Just come by PFI (in-store promotion only) and with the purchase of any pair of Wrangler Jeans, you will receive (1) 3-day event pass Free (valued at $25). There are only 50 tickets available, so don’t waste any time and come and purchase your Wrangler jeans today!

For more information visit www.reisranch.com!

1- Brush your horse’s back and girth area being careful to remove any dirt or grit that may cause chaffing under the saddle or girth. Brush so all the hair lies flat. It is traditional to saddle from the near side (left side) but you should be able to saddle from the right (off side) if necessary.

Check for any sores or wounds that may cause discomfort under the saddle area. Don’t place a saddle over a wound.

2- If you are using a Western saddle blanket it will be generally folded in half. The fold should go to the front when the blanket is on the horse.

A saddle pad may be shaped to fit neatly under the saddle and may have ties or hook and loop fastener tabs that attach to a D-ring on the saddle and help keep it in place while riding. These tabs or ties go on the top side, not against the horse.

Place the saddle pad or blanket on the horse’s back positioning it forward over the withers and sliding it back into place. This ensures that the hair on the horse’s back lies flat beneath the pad and saddle. Make sure the blanket or pad is even on both sides.

3- The stirrups on an English saddle should be run up the leathers, and the offside stirrup of a Western saddle should be hooked over the horn or folded over the seat. The girth or cinch, if they are attached, should be folded back over the saddle seat. With stirrups and cinch out of the way, they won’t hit the horse as you lift the saddle over the horse’s back.

Lift the saddle high enough that it doesn’t hit the horse or knock the pad out of position. The saddle should be placed slightly forward and settled back. Be careful to place the saddle gently on the horse’s back. Letting a saddle fall heavily onto your horse’s back may cause it to spook or resent being saddled (become ‘cold backed’).

4- Move to the offside to take the stirrup down on a Western saddle and check the pad or blanket so there is no wrinkles beneath the saddle on both sides. If the girth or cinch is not already attached on the off side, buckle or tie it. Be sure as you smooth the blanket or pad that the hair beneath stays smooth and lying in the natural direction it grows.

5- Move to the near side, reach beneath the horse and pick up the free end of the girth or cinch.

6- Either buckle the girth or tie the cinch up loosely. Tighten the girth or cinch gently in small increments. It’s common to girth a horse up suddenly and tightly, causing the horse to kick or bite. This can cause the horse to resent being girthed up and become ‘girthy’. Some horses may bloat themselves in anticipation of discomfort. Ask the horse to step forward, wait a moment for it to exhale and tighten the girth gently again.

Only tighten the girth enough to hold the saddle firmly in place. Some riders feel the tighter the girth the more secure they will be. There should be no need to make link sausage out of your horse by over tightening the girth—this can lead to injury and may compromise your horse’s breathing. You should be able to slide your fingers between the girth or cinch and your horse.

If there are tabs at the front of your saddle pad, loop them through the D-rings at the front of the saddle and tie or fasten them.

7- As a last step, make sure there are no wrinkles in the skin under the girth. Stand at your horse’s head facing back. Pick up one front leg by holding the pastern or low on the canon and stretch it forward. Do this for both front legs.

As a horse works you may find the girth becomes looser. Always check the girth before mounting and again after a few minutes of riding.

In Scully’s 102-year history, they have been well known for the manufacture and distribution of a myriad of leather products including jackets for men and women, handbags, business accessories such as briefcases, agendas, binders, portfolios, as well as leather travel accessories including luggage sets and other travel-related items.  Over forty years ago, Scully introduced many of its leather products to the western Industry.  Today, Scully is a major resource to this industry, not only in leather items, but for various other products in a vast assortment of fabrications represented in its various divisions.

Shop Scully and other PFI Western Wear by clicking HERE

PFI offers a huge line of Cinch Western Wear

While Australia shaped the young Cox, it was with an eye toward returning to the United States that he honed his horsemanship skills competing in Pony Club, camp drafting, and working for large ranches. He started his first colt in his early teens and went on to excel in his horsemanship studies at Longreach Pastoral College. His dream was to find a way to make a living working with horses – preferably in the United States.

At the age of eighteen, Chris Cox took the first step to fulfilling that dream and headed back to America. Following some ranch work in Florida, Chris Cox began training mustangs for the Bureau of Land Management. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s Chris Cox took in horses to train and began to devise what has become his trademark program – a step-by-step progression of skills for all levels of horsemen to improve their horsemanship.
His program has proved to be very popular with people of all ages and skill levels. It requires no gimmicks or special equipment but rather commitments to understanding the horse, devoting time, self-examination and honesty about one’s own limitations.

