Martinson Leatherworks |Guide

Beginners Start Here: Horse Equipment Explained

(Text courtesy of the Wikipedia, images by Shawn Martinson)

Saddles are seats for the rider, fastened to the horse's back by means of a girth (English-style riding) or cinch (Western-style), a wide strap that goes around the horse at a point about four inches behind the forelegs. Some western saddles will also have a second strap known as a flank or back cinch that fastens at the rear of the saddle and goes around the widest part of the horse's belly. It is important that the saddle is comfortable for both the rider and the horse as an improperly fitting saddle may create pressure points on the horse's back muscle and cause the horse pain and can lead to the horse, rider, or both getting injured. Western saddles are both beautiful and functional. The one thing they're not is simple. Visit a saddle shop and you'll be amazed by all of the choices available. It can be confusing and even overwhelming for both novice and experienced riders. That's where we - Martinson Leatherworks - come in. We'll be happy to advise you just contact us by phone (352-457-4931 or 352-521-3879) or by email.

Types of Saddles

There are many types of Western saddle available. Some are general-purpose models while others emphasize either greater freedom for the horse or greater security for the rider, as may be necessary for specialized work in the various Western horse sports such as cutting, reining, barrel racing, team roping, equitation and western pleasure. Factors such as width of the swells, height of the cantle, depth of the seat, placement of the stirrups and type of rigging all influence the uses of a given design. For example, a saddle with wide swells, high cantle and deep seat is suitable for cutting, where a rider must remain in a secure, quiet seat on the horse. At the other end of the spectrum, a saddle with a "slick fork" - virtually no swells - and a low cantle is suited for calf roping, where a rider must dismount quickly, often while the horse is still in motion, and not be caught up on the saddle. Western saddles are extensively decorated—the carved leatherwork is often a true work of art (see here) —and intricately carved silver conchos and other additions are frequently added to the saddle for show purposes. More than any other style of saddle, the western saddle can be customized to be a true expression of the rider's taste and style. A fine quality western saddle, properly maintained, is intended to last for a person's lifetime, or even beyond.

Western saddle

Parts of a Western saddle Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches. This saddle was designed to provide security and comfort to the rider when spending long hours on a horse, traveling over rugged terrain.

The design of the Western saddle derives from the saddles of the Spanish vaqueros - the early horse trainers and cattle handlers of Mexico and the American Southwest. It was developed for the purpose of working cattle across vast areas, and came from a combination of the saddles used in the two main styles of horseback riding then practiced in Spain — la jineta, the Moorish style which allowed great freedom of movement to the horse; and la estradiota, the jousting style, which provided great security to the rider and strong control of the horse. A very functional item was also added: the saddle "horn." This style of saddle allowed vaqueros to control cattle by use of a rope around the neck of the animal, tied or dallied (wrapped without a knot) around the horn.

Today, although many Western riders have never roped a cow, the western saddle still features this historical element. (Some variations on the Western saddle design, such as those made for the rapidly growing European market, do not have horns.) Another predecessor which may have contributed to the design of the Western saddle was the Spanish tree saddle, which was also influential in the design of the McClellan saddle of the American military, being used by all branches of the U.S. Army, but being particularly associated with the cavalry.

The Western saddle is designed to be comfortable when ridden in for many hours. Its history and purpose is to be a working tool for a cowboy who spends all day, every day, on horseback.

The Saddle Tree

Everything begins with the saddle tree. It's the foundation for the saddle; the frame upon which everything else is built. Without a high quality tree, you'll never have a high quality saddle.

Tree Fit

The job of the saddle tree is to distribute the rider's weight over the horse's back, making it more efficient and comfortable for the horse. A tree consists of five basic parts - the two bars that run parallel, the fork that holds the bars together at the front, the cantle that holds the bars together in the back, and the horn. The cutout or tunnel underneath the fork is called the gullet. The open space created between the bars is called the gullet channel. The bars of the saddle tree are the actual weight-bearing surface of the saddle. They're the part that's in contact with the horse. Well-fitting bars of a western saddle will apply only 3/4 lbs per square inch to the horse's back with a 150 lb rider up. In contrast, an English saddle, which has far less surface area, will apply about 1 3/4 lbs per square inch with the same rider up. This is what makes western saddles far easier on the horse despite their greater weight.

The Rigging

The rigging holds the girthing system that keeps the saddle on the horse. The front rigging consists of a slotted metal plate or ring on each side of the saddle, to which a leather strap is fixed for holding the "cinch" that goes around the belly of the horse. Some saddles have a second "back cinch" (sometimes called a flank cinch, even though it should never go around the horse's flanks) that is rigged on the saddle either by a reinforced slot in the leather skirting of the saddle, or, in particularly heavy-duty models, to a second ring.

