Saddling a horse?

Question

I have 3 horses and i dont ride them as much as i would like to b/c i always have to have my dad saddle them up (which he isnt fond of doing lol). I am strong, but i can never seem to get the saddle tight enough! Is there a more simple way to do it?

Also, is it hard to teach a western horse to ride english? Im not interested in dressage, but i am interested in jumping and i would like to use an english saddle while riding on trails.

<3

Answer 1

The next time that your Dad saddles your horse, ask him questions, why do you do this, why do you do that?  Also, mark with a pen where he finally stops tightening the saddle...that way, you will know that when you do it, you will know when you have it tight enough...it is much easier to tighten a saddle a little at a time...then wait a couple of minutes and tighten it some more..sometimes horse puff up while you are tightening their girth, then when you ride them, it is too loose...it doesn&#039;t really take strength to saddle a horse, it takes technique, as your dad to teach you.  and yes, it&#039;s no big transition for a horse to go from western to &quot;English, the transition is harder for the rider, to get used to the saddle, etc.

Answer 2

1.)if u r having trouble tightning the saddle try to at least get the cinch/girth on the first hole. If you can do that u r almost there. i wud suggest putting the saddle on first to let the horse have time to loosen up. Put the bridle or halter on and lead them around then after a few minutes try tighting it up again b/c usually the horse puffs his stomach out but the wont expect it and u will have time to tighten it up more. if thats not the problem and u cnt even get it onto the first hole try the next size girth/cinch

2.) i taught my western horse to ride english b/c i was interested in the same thing...jumping and trail riding. so its not too hard to teach them else wise.

Answer 3

If the saddle isn&#039;t tight enough you might just not be quite strong enough.  Have someone you know and trust check it--you don&#039;t want you or your horse hurt.

However, the &quot;trick&quot; with girth tightening (english or western) is using your body weight.  It is not something I can really write over the internet, but it has to do with pulling your arm into your body, bending at the knee, grabbing the girth, then straightening your leg.  You use your body and legs to tighten.  If you only use your arm, it is hard to tighten.  Watch people who are &quot;old hats&quot; at it.  You&#039;ll eventually get it.

No.  Depending on the horse, it isn&#039;t hard.  Certainly, you can put a snaffle and english bridle on and an english saddle on with no problem.  You&#039;ll have to ask for a faster trot.  You can definately english pleasure no problem.  Depending on age and horse, jumping will be more difficult, but all horses, like humans, can jump, some just aren&#039;t good at it or don&#039;t like it.  There is certainly no harm in trying.

Answer 4

Steps for making sure the saddle is on tight enough -

1.) Saddle the horse in the barn.

2.) Walk alongside the horse to the riding area, observing the fit of the girth/cinch.

3.) If you need to, tighten the girth/cinch when you get to the riding area. Some finicky horses have a tendency to hold their breaths when you first saddle them.

Also, I&#039;ve seen something that&#039;s supposed to be a mechanical aid for tightening the girth/cinch, but I can&#039;t remember what it&#039;s called. Make sure that the saddle fits properly though - ask your instructor to measure it.

No ideas on teaching a western horse to ride english; however you can do small jumps (crossrails) with a western saddle.

Answer 5

Start by getting the saddle as tight as you can. then walk it around and tighten it more. your saddle will also stay on better if you have the gerth right behind the front leg. Also when your tightening the girth strap only pull on one strap at a time. hope this helps you out. :)

Answer 6

Your saddle does not need to be very tight.  Perhaps you could find someone to help you tack your horse and give you some tips to help judge proper technique.  When you saddle your horse, tightening the cinch/girth should be in 3-4 stages so as not to offend your horse.  Walk the horse around in between attempts to tighten so the horse can relax.  In western tack, Weaver makes a smart cinch that could be tightened by anyone regardless of size or strength.    With english, it&#039;s pretty much billets but you could do those one at a time.  Also, how do you mount your horse?  Mounting from the ground usually requires the saddle to be much tighter.  Try using a mounting block and it should make the process better for you and your horses.

As far as &quot;english or western&quot;, this is a human predisposition and it has nothing to do with a horse.  I ride my warmblood in a dressage saddle, a jumping saddle and an endurance saddle depending on what type of riding I am doing that day.  Different types of riding are just a choice you make and most horses are capable of most movements given time, patience, experience and training.  You can use any type of saddle you find comfortable.  You should always walk your horse around in the tack before you mount, and they are not particular about saddles.  Contacts may be slightly different with different styles but your horse will not be overly aware unless you are putting something really different and heavy on his body.  Hope you get some help.  You can do this.

Answer 7

when you put on the saddle only tighten it a little bit, then do something else like putting on her boots or bridle, then tighten it a little more, when you have everything else done then walk her around a minute and finally tighten one or two more times. this should make it alot easier to tighten the girth and it is a lot more comfortable for the horse.

