Checking the Fit of your Saddle

Goal of Fit: Bar Contact to the Horse’s Back

The bars protect the spine and distribute pressure from the rider’s weight evenly across the horse’s back. Larger riders and performance saddles need longer bars to give more contact area to distribute pressure.

Checking the Fit of your Saddle

The tree has two main factors that determine the fit; gullet width and bar angle. The combination of the two factors makes for slight variations in the saddle industry. There are not any standards or definitions of specific tree sizes, but each saddle builder provides a description to give an idea of the size of horse the tree should fit.

Gullet Width or sometimes referred to as bar spread is the measurement 2 inches below the narrowest part of the gullet, even with the side conchos. This is the most common factor because we can measure it more easily. When measuring, make sure you’re underneath the bars, not in front of the saddle.

A narrow gullet width will keep the saddle perched higher. A wider spread will drop further down on the horse’s back.

Bar Angle is not often measured but the angle needs to be as close to the angle of the horse’s back as possible.

A narrow or tight angle will make contact at the bottom of the bars, not the top. A wide angle will make contact at the top of the bars, not the bottom.

Approximate degrees (+/- 3 degrees):
86 degrees - Normal/Narrow Angle
90 degrees - Wide Angle
94 degrees – Extra Wide Angle

Other Factors

Bar Flare: The bars will flare to some degree in the front and back of the saddle. The front will flare away from the horse to allow for shoulder movement. The back may flare to keep the bars from digging into the croup.

Bar Slope or Rock: The curve of the horse’s topline should be as close to the shape of the bars as possible.

Bridging: When the bars make contact in the front and back of the saddle, but not in the middle. It causes what looks like a bridge across the dip in the back. The weight of the rider is carried only at the ends of the bars causing a lot of pressure that can result in white hairs and sores.

Rock: when the bars bend more than the horse needs. This is the opposite of bridging and less common. The saddle may tip forward, though that could also be from a saddle that is too wide in the front. Rock is found on horses with a flat toppling.

Tree Sizes

Semi-QH: Semi Quarter Horse can be referred to as Medium, Regular, or QH bars. This tree size has a higher pitch or angle to the bars. It’s for the horse with a more defined wither. (1/2 Arab, Appendix, Thoroughbred, etc).

Full-QH: Full Quarter Horse or FQHB can be referred to as Wide (usually 7” gullet). The angle is flatter compared to the Semi-QH tree. This is for horses with a broad shoulder. They’re considered mutton withered or a less pronounced wither. (Quarter Horse, Paint, etc)

Arabian: Have a narrow front (usually 6.5" – 6.75" gullet) similar to the Semi-QH bar but the back of the saddle has a flatter pitch angle. So the saddle goes from a little narrow in the front to flatter or wider in the back. Can sometimes fit non-Arabian horses.

Gaited: The gaited tree has a higher gullet to accommodate the higher withered horses. They usually have a wider or flared front to allow for shoulder movement. The tree narrows toward the back where the bars have more pitch. The gaited saddles usually have more rock to the bars. (Tennessee Walker, Fox Trotter, etc)

Haflinger: Short backed, mutton withered – these trees have a flatter pitch to the bar angle and very little rock. Usually a 7.5" gullet, they’re often used on other large horses needing an extra wide tree.

Draft: Usually an 8" gullet to fit on large draft horses.

Abscesses: The common cold for horses

The common cold for humans is the horse equivalent of an abscess. Some horses are more prone to them than others. I have a grulla paint mare that I have owned for just over a year, and in that course of a year, she has had a few abscesses. I have gotten pretty good in treating these things so I am going to share a little about an abscess and what some symptoms and treatment options are.

To start off if you don’t know what an abscess is, it occurs when bacteria invades the horse's hoof and is most noticeable when it infects the sensitive parts of the foot. They can cause serious damage if left untreated. What are some symptoms of an abscess you may ask? Well, the most common and noticed symptom is lameness and limping. This is in result to the invasion of the bacteria into the sensitive spots in the hoof.