With his Chris Cox Horsemanship television show on RFD TV, the nationwide Come Ride the Journey Tour stops and appearances at equine expos and events, Cox has touched the lives of many horse enthusiasts and shown them that there’s a straight-forward, practical way to gain a better relationship with their horses. Those who saw him win back-to-back championships at the Road to the Horse Colt Starting contests of 2007 and 2008 witnessed the effectiveness of his methods and his clear passion for horses.

2008 marked Chris cox’ second consecutive win at the prestigious Road to the Horse Colt Starting Event.

Chris Cox is not only a successful clinician; he trains and competes at the highest levels of cutting edge horse competitions. At his ranch he often has over twenty horses in training even as he juggles his demanding clinic, touring and competition schedules.
At his Diamond Double C Ranch near Mineral Wells, Texas, Chris Cox offers progressive six-day horsemanship clinics several times a year. And in 2008 Chris Cox added nationwide three-day clinics to make it even easier for those throughout the country to get first-hand instruction directly from him.

To find out more about Chris Cox visit the official website by clicking here

-Compliments of www.chris-cox.com

Hi Josh,

Enjoyed your article on saddle fitting. I have a question for you, probably several questions. My horse is a 6 yr. old, 15 H, 900 lb. well-conditioned MFT with good withers. My saddle is a Tucker Endurance. My saddle pad is a 3/4″ Skito to which I’ve added front and rear shims. Even before the shims there was a lot of hair on the front and rear of the pad while the middle section of the pad stays clean. The rear of the saddle sits up but I don’t notice any rocking back and forth before cinching. My horse has white hairs in the hollow areas behind the withers. This is the result a friction rub from a previous gaited saddle. I have a fairly good sweat pattern except for a small place in this area with the white hairs. What do you think is the problem here and what do you recommend that I do.

Best,
Linda

ANSWER

Hi Linda,

The dry spots around the white hair are most likely from the white hair. I know that statement doesn’t make sense, so let me explain what I mean.

White hairs are a direct result of unequal pressure. The unequal pressure actually kills the sweat glands in that area, causing the hair to lose its pigment. Sometimes the glands “come back to life”, and sometimes they do not. Don’t be worried about the dryness around those areas unless your horse becomes sensitive to pressure there.

As for the back of the saddle; most saddles are built with enough rock to the back of the bars to not put direct pressure on the kidney area at the back of the bars. It is completely normal for them to be up off of his back ½” to 1”. This usually levels out when you are seated in the saddle. With your saddle pad; usually hair accumulates where there is movement. I would say due to his animated motion in both the front and rear, it has caused the hair to stick to your pad there. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about, but keep an eye on it. If anything erratic begins to occur, seek the help of a professional in your area. I would try using the same pad, but possibly try removing the rear shims. This may allow the saddle to sit more level on his back, if it is rearing up more than an inch.

It certainly sounds like you are on the road to getting his back in good condition again. Please feel free to contact me in the future with any questions you might have. You can find this response, and other articles coming soon on www.pfimagazine.com.

-Ride on-
Josh

Shop for Saddles or Tack now.

Seven Sins of Saddle Buying

1. Buying the Cheapest

A dear friend of mine once said, “Good stuff ain’t cheap, and cheap stuff ain’t good.” That statement does have some validity to it. Poor quality materials and a lack of craftsmanship will ultimately shorten the life of a saddle, and could cause you to have a negative experience right out of the gate. Buying the best you can afford is important. If what you feel you want/need is out of budget; this is where used, or pre-owned quality saddles become a smart buy.

2. Buying Solely for the Rider

A lot of people forget that this is a partnership. If you find the perfect saddle for you, it has to be right for your horse as well. If it doesn’t fit him, it is of no use to you. Make certain you understand the basics of saddle fit, and determine BEFORE you buy whether this type of saddle will fit what you are wanting to put it on.

3. Buying One-Size-Fits-All

You don’t necessarily need a different saddle for every horse you ride, but there isn’t a “fit-all” saddle out there. The best approach we have found is to buy a saddle that will fit the majority of the physical types of horses you intend to ride. For instance, if you ride quarter horses that have an average back with a nice wither-buy a saddle to fit that type of horse. If you’re going to ride multiple types of horses, you’ll most likely need multiple saddles.

4. Buying Solely Upon Looks

Letting looks be the deciding factor in choosing your next saddle is asking for trouble. Quality materials and overall construction quality are far more important than the way it looks. A poorly made saddle can look awfully pretty to the untrained eye. Buy a saddle that will work for you and your horse, and you will appreciate it more years down the road than the “pretty one”.

5. Buying What You Need

Some folks simply pick the wrong type of saddle for their specific use. Choosing a saddle type that fits the type of riding you are doing is important. That’s why there are so many models to choose from.

6. Buying Brand Specific

This is a thicker subject. Buying a well-established brand is not a bad idea. You still have to consider quality, craftsmanship, its intended use, and whether it will fit you and your horse. Most companies have a “good, better, best” scenario. This is where comparing becomes important. One brand may offer a little better quality for the same money; or features that will fit your usage better. Buy what works for what you are going to do with it, not just by brands.

