over the horn and the breast collar, cinch and flank strap over the seat so that they do not drag on the ground or hit you or the horse as you remove the saddle.