However, there are a few more things that you can pick up on that are preliminary to an abscess. These include but are not limited to: fever, swelling of the leg and hoof area, sensitivity to hoof picks, and touch. If you notice your horse displaying any of these behaviors they probably have an abscess.

Fear not! These can be treated fairly easy. The easiest and fastest relief for your horse from an abscess is to have your vet or farrier come out and find the location of the infection of it has not broken through and trim a hole/path for the infection to drain out. However, some abscesses erupt and break through on their own, not needing to have a hole/path cut to drain them.

Once it is broke through and draining it is important to keep this area clean. Some people soak the foot in Epsom salts this is known the draw the infection out of the foot. This can be easily done by purchasing a soaking boot from your local tack store. These make the soaking process so much easier! Have you ever tried to get your horse to put its foot into a bucket to soak? Well, good luck, that’s a job in itself! Trust me the soak boots are a simple solution to a bigger potential headache.

What causes abscess and how can they be prevented? Well, the most common cause is an irritation to the sole of the foot most commonly from a stone or something of that nature getting stuck in the foot. It can even be as simple as a bruise from a stone/rock from trail riding. Aside from that, another common cause is moisture whether there be too much or too little moisture. Finally, dirty stalls are horrible for horse’s feet and can bring about abscesses.

If you pay attention and do your best to maintain healthy hoof care you should be fine. However, if your horse does get an abscess, just be sure to treat it accordingly and get it taken care of quickly.

Safe Practices for Young Riders

Photo by: Flickr User matlock-photo

Ask any horse person when their love for horses began and their response will most likely be “when I was a child.” There is some type of infinite fascination held by children for the beauty and majesty of horses.  Many kids are lucky to advance beyond riding their magnificent horse through their day dreams and have the personal opportunity to interact with or own a horse.

While there isn’t any one breed of horse better than another when choosing a horse for your child, it is best to find a “been there, done that” horse that has a laid back disposition and a quiet and forgiving demeanor. Gender may play more of a role than breed. Mares may be moody and stallions too rowdy, but geldings are generally more even-keeled and could be the better selection.

As parents, it is our responsibility to keep our kids safe when they handle and ride their horses. Implementing safe practices and making sure your child understands them and uses them are important not only for their safety, but also our peace of mine.

• Helmets save lives! Every child should wear a helmet every time they are around their horse, in or out of the saddle. Boots should always be worn when handling horses.
• Structured care and riding lessons are important, whether they are done in a formal setting from a professional instructor or provided by a family member on the family farm. Lessons will build confidence and ability, helping your child develop balance and a strong seat in the saddle. Hands on learning is important, but always under adult supervision. Younger children should never interact with horses without an adult being present. 
• Teach your child about horse dynamics: fight or flight reactions, how they communicate with other horses, pecking orders in the herd, etc. This will provide awareness for your child whenever they are around horses. Instruct them to always be on alert to what might spook their horse: dogs, loud traffic or farm machinery, the wind blowing things around, etc. 
• Safety on the ground. It is very important that children understand how to approach a horse, and how not to! Always approach horses from an angle off the shoulder or in front of the hip from behind. Never approach directly in front of their head or from straight behind. Always speak to the horse as you approach. Never approach quietly. 

Just as important is teaching your child where to stand when near a horse to prevent foot injuries from being stepped on or from being knocked down if a horse whirls around. The safest place to stand is just off the shoulder. Instruct them to always have a hand on the horse. This will let the horse know they are there and will also alert your child if the horse is planning to make a move or is tensing up.

• Never let a child crawl/walk under the horse’s belly or under his neck. This may spook the horse and the child may be knocked to the ground and trampled. 
• Children should never pick up the horse’s feet to clean them. This should always be done by an adult. 

Safety should always be first and foremost when our kids are around horses. Lead by example and pass on the knowledge you have to your children.

By: Darlene M. Cox

Winter-Time Blanketing

Choosing the Best Blanket for your Horse

Here in the Midwest, the winter season has found its way onto our calendars and across our pastures. Blankets provide extra protection to keep your horse warm, dry, and clean during cold, snowy days.

