Riding Western-style is like stepping back in time to the Old West. Western saddles have not changed substantially in the way they look or go on the horse, so when you tack up your Western mount, you are doing what the cowboys used to do way back when. However, we're a little more careful of our horses these days, so we've added a few steps the old rough-and-ready cowpokes probably didn't bother with.
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Before You Begin
Tie your horse securely while you are working with him, preferably in a place where he cannot dodge away from you while you're trying to saddle him.- Brush the dirt and loose hair from your horse, taking special care over his back, as buildup of dirt under the pad can lead to painful saddle sores and galls.
- Consider clipping a "bridle path" to make the bridle fit better, if your horse is extremely shaggy. Use scissors or electric clippers to shave a 2-inch spot in the mane just behind the horse's ears.The Breast Collar
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Decide whether you will need a breast collar for your horse. Some Western riding activities, such as roping or mountain trail riding, require a breast collar to keep the saddle from slipping back. Because many breast collars use a loop the cinch goes through, we will put it on first.
Know which way is up and which is down on your breast collar. This cavalry-style breast collar has a solid loop that goes over the horse's neck. A Y-shaped roping-style breast collar goes on with the arms of the Y to the top; the tail runs through the horse's front legs to the cinch.- Unsnap the lead rope and pass the breast collar over the horse's head as shown, keeping hold of the horse's halter with one hand. Re-snap the lead rope to the halter.
- Slide the breast collar to a position just forward of the horse's withers. Leave the bottom end dangling for the moment; just make sure your horse cannot step on it.
The Saddle Pad
- Check your saddle pad and the fleece on your saddle to make sure there are no stickers, twigs or burrs caught in it that will jab or rub the horse.
- Set your saddle pad in place, with the forward edge covering the horse's withers.
Ensure that any reinforcing leather or suede is properly aligned. There may be three: one under each stirrup fender, and one on the front that goes between the pommel and the withers. The soft or hairy side is always down; the finished side is always up. - Set the pad a bit farther forward than needed, if you are unsure just where it goes. You will slide the whole thing back to the proper place as you proceed.
The Saddle
Saddle your horse from the near (left) side. Western saddles can be heavy, so unless you are very tall and strong, the easiest way to put the saddle cleanly on the horse is to fold all the off-side (right side) rigging up over the seat. That is the forward cinch, the right stirrup fender, and the back cinch.
Lift the saddle into place; don't throw it. Set it on the pad over the horse's wither bones and slide saddle and pad back until it settles naturally into the hollow behind the withers. If your horse is very round-backed or has high withers, make sure the gullet of the saddle is not pinching the withers, and that the saddle is not set too far back. Slide your hand under the gullet to see if the saddle is sitting directly on the withers or is tipped too far back.- Let the folded-up stirrup and rigging down gently on the off side to hang naturally. Unless you know the horse well, don't just shove it all over from the near side and let it bang against his side. You could end up with a rodeo.
Fold the left stirrup up over the saddle out of the way, standing on the near side.- Make sure the latigo is pulled out from under the saddle and ready for use.
- Reach under the horse and grab the dangling forward cinch. It should pass under the horse forward of the swell of his ribs and just behind his front legs. If it rubs the horse behind the elbows, the saddle is too far forward; if it is trying to span the swell of the belly, it's too far back.
- Attach the breast collar now if it uses a loop to hook it to the cinch. Pass the cinch through the loop in the dangling "tail." If the breast collar uses a snap instead of a loop, ignore this step.
Pass the end of the near-side latigo through the cinch ring on the saddle.- Bring the latigo end around and thread it up through the back of the saddle ring.
- Tuck the latigo end down through the loop just created.
- Pull up on the latigo to tighten the cinch.
- Use the loop to take up the slack and feed the long end of the latigo back down through the loop, leaving the free end dangling until the cinch is snug. Don't over-tighten--you should still be able to slide your fingers between the cinch and the horse.
- Check to see if your cinch is centered. Many rope cinches have a colored diamond and a pair of small snap rings marking the center of the cinch, which should rest squarely between and behind the horse's front legs. If the snap rings or the diamond are too far to the off side, let out the off-side latigo. If it is too far to the near side, take up the off-side latigo.
- Finish tightening the cinch by pulling the long end down to take the slack out of the loop.
Tuck the end back up through the loop so it does not dangle, or else thread it through the slot in the keeper just forward of the cinch, if your saddle has one. - Reach under and bring the cinch to the near side, if your saddle uses a back cinch.
- Do not over-tighten the back cinch, as it can serve as a splendid bucking strap on nervous horses. It should just touch the horse's belly. There should be a keeper connecting the two cinches as well, which is located dead center between them.
- Bring the tail of the breast collar between the horse's front legs and fasten the snap to the small ring located on the forward end of the cinch.
- Thread the top pieces of the breast collar through the saddle rings on either side and buckle in place. Some saddles will have special rings under the pommel for a breast collar. (See photo in Breast Collar section)
- Adjust the breast collar so that it rests lightly against your horse's chest. If it is too tight, it will cut off his wind when riding uphill. Make sure it is properly centered on his chest and not pressing on his windpipe.
- Check the cinch again before mounting, and tighten until snug if necessary. Some horses "blow up" when being saddled (hold their breath while you tighten the cinch), then let it out when you step away, leaving the cinch loose and the saddle in danger of turning when you step in the stirrup.
Bridling Your Horse
- Complete tacking up by putting the bridle or hackamore on. Loop the reins around the horse's neck to hold him while you take the halter off and re-fasten it loosely around his neck. This keeps him tied to the fence while you are working with him.
- Gather your reins up out of the way: over your arm or shoulder, so you don't get tangled in them while bridling your horse.
- Take the bit in your left hand, standing on the near side. Balance the bit on your fingers, leaving the thumb free.
- Pass your right arm over the horse's neck. Reach down between his ears and grasp the headstall to keep it clear of the bit. This keeps the horse's head down. Alternately, reach under his head and bring your hand up just under his right eye, grasp the headstall, and keep it sorted out with your right hand over his nose while the left inserts the bit.
- Guide the bit up against the horse's lips, moving the curb strap, if used, out of the way with your thumb.
- Slide your thumb gently into the horse's mouth at the natural gap between the forward set of teeth and the rearmost teeth running up its jaw. This is where the bit rests and is safe. Usually, very slight pressure on the bars will encourage the horse to open his mouth.
- Slide the bit in when the horse opens his mouth, keeping tension on the headstall with your right hand to keep him from spitting it back out.
- Slide the crown piece over the horse's ears to rest just behind them.
Bring the throat latch under the horse's neck and buckle it below the left ear. Do not fasten it tightly. The horse needs room to flex his neck.- Check where the bit rests in the horse's mouth. If there is a gap between the bar of the bit (the part that runs through his mouth) and the join of the lips, shorten the cheek pieces of the bridle until the bar just rests at the join.
- Check that the curb strap, if used, is not already tight against the horse's lower jaw. It should be loose when the reins are loose and the bit is lying naturally in the horse's mouth.
- Pull your horse's forelock over the browband crossing above his eyes. Pull any loose mane out from under the leather anywhere. You're done and ready to ride!
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