How To Keep Your Expensive Tack Soft and Supple

How To Keep Your Expensive Tack Soft and Supple

When buying new leatherwork, it is best (having first satisfied yourself that it all fits and you are not going to want to return it) to treat it with a good leather dressing. We do not recommend using oil now- neatsfoot was the favourite when I was younger, followed rapidly by Mars oil, but many of the dressings available today are far superior to these advises Kay Hastilow Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter. I use Oakwood leather dressing on my own tack. Rapide is another good one, but there are many more on the market, most of which do a good job.

Take the leatherwork apart if it is a bridle or accessories and go over all of the leather with a LIGHT covering of dressing. Leave to soak in, preferably over- night, then put the items back together. Saddles, likewise give a light covering, and don’t forget to treat up under the skirts of the saddle (the flaps of leather that cover the stirrup bars) and get the dressing into all nooks and crevices. BE CAREFUL if the seat and knee pads are of suede or nubuck. You do not want to get leather dressing onto these.

DONT smother the leather as the dressing will not soak in and the leather will become dull and sticky. Apply two or three times a month rather than 3 times as much in one go.

If your Tack becomes hard and dry. What to do?

First of all, some leather used is of very poor quality. This tends to be hard and inflexible when you buy it and stays that way no matter what you treat it with. It can be rather brittle and can break in use. Best get rid of it before you or your horse gets injured by it.

Sometimes, leatherwork of a good quality may go hard and dry in use. This can be due to neglect- leather needs help to stay supple and if you don’t treat it occasionally with a good leather dressing it will become very hard. That means taking bridles apart, cleaning the leather thoroughly with a damp cloth or sponge and importantly  allowing to dry afterwards (best left overnight in somewhere warm, not somewhere cold and damp) and then making sure the dressing gets into all the turns, under keepers and the like. The turn on the body of a martingale for instance (the bit that the girth goes through) gets very wet and muddy, plus sweat from the horse gets into the leather here. Make sure that the dressing gets to the inside edge of all the leather, as well as the outside. 

NEVER USE HEAT TO DRY TACK. If your leatherwork has been soaked, say a day out in heavy rain, and then dried too rapidly, possibly with heat being used to help dry it out. It will go very brittle and could be dangerous. Keep the leatherwork in a warm room until it is dry, then put on a light covering of leather dressing. Do not put dressing on until the leather is totally dry, as that would seal any remaining damp into the leather.

To summerise, care for your tack by treating it with a good leather dressing when you first get it, wipe the leatherwork with a damp cloth or sponge after use and add more dressing when it starts to look a little dry. Rarely more than once a month once the leather is worn in, unless it has been soaked or heavily used (think endurance). I still use glycerine saddle soap to ‘finish’ a bridle when we are going somewhere. It gives a nice finish if used sparingly, but apparently this is no longer considered the right thing to do. Hey Ho. Some of my bridles are over 30 years old, so perhaps it’s not too bad!

For more information about Saddles and Saddle Fitting please visit
http://www.khsaddlery.co.uk/educational.html

Busting - Just Two - Myths

Myth 1. A horse that bucks after a jump must need to have the saddle fit checked.

Well, I wouldn’t disagree with that thought as it is one of the things to check for a horse behaving in this fashion. Possibly the saddle fitter will suggest that you put the saddle slightly back from your normal position as many show jumpers seem to put the saddle right up on the shoulders, and that could well be causing the horse to buck as he lands and tries to move away. That excess pressure pushing down onto the shoulders would be uncomfortable and could cause that reaction.

What else could cause this? Learned behaviour must never be dismissed, but always look to see if you can find a cause. An uncomfortable bit or bridle, skin in the elbows catching on the girth, saddle cloth wrinkled up under the saddle? A poorly balanced rider could upset the horse and he might show this in the only way that he knows – to buck.

Myth 2. A riding instructor can fit a saddle as well as a saddle fitter.

Please! NO!! Nowadays many instructors appreciate how much is involved in fitting a saddle correctly and call in the professionals, but there are always those that know better.  My comment about these people is that they just don’t know how much they don’t know, and they are, frankly, dangerous.

Society of Master Saddlers qualified fitters are highly qualified, having spent a minimum of 3 years training before they can even sit their assessments. 

When a Qualified Saddle Fitter looks at a horse’s conformation they are seeing many aspects that your instructor would not consider.

• They understand how saddles are constructed, know what is possible and what is not.
• Most can adjust the flocking or totally re-flock your saddle if necessary.
• They will know what types of trees are available, and what may suit your horse.
• They will know different ways that a panel can be made to facilitate a good fit.
• They can know where girth straps could be fitted to achieve maximum position and comfort.
• They will have access to a good and varied stock of saddles.
• They understand the importance of balance in the saddle and how to achieve this.
• They will understand the way a horse might change in his carriage or way of going when ridden.
• They will be able to tell if your saddle is of good or poor quality and assess its suitability for use.
• They will know how to assess all makes of saddles for fit.
• They will be able to assess all saddles for safety.
• They will understand how a horse “works” and how the use of all saddlery can affect his ability to work at his optimum level.
• They will know if your saddle is suitable for you, and the activities that you wish to use it for.
• They will be familiar with research work being undertaken, and the results of this.
• They will know which pads could help your horse and which could harm him.
• They will not be tied to one manufacturer and may sell many different brands and models of saddles. (Saddle ‘fitters’, usually only ‘qualified’ with the company that they work for, that are tied to one company are, in my opinion  saddle sellers; NOT saddle fitters!)
• Our members have to abide by a code of conduct.
• The Society of Master Saddlers provides continuous professional development for Qualified Saddle Fitters.
• Qualified Saddle Fitters regularly share ideas and solutions to fitting problems with other fitters.
• There is a complaints procedure with the Society of Master Saddlers if things go wrong.
• All Society Of Master Saddlers and Qualified Saddle Fitters have to have insurance cover.

