Clean Your Cinch!
August 17, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under Saddle Parts, Saddle Tips
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 [...]
Ever Heard of a Mochilla Saddle?
August 12, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under Saddle Parts, Saddle Types
A mochilla is a leather saddle tree covering with slits to allow the fork and the cantle to protrude. The leather covering extended down the sides of the horse to protect the rider’s leg from the horse’s sweat. Mochillas were removable and often had large pockets for storage. Mochilla Saddle Saddles with mochillas came out [...]
The Misunderstood Flank Cinch
June 13, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under Saddle Parts
The flank cinch (aka back or rear cinch) is a saddle part that many folks pay little attention to and often couldn’t tell you why they use. It’s a common misconception that flank cinches will prevent a saddle from moving forward on a horse, especially during downhill riding. Wrong. You’ll need a crupper or breeching [...]
Avoiding Girth Galls
June 9, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under General Saddle Topics, Saddle Parts, Saddle Tips
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 [...]
Check Your Tack
June 6, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under General Saddle Topics, Saddle Parts
There’s more to saddle care then just keeping it clean and tidy. You need to regularly check your saddle thoroughly for worn and damaged parts. These are problems you want to discover while you’re on the ground at home, rather than in the saddle in the middle of nowhere. When inspecting your saddle, pay particular [...]
Cinches: Definitely Not One Size Fits All
April 15, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under Saddle Parts, Saddle Tips
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. There’s usually one of four reasons for this mistake: 1. They have no idea cinches have sizes 2. They don’t know how to determine the [...]
Winter Riding: Stirrups and Boots
March 2, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under Hall of Fame, Resources, Saddle Parts
We’ve finally gotten some snow here in very dry southwest Montana, so I enjoyed a great ride yesterday. There’s nothing like taking your horse for a ride in nice, new powdery snow. It’s even worth bundling up in all those dang clothes and big boots and struggling to hoist your booty up into the saddle. [...]
Ever Wondered What a Monel Stirrup Is?
February 19, 2007 by Saddle Sense
Filed under Saddle Parts
If you’ve shopped for saddles, you’ve probably heard of Monel stirrups. Have you ever wondered what the heck a Monel is? Is it a brand name? Does it describe a certain type or style or shape of stirrup? Monel is actually a trademarked brand name for a stainless steel alloy. The alloy, a combination of [...]
