My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Let’s face it an equestrian’s car is an extension of our barn and our tackroom. In the backseat of my car today is a saddle (no surprise there) and a Saddleright pad. On most days there’s usually a pair of breeches, a spare set of paddock boots and various incarnations of gloves — usually left […]
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The gullet of a saddle is the channel that runs down the center of the underside of a saddle, in between the panels. The gullet bridges the horse’s spine so it is an important part of the saddle design. If the gullet is narrow, it can pinch the muscles on either side of the spine which […]
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The decision over whether to use a running or standing martingale depends on what you want to accomplish and, so a certain extent, your discipline. If you are a show hunter, there’s not really a choice. Standing martingales are standard operating equipment, even on horses that don’t actually need them. In competitions, the standing martingale […]
Read MoreI’m probably the wrong person to ask because at last count I have 8 saddles and one horse. However, I’ve always thought of saddles as an investment. A good saddle holds its value and if you buy used, you may well be able to resell it at a profit when you no longer need/want it. […]
Read MoreIt seems to me like it’s almost impossible to buy a bridle without a flash attachment any more, especially a dressage bridle. I guess I’m dating myself, because I have a clear memory of when the opposite was true: the flash was a piece of equipment you added if it were needed, but most horses […]
Read MoreI have always been a snaffle kind of rider. Partly it’s because I generally have had horses that require more kick than whoa; partly it’s because I use other aids to control speed and rhythm; and partly it’s because I like a horse to take a solid contact with the bit. Look in my bit […]
Read MoreWhen I first bought this bridle it was to use on my Trakehner who preferred being ridden bitless. I never used it as a bitted bridle. Since he died, it sat in my tack trunk for about a year until the day I wanted to try a different bit on Freedom but didn’t want to […]
Read MoreOne of the beauties of going synthetic is that care is minimal and easy. They have all been extremely durable and showed little to no wear. Synthetic saddles are pretty impervious to sweat or rain and they don’t really show dirt. I love having a synthetic saddle for riding in the rain. I’ve soaked my […]
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