WHEN TO BLANKET

Mom Nature has adequately planned to keep horses warm by providing them with thick, comfy winter coats; however, sometimes blanketing can provide a little more comfort to take the edge off the cold. Blanketing is not necessary for every horse and is dependent upon several factors such as climate, body condition, health, age, coat thickness, and shelter. If your horse is a healthy easy keeper, you may not need to blanket but, if your horse is not in the best body condition (skinny) with a thin coat, a blanket would be greatly appreciated.

TYPES OF BLANKETS

There are many different types and weights of blankets that are constructed to provide different levels of comfort for your horse. The thread count in a blanket is measured in “deniers”. The most durable and tear-resistant blankets will have higher denier counts. The insulation of a blanket is called the “fill”, which is measured in grams. A light/medium fill blanket will have between 100-200 grams and a 300 gram fill is the heavyweight blanket.

Stable blankets, which are lightweight and constructed of nylon and a light insulation layer, can be used to keep your stalled horse warm and clean on a cold night; although, you should not turn your horse out in the pasture wearing it since it is not water proof, unless you place a waterproof sheet under it.

The most durable blankets are the turnout blankets. These blankets are constructed to provide optimal warmth and dryness for your pastured horse. Turn-out blankets are breathable, which means they will not let cold air in but will allow sweat to evaporate from under the blanket. Many features in turn-out blankets allow for more freedom of movement with shoulder gussets and wear pads at the withers to prevent rubbing when your horse frolics around the pasture.

BLANKETING TIPS

You must be responsible when you blanket your horse and check his coat under the blanket often to make sure he remains dry. If he gets wet underneath the blanket, he will become chilled. Remove the blanket and rough up his coat with a dry towel and place a fleece cooler on him, which will expedite the drying of his coat.

Keep an eye on the weather and remove the blanket if temperatures rise above 45 degrees. Prior to removing the blanket, wipe a dryer fabric softener sheet over it to prevent static shock to your horse when you take the blanket off. Trust me, he will appreciate you doing this! After removing the blanket, you can use this time as an opportunity to wash the blanket to remove any dirt and gunk that may have accumulated on it. After removing the blanket, lightly groom your horse to brush off any dirt that may found its way under the blanket.

When spring finally arrives and the blanket comes off for the season, inspect it for wear and tear to determine if it can be cleaned and packed away for the next winter season or if it needs to be replaced.

Happy Trails!

By: Darlene M. Cox (kyhomeagain@gmail.com)

Reverse Auction 101

What is a reverse auction?

Most of us have been to an auction before or watched one on TV. My favorite just happens to be the Barrett-Jackson car auctions which I usually happen across on a lazy Saturday morning. 

The essence of the auction is to bid the price higher. This largely benefits the seller. If they have a great item, chances are, they are bound to make a good deal of money. 

With a reverse auction, the idea is to start at the asking price and gradually lower it until someone purchases the item. The beneficiary in this case tends to be the consumer - YOU!

Our Saddle Auctions

Have you ever had a brand new shirt in your closet with the tags still on it and you just knew you'd never find the right time to wear it? Believe it or not, the same is true for saddles. We carry a huge inventory of saddles (with the tags still on them) which help us deliver them within days of your order instead of the typical 4,6,or 8 week wait to manufacture it. 

That also leads to a massive amount of saddles sitting around the shop! As I write this, there are at least 16 saddles sitting in my office because there just isn't enough space to store any more! (I'm not complaining. I love the smell of leather)

Proof! There are 16 saddles beside my desk!

Our solution? Sell these to our Facebook fans at prices they can't pass up - reverse auction style.

How to Participate

We're planning on running a Facebook auction every business day for the rest of the month (Jan 2013)

How can you get a great saddle at a rock bottom price? 

1. "Like" us on Facebook
2. Sign up for our weekly email so you can see what saddles are coming up that week
3. Find the saddle you want, do your research, and wait patiently for it to go on the block
4. On the auction day, claim your coupon before someone else does! 