Placement of the rigging is a critical component of saddle design. The closer the rigging is to the center of the saddle, the more the rider will be balanced over the horse's center of balance, allowing freer movement and agility of horse and rider. On the other hand, the more "full" or forward the rigging is set, especially when combined with a back cinch, the more the saddle will set down on the horse, placing the rider a bit behind the horse's center of balance, but creating greater security.

Stirrups

Stirrups are supports for the rider's feet that hang down on either side of the saddle. The invention of stirrups was of great significance in mounted combat, giving the rider a secure footing while on horseback. At the same time the stirrups are problematic due to the tendency for feet to get stuck in them in dire moments, causing the rider to be dragged. Because of this danger, saddlers have developed both safety stirrups or peacock stirrups—which are either shaped to allow the rider's foot to slip out easily or are closed with a rubber band—and safety stirrup bars that are hangers for the stirrup leather that allow it to detach from the saddle in an emergency.

Bridles and halters

Bridles and halters are an arrangement of straps around the horse's head used for control and communication with the animal.

Bridle

A bridle is a piece of equipment used to control a horse. The bridle fits over a horse's head, and has the purpose of controlling the horse. It holds a bit in the horse's mouth, or holds on the nosepiece of a hackamore and other type of bitless bridle. Most bridles include a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse or other animal, and bit-less designs have a noseband that is designed to exert pressure on sensitive areas of the animal's face in order to provide direction and control.

Fitting a bridle

Without properly fitting the bridle to the horses’ head, the horse may be uncomfortable, and poor fitting may also result in lack of control while riding or unclear communication. In order to effectively and safely use a bridle, the length of each piece of the bridle needs to be individually adjusted to fit the horse's head. The width of the bit needs to be adjusted to the width of the horse's mouth so it is not too wide nor too narrow. When fitting the cheek pieces, their length should be adjusted so that the bit is held neither too high nor too low in the horse's mouth, to ensure good communication between horse and rider. The adjustment of the noseband varies, depending on the type used. However, it is most often adjusted so that one finger can fit between the noseband and the horse

The Halter

The halter is the simplest piece of equipment, consisting of a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head and allows the horse to be led or tied. The lead rope may be short, no more than ten feet long, for everyday leading and tying, or much longer, up to 25 feet, for tasks such as for leading packhorses or for picketing a horse out to graze. Some horses, particularly stallions, may have a chain attached to the lead rope and placed over the nose or under the jaw to increase the control provided by a halter while being led. Most of the time, horses are not ridden with a halter, as it offers insufficient precision and control. Bridles often contain a bit attached to reins and are used for riding and driving horses. Western Bridles used in Western riding usually have no noseband, are made of thin bridle leather. They may have long, separated "split" reins or shorter closed reins, which sometimes include an attached Romal. Western bridles are often adorned with silver or other decorative features. Double bridles are a type of English bridle that use two bits in the mouth at once, a snaffle and a curb. The two bits allow the rider to have very precise control of the horse. As a rule, only very advanced horses and riders use double bridles. Double bridles are usually seen in the top levels of dressage, but also are seen in certain types of show hack and saddle seat competition.

Breastplates, breastcollars or breastgirths

A breastplate (used interchangeably with breastgirth and breastcollar) is a piece of riding equipment used on horses. Its purpose is to keep the saddle from sliding back, and is most helpful on horses with large shoulders and a flat ribcage. It is also a safety feature, especially on cross-country, should a rider's girth or billets break, as she will have enough time to stop the horse and dismount before the saddle slipped off the animal's back or underneath its belly.
The breastplate is used on both English and Western saddles. When used in English riding, the hunting breastplate is made of thinner straps of leather, as is the western style used for horse shows. Working western horses in disciplines that involve work with cattle use a thicker, sturdier style.

Breastplates, breast collars or breast girths attach to the front of the saddle, cross the horse's chest, and usually have a strap that runs between the horse's front legs and attaches to the girth. They keep the saddle from sliding back or sideways. They are usually seen in demanding, fast-paced sports. They are crucial pieces of safety equipment for English riding activities requiring jumping, such as eventing, show jumping, polo, and fox hunting. They are also seen in Western riding events, particularly in rodeo, reining and cutting, where it is particularly important to prevent a saddle from shifting. They may also be worn in other horse show classes for decorative purposes.

A martingale is a piece of equipment that keeps a horse from raising its head too high. Various styles can be used as a control measure, to prevent the horse from avoiding rider commands by raising its head out of position; or as a safety measure to keep the horse from tossing its head high or hard enough to smack its rider in the face. They are allowed in many types of competition, especially those where speed or jumping may be required, but are not allowed in most "flat" classes at horse shows, though an exception is made in a few classes limited exclusively to young or "green" horses who may not yet be fully trained.