How to saddle a horse

                                                Sanorah Stump

                                                How to saddle a horse step by step

 

 Have you ever just wanted to go saddle up a horse and go for a ride?  Are you a new horse owner needing assistance on how to saddle a horse? Well now you can with my step by step on how to saddle a horse I will be explaining it in this form. 1) Grooming with your horse safely tied,  2) position the blanket or pad, 3) lift the saddle on, 4) check both sides of the saddle, 5) fasten cinch or girth, 6) do up the girth buckles or cinch straps, 7) help the saddle settle and remove wrinkles.

 Unless you’re prone to riding bareback, you will need to properly saddle your horse for your ride.

To begin, you need to first groom your horse. For the horse’s comfort you want to make sure the

coat is free of any mud, dirt or hair clumps that can become irritating under the saddle when riding.
 

Check to make sure there are no sores on your horse’s back or cinch area. If there are saddle sores

present, use extra padding or a girth pad. Though you may want to consider letting the sores heal

before riding or just ride bare back if comfortable.

 Note: saddling your horse is normally done from the left (near side) of your horse. Make sure the saddle blanket is also clean and free of debris and is dry. Place the saddle blanket well forward and pull back toward the rear of the horse so the front of the pad rests just in front of the withers. Always slide the blanket with the horse’s hair and not against it to prevent any hair form getting clumped under the blanket. Be sure to use a large enough blanket so it shows all the way around the outside of the saddle. Using too small of blanket will not adequately protect your horse from the saddle and make it very uncomfortable.

Before you swing the saddle up and over the horses back, place the right stirrup and cinch over the seat so they do not hit and startle the horse. Hook the right stirrup on the saddle horn to hold it in place, ensuring you lift the saddle high enough so none of the flaps hit your horse. Gently lower the saddle onto your horse’s back. Place the saddle so that there is at least an inch of blanket in front. Placing the saddle to far up on the blanket will cause the blanket to work its way backward under the saddle while riding. The fork or swell should rest neatly over the withers.

 Make sure to check both sides for evenness and to drop the stirrup and cinch. Don’t just toss them over so they slap the side of your horse, and check that the blanket is centered. Always keep a hand on your horse’s rump when walking around to the opposite side so your horse is aware of your presence. Once the saddle is on the blanket, lift up on the front part of the saddle pad to create an air pocket between the blanket and your horse’s withers.

Reach under your horse’s belly for the cinch or girth. Run the latigo or tie strap through the cinch ring and D-ring twice. Tighten the cinch just enough so it’s up against your horse’s belly. Next create a loosely tied cinch knot. To make the knot, pull the latigo to one side of the D-ring again. Then pull the end of the latigo down through the loop you created.   

Tighten cinch slowly so it’s nice and snug around the horse’s belly just behind the front legs. The cinch should be snug enough so you can just fit your finger between the cinch and horse’s belly. Before tightening the cinch, double check that the blanket is centered and the cinch is straight and not twisted, the cinch should not be able to rub or cut into the horse’s front legs. Tighten up the cinch knot and secure the end of the tie strap through the latigo carrier in front of the saddle.

 If there is a back cinch, fasten it after the front cinch is snug.  The back cinch should be close to the horse’s belly so it does not get caught on brush or branches, but should not be too tight, your hand should be able to fit flat between the cinch and horse. There may be another strap to connect to the rear cinch to the front cinch to prevent the rear cinch from interfering with the horse’s back legs.

Next walk your horse around to make sure it relaxes. Some horses will puff out their stomachs and lungs when first putting on the saddle, making it impossible to fully tighten the front cinch. make sure it is tighter than snug. You don’t want the saddle to slide off the horse while mounting or riding. Pull your horse’s legs forward to get any pinch skin out from under the girth.

So I have gone over the grooming, position of the blanket and pad, lifting the saddle on, checking both sides of the saddle, fasten cinch or girth, doing up the girth buckles or cinch straps, and last helping the saddle settle and removing wrinkles. So go out there and try it yourself, and have fun.

                                                               

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