Every hour, we will updated the price of the coupon on Facebook. It's a single use coupon, so the person who uses the code first is the one who gets the deal. The idea is to use the coupon before someone else does! 

Send an email to support@horsesaddleshop.com with any questions. We'd be happy to help you out with any of your saddle auction questions. 

Happy auctioning! 

Reverse Auction 101

What is a reverse auction?

Most of us have been to an auction before or watched one on TV. My favorite just happens to be the Barrett-Jackson car auctions which I usually happen across on a lazy Saturday morning. 

The essence of the auction is to bid the price higher. This largely benefits the seller. If they have a great item, chances are, they are bound to make a good deal of money. 

With a reverse auction, the idea is to start at the asking price and gradually lower it until someone purchases the item. The beneficiary in this case tends to be the consumer - YOU!

Our Saddle Auctions

Have you ever had a brand new shirt in your closet with the tags still on it and you just knew you'd never find the right time to wear it? Believe it or not, the same is true for saddles. We carry a huge inventory of saddles (with the tags still on them) which help us deliver them within days of your order instead of the typical 4,6,or 8 week wait to manufacture it. 

That also leads to a massive amount of saddles sitting around the shop! As I write this, there are at least 16 saddles sitting in my office because there just isn't enough space to store any more! (I'm not complaining. I love the smell of leather)

Proof! There are 16 saddles beside my desk!

Our solution? Sell these to our Facebook fans at prices they can't pass up - reverse auction style.

How to Participate

We're planning on running a Facebook auction every business day for the rest of the month (Jan 2013)

How can you get a great saddle at rock bottom price? 

1. "Like" us on Facebook
2. Sign up for our weekly email so you can see what saddles are coming up that week
3. Find the saddle you want, do your research, and wait patiently for it to go on the block
4. On the auction day, claim your coupon before someone else does! 

Every hour, we will updated the price of the coupon on Facebook. It's a single use coupon, so the person who uses the code first is the one who gets the deal. The idea is to use the coupon before someone else does! 

Send an email to support@horsesaddleshop.com with any questions. We'd be happy to help you out with any of your saddle auction questions. 

Happy auctioning! 

Tucker Visits Horse Saddle Shop

Steve Tucker has been in the saddle industry a long time. This experience has given him a vast knowledge about what riders and their horses like in a saddle – particularly trail saddles. If you’ve ever ridden a Tucker saddle, you will agree that his knowledge and desire for quality is clearly seen (and felt) in his saddles. While most saddle manufacturers make saddles for many riding applications, Tucker Trail Saddles focuses strictly on trail saddles. This focus has been extremely valuable to Tucker in developing the best trail saddles in the world.
Horse Saddle Shop was privileged to get a visit from Steve, along with longtime associate Darrell Nephew and Rob Thomas from Circle Y. We enjoyed a time of conversation in our new Outlet store (opened in Feb 2011). Later we enjoyed dinner together sharing mostly about life and a little about business. Steve is a quality individual and we’re proud to be the #1 dealer of his quality line of saddles. Check them out on our website and see for yourself by clicking here.
Pictured above from L to R: Charlie Hueni, Steve Tucker, Rob Thomas, Chuck Klockow, Darrell Nephew.

Hairy Tack

I have to admit, when I first saw this very original tack by Reinsman in their spring catalog, I thought it was pretty weird. Tack with...fur? But after flipping the pages dozen of times, it's grown on me. After all, it is pretty original. The whole coordinating package put on a horse would look pretty bad...bad in a good way, that is.

And, no, it's not fur. The brindle hair-on cowhide decked tack includes headstalls, breastcollars, and nosebands.

Here's one of the X Series Ropers, the 4455, shown 5/8 tooled with full brindle hair on cowhide seat.

The X Series saddles are fully customizable, from the amount of tooling to one of six seat colors. We love putting them together for our customers and seeing how each saddle comes out with a unique look.

What do you think of the bridle-y tack? Yea or nay?