Notes on How To Saddle A Horse

Learning how to saddle a horse is one of the most important aspects of horse riding. Granted, saddling a horse is not as fun as riding one, but if the horse is not properly saddled a great deal of the fun in riding the horse will be eliminated. Additionally, an improperly saddled horse is dangerous to ride.

Many, many years ago, it was not uncommon that the riders of the great, wild horses rode bareback. When looking at the texts of the Roman Empire, one can clearly see detailed explanation on the soldier’s saddling their horses. This means that somewhere in between the days of the cavemen and the Roman Empire, someone figured out that horses needed to be saddled. The reason for this is obvious: people who rode bareback fell off their horses and fell off often! While this may seem humorous on the surface, the reality of the matter is that if one falls off a horse when riding there is great potential for serious injury. As such, proper instruction on how to saddle a horse is mandatory.

Generalizing on How To Saddle A Horse

When it comes to saddling a horse, there are a number of general steps to follow that include properly cleaning the horse before saddling, properly approaching the horse, placing the saddle within the proper position on the horse, affixing the saddle in place, making sure the saddle does not slide, etc. Of course, these are all general points and there are numerous details to follow, but they can not be learned out of a book nor can learning how to saddle a horse be taught in pictures. Again, improper saddling of a horse can be a dangerous proposition.

Learning How To Saddle A Horse

The best way to learn how to saddle a horse involves first watching an individual who understands the proper way to saddle a horse. Paying close attention to the proper means of going about saddling the horse is the first step in breeding a sense of familiarity with the subject. The next step is to attempt to saddle the horse yourself while under the watchful eye of a person who knows the proper way to saddle. This will reduce your chances of making a mistake or learning improperly. If you learn properly then you will maintain the level of safety that was previously mentioned and this will make the sport of horseback riding a fun activity as opposed to a hazardous one.

Hit The Trail With Mountain Horse Riding Boots

I rode in my first horse show with borrowed riding boots. I wanted to look spiffy enough for the judge and only had grungy Ducks for riding at the time. By the end of that horse show, even though I was in the ribbons, my feet wished that I had stuck with the ducks. Riding with ill fitting, shoddy boots is no bargain. And painful feet detract from your riding abilities. Your horse will pick up on your discomfort and wonder if there’s anything for him or her to worry about. Looking back, I wished I had invested in a new pair of new boots, such as the kinds offered by Mountain Horse riding boots.

Ready For Trails In The Real World

Riding is not all about galloping off into the sunset. There are a lot of mud, muck, puddles and ice to deal with, too. If the weather is too bad for you to ride, your horse still needs to be cleaned, exercised (even if just walked on a lead) and the stalls cleaned. Mountain Horse riding boots offer a variety of good looking and sturdy boots to deal with all of these real world situations.

Mountain Horse riding boots come in full length and paddock boots (which only come up to the ankles). You can choose from tie on or slip on with the paddock boots. All of the boots come with a prominent heel so you can work and ride. Most are in black, but some are also in a rich chestnut brown. All are designed to keep your feet safe in the stirrups, but also comfortable. Some have a special layer for warmth for really bad weather.

They Ride, Too

Unfortunately, Mountain Horse riding boots were not available at the time of my first horse show. Mountain Horse riding boots only came on the market in 1988 in Sweden. The new company knew of the complaints and problems of riders in the real world and set about to fill a needed gap in the riding boot catalogues. At the time of my first horse show, boots were expected to hurt. You worse two pairs of socks and pantyhose to keep from chafing.

Riding boots were also hard to get. Now, through online and mail order catalogues, you can get Mountain Horse riding boots easily. And the paddock boots come in at under $100 a pair. Considering how much work they have to put up with, that’s a steal. Mountain Horse riding boots are distributed by various companies and stores all over the world. They are a brand that gets thumb up in customer opinion websites.

How To Saddle Your Horse Can Easily Be Learnt By Following A Few Standard Steps

Before taking your horse out for a ride you should have learnt how to saddle your horse and ensured that it is properly saddled if you want to enjoy your ride as well as ensure that neither you nor your horse comes to any harm. Before you do anything else, make sure that the horse has been groomed and that there is no dirt and no sore spots. There are certain steps that you will need to follow each time you place a saddle on your horse which includes even having a blanket on which to put the saddle, and this is most important when using a Western saddle.

The blanket should be folded in to two equal halves and the fold must be placed facing the front, and a saddle pad may also be used in place of the blanket though whichever option is used, it should be placed towards the front of the withers and then slid into its proper place.

