western riding need all the help i can get!

[horsefeather]

hello all. i thought i would post this here because and friend and i just started western and need a bit of help.

i have been riding english for 16 years and ive owned my horse, Askim, for 12 years. he was originally trained in western riding and when i bought him at the age of 13, made the switch (quite gracefully) to english. now were back to western and he remembers what he know but i am at a loss.

my friend has been riding english for MUCH longer than i have been alive and a coworker who is going trough a divorce sold her ex's western saddle. i dont know much about it but its black and alot nicer than mine. it took me 45 minutes to figure out how to adjust the stirrups.

a local tack dealer has monthly auction between march and november. every month my friends and i go to it to see if theres anythign we need want and so on. at the last auction of the year they always have raffles. and they always raffle off saddles. well this year i finally won the western saddle. its a cordura ($399 in the stateline catalog) its 17 inches and black. i really love it although its a competely different feel from my stubben english saddle.

i realized today that i really need some help.

how do you get off with out catching anything on the horn
how do you measure breast collar fit--just aesthetics the saddle doesnt slip
these are just a few questions i can think of right now.

any thoughts, suggestions, info anything you can help me with would be so greatly appreciated from the both of us.

thank you all

[Bacharel]

Hi,

Ive been riding western for 5 years now. Ive tried english but all in all i love western riding. The only difference is the saddle not on how you control or move your horse. Either way you try to collect your horse, and it get it moving from underneath...i know theres much more too it but u get the idea.Now after i rambled on for a bit I'll answer some of your questions.

How not to get stuck on the horn-

While riding- as long as you've got your horse undercontrol you should be fine...but if he/she decide to buck or rear....good luck to ya! sometime your pockets or sweatshirts will get caught over the horn if your unbalanced and your in a lil bit of trouble but most likely you can just let one hand of the rein and fix that problem

Getting off-You dont have to worry about a thing unless you get off the far side of your horse, because your body is toward the back of the saddle.

Breast Collar- First order the size that will most fit your horse(pony/horse/draft) then put it on the saddle rings and put the thin leather adjusters threw(you can wrap them around 2 times to fit better, if neccesary)...if it goes in the wrong spot it can conflict with your hroses natural movement...if you look in a magazine u can see how they fit, but they should be above the horses shoulder.

HOPE THIS HELPS!!! If theres any more question please feel free to ask!
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You can ASK a stallion, TELL a gelding, but you have to TALK THINGS OVER with a mare

[marjiva]

I learned how to ride on a western saddle . I never really cared much for english riding. They seemed to have more straps and require more riding apparel than what i was used to. I have chunky calves and cant wear those high boots. I am not sure if you are showing in western. A few years ago, I started helping exercise a friends horses and she only used bob marshall endurance saddles. They are very comfortable and a lot better on your horses back than a heavy treed western saddle. Mine only weighs 10 pounds.They dont have the horn because they are meant to be used for long distance riding over rough terrain. If the saddle you got on auction doesnt work for you maybe you could try one of these. I cant imagine getting any other kind of saddle for pleasure riding, or any kind of long distance trail rides. I am not sure if they can be used for western horse shows or timed events though. They look more like a hornless western saddle, only better.
My horse doesnt seem to care much for the martingale, so I dont use it. I have never had a problem with my saddle sliding off as long as the girth is on tight. If your not sure the girth is tight enough you could check it once you have walked your horse around a bit. They tend to bloat themselves out so you cant tighten it too much on them. If I go over very steep hills and mountains I would use the breast plate though and make it snug but not tight. I have never tried a cordura saddle before. Congradulations on your purchase.

[horsefeather]

im not planning on any showing with this saddle. and the breast collar is purely for looks only. the saddle doesnt slide at all and it fits him well although i had to get a riser pad to help with his swayed back (hes 25) so far everything has been working well for me.

just if you all think of anything that you learned and never knew you had to know please by all means let me know. like i said before i need all the helpi can get!