Answer 8

TAKE LESSONS!!!

thats the best you can do to learn about riding

is to take lessons from a GOOD trainer. Who has some credentials to his/her name. I wouldn&#039;t learn to jump by yourself. Thats not a good idea at all!! you will learn the wrong posture, balance, aids, habits, etc. plus you could move up to fast, take a spill, and lose your confidence all together. Yes, you can teach a western horse to learn english. It will take a long time though, you will have to start all over from the ground up, with headsets, gaits, aids,  how to jump, etc. if you dont want to be a serious english rider, it wont take too long. I would suggest getting lessons to learn everything properly if you want to become a more serious rider and ride the right way. Don&#039;t use a book, no book could ever teach you the right hands on horse experience. Become a working student at your trainer&#039;s barn, you will learn TONS from that. so my number one suggestion, get lessons!!! oh about tightening the saddle i dont remember how to tighten the cinch on a western saddle, its been like 8 years since i rode western (i&#039;ve been in eventers in english for the last 8 years)

Answer 9

yes you can teach a western horse to ride english. put the english saddle on and walk him/ her around let him get the feel of the saddle and see how he is with it when you get on let someone walk you around just take your time dont just start jumping BUT your horse may not jump.

Answer 10

I agree with pretty much everyone but one extra hint is to put the girth on loosely, use a mounting block to hop on so the saddle doesn&#039;t slip much, then tighten the girth while your on the horse. It gives you a different angle and is a bit easier then doing it from the ground if you are particularly short, or your horse is quite tall. Be careful when your doing this though because since it&#039;s easier to do, it&#039;s also easier to accidentally make your girth tighter than intended without realizing it.

Answer 11

Horses are bred to be western, or english. Usually they are not both. If the horse has western background, he will never be that graceful english jumper. Yes, you can teach him to be english, but he will never be any sort of competition for the horses that have hunter jumper bloodlines.

As for tighteining the saddle. There is not really any kind of trick. On a western saddle it is much easier because you are pulling your weight toward the ground instead of pushing it to the sky. Western saddles are much easier to tighten because they work with your muscles instead of against them. There is not a trick I know of, except for practice! If you dad puts on your saddle every time you ant to ride, you are learning nothing. Next time, you put it on and tighten it as much as you can. Then have your dad check it/ tighten it more before you get on. The next time you want to ride do the same thing. YOU put on the saddle and tighten it as much as you can. Then have your dad tighten it before you get on. This will get your arms used to tightening it. You should also lift weights- probrobly 10-15 pounds for 5-10 minutes a day. Even though you are strong, you aren&#039;t strong enough. Lifting weights will give you the extra strength to tighten it, so as you tighten your saddle (and have your dad check it) you will notice that your dad won&#039;t have to tighten it as much as the days go by.  Pretty soon you won&#039;t even have to have him check it after you! Good Luck!

Answer 12

for the saddle problem: try tightening it a few times before you get on. like every 3 mins r sumthing. and if you are shorter than the horse, try using a mounting block. stand on it and try tightening it on that. that way pulling up wont be so hard.

for the english starting: i just bought a 13 year old mustang mare about 3 months ago. She was only used in western riding i think. i do both so i had to try english on her,  and she did fine. im sure she felt a little awkward at first, but after she got used to the saddle, it very hard teaching her to jump.

first i layed some poles out for her so she could learn to count her strides. i lunged her over them through a period of a couple days. When she was doing great with those i put a little jump out after the poles and made her jump over it.

wat they really need to learn is how to count their strides before taking the jump. it was easier to train her to jump when i was on her back than try teaching her on the ground. but you know, watever works for yr horse.:)

Answer 13

Ask your trainer or an experienced friend to help you tack yoru horse up. If the saddle fits well, mark the hole that it was on. Western horses might be able to learn how to jump - it depends on the horse&#039;s age and smartness (is that a word?)

Answer 14

Western Saddles are heavy. No two ways about it. I got a light weight synthetic saddle then switched to a leather dressage saddle. The dressage saddle (in my opinion) feels most like a western saddle in the seat.

Most western horses do fine if ridden in an english saddle. Whether they lean to be an english mount is another story though. I would get a trainer to help you and your horse learn to jump properly. If your horse is a good trail horse he will probably be able to pick up jumping better than a WP horse. I taught a 16 year old quarter horse to jump 2&#039;6 after 13 years of being a trail horse. We also showed w/t english for a bit. How high and how well a horse jumps depends on his conformation and attitude/willingness. Good Luck!

EDIT: Oops I though you said the saddle was to heavy... It might be difficult with a western saddle but try tightening the girth after you are on. It is easier in my opinion

Answer 15

i have issues with that too!!! what i do because my horse bloats is i tighten it as much as i can and then when i get on him i pull up as much at  can on the ladigo and it usually works pretty well and if you have to just tighten it as much as you can ride for a lil bit get off cheak it again and do that every 30 minutes or so

Answer 16

If the horse puffs out wait til they take a breath then tighten really quickly. But It gets easy the more you do it.