Raise The Saddle

Next, you will learn in how to saddle your horse that you have to raise the saddle high enough and tuck in the stirrups properly before placing the saddle on the back of the horse making sure that there is enough elevation so as not to disturb the pad or blanket and that the saddle does not hit your horse. Before you place the saddle in its place make sure that you are gentle in doing so and placing it a bit forward will help and it will also not spook the horse.

Once you have placed the saddle on the horse’s back you should position yourself to its offside in order to take down the stirrup, especially when using Western saddles and also ensure that the pad or blanket are free of any wrinkles on either side, and ensure that the girth or the cinch is attached on that side (offside). Follow this by moving to the other side (near side) and get hold of the girth or the cinch and bring it from beneath the horse and then buckle up the girth, or have the cinch tied and tighten either one just enough that it is neither too tight nor too loose and leave just enough space to pass a finger between it and the horse’s body for best tightening.

Finally, you will learn that how to saddle your horse requires ensuring that the skin beneath the girth has no wrinkles in it, and another helpful tip on how to saddle your horse is to check that the girth is properly fastened before you mount the horse and then again after having ridden the horse for a couple of minutes.

These simple steps should help you learn how to saddle your horse and ensure that you have safe riding.

If You Ride Horses, What Do The Horses Think?

How does a horse feel about people who ride horses? Depends on the horse. Horses are as individualistic as people. They also make associations the same way. By making any interaction between you and the horses you come in contact with pleasant, you will make a horse look forward to doing any kind of work with people, including those who ride horses.

And You Though Elephants Had Long Memories

Horses are a prey species. They depend on their memories in order to keep themselves alive. In the wild, this memory would’ve taught them what animals and plants to avoid, where the watering holes were and what escape routes to take. The memory still works as powerfully for the same reasons, to keep the horse safe, but it will remember anything, good or bad.

If you ride horses regularly, you can tell immediately what the past life of that horse has been like when he or she has to be ridden. The horse’s body language is as expressive and eloquent as any Shakespeare play. As soon as the horse sees a saddle and bridle, look at his or her body language. Has the horse backed up? Are the ears back? Are the eyes wide? Is the horse fidgeting all over, maybe even sweating? This horse has had bad past experiences being ridden and fears being ridden again. This horse needs extra gentle treatment and lots of praise and fun.

But is the horse standing still, maybe with a hind leg cocked, ears forward? If the horse opens his or her mouth for the bit when you bridle the horse, that’s a really good sign. This horse has associated people who ride horses with fun and pleasure. Your job as a person who rides horses is to keep this attitude going and not let this partner down.

Are All Horses Meant To Be Ridden?

Not all horses are meant to be ridden, even those who are members of breeds known for exceptional riding horses. The individual horse you meet may have had a trauma while being ridden and just cannot handle the stress of the memories. These horses still have place in the world. Horses did not evolve just for people to ride horses, or have them pull carts. Horses add to the flavor of existence. Horses who can’t be ridden can still make great friends, companions for other animals, make great fertilizer and help people realize there is more to life than what you might expect.

Times You Need Portable Horse Riding Arenas

There’s always something you need to buy for your horse. At least you are easy to shop for at Christmas or Hanukah. No matter how many horses you have or how often you travel with them, you should consider investing one of the many kinds of portable horse riding arenas available. Even if you don’t have horses but have a substantial amount of property in horse country, you might consider getting portable horse riding arenas.

Events

Portable horse riding arenas don’t necessarily have to be for horses, but for all kinds of animals. If you hold events on your property, these are necessary for mini dog-parks, for a petting zoo, pony rides or any other charity event you can think of. They can come in many sizes and materials. They are absolutely necessary in big events like conventions, horse shows or camping festivals where your customers might arrive on horseback or in buggies.

Emergencies

If you run any kind of animal rescue or disaster preparation for your community, portable horse riding arenas are a must. When there is chaos from natural or unnatural disasters, it’s good to know that there is a safe and sturdy place to put animals or lost children in that can get sorted out later. No matter what size of stable or animal rescue unit you have, you may never know when you need a portable horse riding arena. There may be a fire in your main building or a sudden influx of abandoned animals in your territory.

Before You Buy

If you don’t already have horses, check your zoning laws to see if you can temporarily set up portable horse riding arenas where you are holding your event or next to your animal shelter. Usually, since they are only temporary, you will usually be okay, but you still need to be aware of the laws. If your community doesn’t have a disaster plan and a lot of animal lovers, you might consider proposing to get a portable horse riding arena for public emergency use.

Portable horse riding arenas are usually electrified. You will need to be able to get a hold of a place to charge your batteries. Also, for any public events, you need a lot of warning signs up. If the animals are extremely docile and the weather is mild, you may be able to get away without turning the juice on. Odds are, you won’t.