Saddle How To's

June 29, 2008

• Clean the Back Side of Your Saddle For Your Horse

  The other day I went on a ride where we went through plenty of water and a good bit of mud. (…)

September 13, 2007

• Cleaning Rough Out Saddles

  I've received a number of emails of late asking how to clean rough out leather, so I thought it would be a good topic to cover. (…)

August 17, 2007

• Clean Your Cinch!

  Cinches are one saddle part that should be inspected and cleaned regularly. Dirt, hair, and sweat all build up on a cinch and can cause cinch galls on your horse. (…)

July 8, 2007

• Saddle Pads: Thicker isn't a Solution for Poor Fit

  Ideally, the saddle pad's purpose is to protect your saddle from your horse, not your horse from your saddle. (…)

June 9, 2007

• Avoiding Girth Galls

  Girth galls are ugly, painful sores caused by the cinch (girth) being placed in the wrong position or by a worn, damaged, or twisted cinch.  Galls are a man-made problem and an injury that is definitely avoidable. (…)

May 27, 2007

• How Should You Place a Saddle on the Ground?

  When a saddle isn't on a horse, the best way to store it is on a saddle stand or rack. (…)

May 13, 2007

• How To Unsaddle a Horse

  Giving advice on unsaddling a horse may seem silly to some. I mean, how hard is it to figure out how to take the saddle off, right? (…)

May 4, 2007

• Stop Saddle Abuse

  There's always lots of discussion among riders about their saddle cleaning and conditioning practices. (…)

April 15, 2007

• Cinches: Definitely Not One Size Fits All

  One of my pet peeves in western riding is seeing people riding with the wrong size cinch for their horse. Whether it's too big, or too small, it's bad news. (…)

November 19, 2006

• Is the Problem Your Saddle or You?

  Saddle fit isn't only about your horse and your saddle. It's also about you. (…)

November 8, 2006

• How To Attach a Latigo to Your Saddle

  We've received a number of emails lately asking us for instructions for attaching a new latigo to a saddle. (…)

October 25, 2006

• Time For A Good Saddle Cleaning and Conditioning

  Late fall is a great time to give your saddle a top-to-bottom overall cleaning and conditioning.

  If you're like me, you've put a lot of miles on your saddle over the summer. (…)

September 2, 2006

• Tying a Western Cinch Have You Confused?

  If you're new to western riding, dealing with cinch straps can be a challenge. We walk you through an easy, step-by-step guide to tying a western cinch.

  Tying a Cinch

August 31, 2006

• How To Saddle A Horse - Western Style

  For those of you new to riding or coming from an English riding background, figuring out the right way to saddle a horse, western style, can be a challenge. What do you do with all those straps? (…)

August 29, 2006

• Aching knees? Learn how to turn your stirrups

  Riding for any length of time can cause aching knees. The culprit is usually stirrups that haven't been turned. Learn how to train your stirrups so that knee pain is a thing of the past. (…)

August 27, 2006

• What's the Correct Stirrup Length for Western Stirrups?

  While personal preference plays a big role in stirrup length, there are some rules of thumb for determining what length you should have your stirrups on a western saddle. (…)

• Western Saddle Buying Guide

  Buying a western saddle is a major decision and a major investment. Before heading for the store, you really need to do your homework. (…)

• Western Saddle Seat Size: What Size Am I?

  Figuring out your seat size would seem to be a relatively easy thing to do. (…)

August 24, 2006

• Squeak. Squeak. Argh. Saddle Squeak Driving You Crazy?

  There's nothing like the squeak of a new saddle to drive you nuts. The good news is that there's a really simple, quick, and cheap fix to this annoying noise.

  Saddle Squeak