LittleJoe Bareback Pad Saddle and Rope Halter Bridle

[Shannon_Clover]

www.better-horsetack.com

Cant copy pics but what you think?
It really good value, I think.
Please give me any comments or info if you have tried or used these or something similar to it.

[Crystal Fire]

Not sure about the bareback pad, I've heard of too many people coming a cropper when they have stirrups attached. My favourite is my Best Friend bareback pad, which has no stirrups, is lovely and comfy and has a nice rise over the wither.
The bridles are cool, have you seen the ones on the Earthhorse site? I'll see if this comes up as a link, but you can always copy and paste it :)
http://www.mena.org.au/earthhorse/
I've got a picture of my horse wearing hers somewhere, and the Best Friend... again, I'm a bit pants at all this technology, so if you don't see a photo maybe go have a look... It is a sidepull with clip on reins, but I generally knot a 12ft line on the loop at the bottom, because that is what she's used to.
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UwDrAgYZth3J2n!46U0FPZsD3pMdHghIj50bQh0DuisaG9Rnh2lrfPXS7XkvJSYiS5Pek8zZXUNvoQOySrpgF1u3dt4dAKPZDQn vJ0BPOwP2Cy6rKNBFq1zoJ22cfxhM/Karen%20and%20Fire.bmp?dc=4675470421206610527

[Crystal Fire]

Oh well... told you I was pants... :o

[cvb]

Hi Crystal Fire, those bridles look a lot like the half-bosals that Lodge Ropes do. I just got one of their new noseband only half-bosals which goes nicely on at least one of my western bridles :D (haven't had time to try the other one(s) )

http://www.freewebs.com/lodgeropes/

I had a bareback pad - it was fleece underneath and my mare is broad - but for me the stirrups seemed to make everything even slippier :( so I gave up on it.

There are other bareback pads like the cashel soft saddle which offer different levels of rider support. I know some folk on NR have tried the cashel one so might be worth asking..

[Crystal Fire]

Yep, very similar, but I got an Earthhorse one because I wanted to choose all the colours and have beads and stuff for my posey Arab :D
I think the noseband is more flexible that most bosals.

[cvb]

aha but their "half-bosal" is not a full on western (stiff) bosal :D

I rode in it for the first time at the weekend but haven't had time to get the piccies off the camera yet (just standing piccies not "in action", but still...)

[kimdouglas]

Hi,

Have to agree with Crystal Fire on the Best friend Bareback pad...it really is a dream to ride in. The foam is soft, it doesnt slip and has a girth attached to it. I got mine from Horseandharmony, check it out before you buy. Dont think the stirrups on a bareback pad are a good idea...i'd say it would make for a very slippy time!

Hope this helps :)
Kim x

[galadriel]

Well, after looking at the picture of it on the horse, I have to say that I actually approve of the girth :) Most bareback pads have a very forward girth that, when tightened, drags down on the horse's wither. This not only has two billets to spread out the drag, it sits significantly behind the wither.

They could have done a better job with the stirrup. A stirrup that far forward puts you in a very insecure position, and it will drag down on the spine. If anything, they ought to have attached the D for the stirrup across the pad at the second billet, not the first. The Cashel Soft saddle is a good example of a bareback pad with a decent stirrup placement:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/z-fitting/cashelsoftsaddle/

although you definitely should be using a safety stirrup if you don't have safety stirrup bars, so that goes for any bareback pad.

I *like* the bitless bridle that Crystal Fire posted. Nice stabilization system for the headpiece.

[Crystal Fire]

Yep Gladriel, it's a lovely bridle for sure!
Would you worry about the bareback pad with stirrups slipping sideways? That would be my concern. Agree with the comment about them often pressing on the withers, my Parelli pad did, which is why I got the Best Friend. All mine are fairly flat backed, the Arab in the picture probably has most wither, I guess you would need to be careful with a horse that had a high wither?