Saddling and Handling a Horse: Which Side?

Traditionally, horses have been handled from the near (left) side. Today, you’ll see most folks leading, saddling, and mounting their horses from the near side. Why? This tradition dates back to the earliest mounted warriors wearing long swords into battle. With the sword most often worn on the left side by right-handed riders, mounting from [...]

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. Today I was cleaning that crud from my saddle and was reminded of how important it is to clean the back side of your saddle. Cleaning the top side of your saddle is for [...]

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. I’ll warn you, though, the answer may not be what you want to hear. First a clarification of what "rough out" means. Saddle skirting leather has two distinct sides [...]

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. The good news is that it’s fairly easy to clean a cinch and you don’t need a lot of fancy tools – just water, a [...]

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. A thin wool blanket should do the trick if you have a high quality saddle that fits well. The better the quality of the saddle and the better the fit, the less important the pad or blanket  [...]

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. The most common cause of girth galls is positioning a saddle too far forward. This seems to be [...]

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. But what do you do when when you’re away from the barn and need to set your saddle down temporarily on the ground or in a vehicle? The best techniques will avoid these three pitfalls [...]

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? Well, while it’s pretty easy to get a saddle off a horse, it’s also pretty easy to do it in a way that irritates your horse. I don’t [...]

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