Now, I ask you. Do you think that your instructor has all of these attributes? I think not.

Whilst you are here, do watch the short trailer below for my two-part video series specifically for  Riders and Trainer 

Kay Hastilow’s Saddle Fitting Know How For Riders and Trainers is a two part video series, giving a fascinating, practical insight into saddles, correct fit and common problems.

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It's The Little Things.....

Welcome to the conscientious horse owners who follow my posts. By now you appreciate the importance of having your saddle correctly fitted and regularly checked, the changes in a horse's performance in different girths, that fitting the bit and choosing one suitable for the anatomy of your horses mouth and also how bridle fits can be hugely influential in your horses way of going. I am delighted that more and more people are taking note and action to give their horse maximum comfort and therefore enhanced performance.  

All of this is excellent, but sometimes,  by only looking at the bigger picture, it's the little things that get missed. Let’s start with putting the bridle on. I am always careful to ensure that all of the mane and forelock are pulled through evenly so that no hairs are caught up that might pull and cause discomfort.  Personally, I like to clip a bridle path in the mane to make this easier to achieve but I know that some don't like this, whilst others can’t because of showing requirements such as in M & M classes. In such cases extra care must be taken over this. Also, as it becomes less acceptable to trim a horse's whiskers, please make sure that any straps from nose bands around the muzzle are not catching or pulling any of the whiskers.  If this area and the whiskers are considered so sensitive that it is sometimes considered cruelty to remove them, surely it is doubly important to check this!

Whilst we are on the subject of bridles, please double check that the browband is big enough.  So often they are not, and this just pulls the headpiece into the bulbs of the ears. Also, some of the modern, fashionable bridles seem to have a very strange shape in the headpiece,  the cut away is above the ears and the leather then comes forward directly into the back of the ear! ?? Anyone worked out why? Me neither, but do have a very good look at your latest purchase, to check that the shaping actually follows the shape of your horse’s head. Look at symmetry as well; all buckles to sit as level as possible and ideally you want twin fastening on nosebands to ensure even, symmetrical fastening.  

Despite my advising that elastic-ended girths really aren't very good for your horse I know that many people still use them. Some of these girths have a pad behind the elastic, which can get wrinkled up when the girth is tightened.  Often, in the initial fastening this is smoothed out, but so often the rider will then get on and tighten the girth.  No smoothing out now. Just a block of pressure under the girth in an area where the skin is quite thin and there is little covering to the ribs. There is also a lot of movement here. Ouch!

Whilst talking of girths, for many years it was thought to be good practice to pull your horse's front legs right forward ‘to remove any wrinkles in the skin under the girth.’ We now know that this just pulls flesh in front of the girth, blocking it there. This actually causes girth galls in many cases rather than preventing them. The first few steps once you are on board will remove any creases in the skin but, if you want to be sure, just lead the horse for a minute or so before mounting.

Please try to girth up as evenly as possible, no more than one hole different side to side. We are becoming more and more aware of the effect of symmetry on the horse's way of going. Of course, girths with elastic one end can never give a symmetrical hold. I rest my case.

Back to girthing up the saddle. The saddle cloth or numnah will have been lifted into the gullet of the saddle and the cloth beneath the girth smoothed out (I hope), but again, once the rider is on and tightens the girth the cloth can ruck up causing an area of excessive pressure. I am assuming that our C.R. (conscientious rider) has already made sure that any decorative piping does not run beneath the girth and that there is a gap in such piping to allow for this. I am also assuming that they have checked that the saddle doesn't sit on such piping at the back, nor that it is under the saddle at the front by the knee rolls. Also, it will have been checked that the cloth, pad or numnah is big enough, so that at no point do the outer edges of the cloth come beneath the bearing area of the saddle.  If you have sheepskin saddle pads, also check that they haven't shrunk a bit so that the sheepskin roll at the back of the pad is actually under the bearing area of the saddle.  Pressure points again.

Mounting. Has everyone seen the film on YouTube of someone mounting their rather tall horse from the ground, with a mounting block and with a leg up? Well worth a look as it shows the pressures exerted by each method, and some of the readings are pretty horrific. Please train your horses to stand by a block to let you mount. Whilst the pressures are still high, they are for a much shorter duration.  The young and athletic amongst us can just step onto the horse from the block without putting a foot in the stirrup.  This gave by far the best reading but few of us would be nimble or brave enough to do it this way. 

So there you have it. Even if our C.R. has taken great pains to ensure that all of their tack fits, lack of attention whilst tacking up and mounting can still cause harm or discomfort to your horse. Please bear this in mind.