7. Buying Educated

The burden of fit, and use; is on the consumer. This means that it is your responsibility to make the correct purchase. Educate yourself on fit, quality, and use as much as possible before you intend to buy. Talk to as many knowledgeable horse people about their saddles as possible. See if their preferences can help you make an educated purchase. Understand as much as possible, and this will help prevent an err in your next saddle purchase.

If you do your homework beforehand to truly understand you and your horse’s needs, you’ll avoid these common saddle buying mistakes. We go to great lengths to educate ourselves and our staff to better server you. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Shop Saddles.

-Ride on-

Goal in Fitting: Make as much saddle bar to horse back contact as possible.

How much is enough contact? Two things determine this.
1. How much the rider weighs. The heavier the rider, the more contact is needed. Vise versa, with a lighter rider, you can get by with less contact. Remember you are trying to distribute pounds per inch.
2. How much bar surface is available. The less bar surface availability the more contact is needed. Vise versa, the more bar availability you can get by with less contact.

There are two major areas of concern when fitting a saddle.

I. Wither

In our industry, there is no definition for tree width sizes. There are generic terms such as semi-quarter horse and full quarter horse, which give an idea of what type of horse the tree should fit, but there is no rule for measurement. Each tree builder has their own idea of what fits each breed of horse the best. Let me say this again. There is NO industry standard on tree width. As a consumer, this is difficult. The burden of fit is on you, the consumer. There are several things to consider when fitting the wither.

Width

• If the saddle is too narrow, there will be contact at the bottom of the bar and not at the top.
• If the saddle is too wide, there will be contact at the top of the bar and not at the bottom. (Begin fitting the horse without a pad. Look and feel around the wither for contact.)

Bar Flare

• If the bar is flat at the wither, it can cause the saddle to be pushed back as well as restricting shoulder movement. This is more evident with gaited horses. There is no disadvantage to bar flare regardless of the breed.
• Bar flare can be evident in the front and rear of the saddle. As the front can restrict movement, the rear can dig into the croup if the rider is heavy and sits deep into the seat, or the horse is short backed, or sway backed. Each of these could cause soring if the saddle doesn’t have adequate rear bar flare.

II. Slope

There are two areas of concern when looking at the slope of the horses back.

Bridging.

Bridging occurs when there is bar to surface contact on the front (wither) and rear (croup) of the horses back but not in the middle. Usually, you can tell your saddle is bridging if there is soring or white hair in the wither and /or croup area. This is caused by two things:

1. Bend or Rock. If the saddle doesn’t have enough bend in the bar to fit the sway of the horses back, it will bridge.
2. Length of back. If the bar is longer than the horse’s back, it will bridge. This is most evident on Arabs, Paso Finos, Missouri Foxtrotters and other short backed horses.

White hair and soring in the withers is not always a sign of bridging. It could be a result of:

• Tree width-explained above.
• Rigging position.

As a rule, most horses do not need full rigging. They need rigging that gives more pull toward the center of the saddle or throughout the whole saddle rather than the front only. There are four rigging positions available in the industry.

1. Center-Fire. Lines up directly in the center of the saddle.
2. ¾” rigging which is 1-2” in front of the center-fire rigging.
3. 7/8” rigging. This rigging is most common and gives you the best option between the ¾” and full-rigging option.
4. Full rigging. This is when the rigging is directly beneath the swell or pommel. Most ropers like this type of rigging because of the pull on the horn when roping.

Rock - The opposite of bridging. Rock occurs when there is more bend in the bar than the horse needs; therefore it makes contact in the middle of the back before it makes contact in the front or back. Usually, when rock is visible the saddle will tip back and forth on the horses back. When the saddle is girthed up it will tip forward with the rear of the saddle sticking up in the air. When the rider sits in the saddle it will force the saddle down in the rear causing pressure in the front of the saddle going toward the middle of the back. This is most evident on mules. Be aware if the saddle is sticking up in the rear it may not be a rock problem but could be a width problem.

Questions people may ask…

a. What do white hairs tell me?

Normally, white hair is caused by a lot of pressure in one area over a long period of time. What takes place is the pressure stops the blood flow to that area which in turn kills the sweat glands and causes the hair to turn white. The hair may never return to its normal color. This is not something to be alarmed about and does not cause permanent long-term damage, unless you don’t pay any attention to the problem. (You should consult your veterinarian about any soring issues.)

b. What about padding-up or saddle pads?

Good saddle pads can cause the saddle to fit better. There is as much or more technology in the pad industry to help a saddle fit better and you should take advantage of that technology. Padding-up to help eliminate soring from a poor fitting saddle is not a good choice. For example, if a saddle is too narrow, padding up to buffer the pressure will make the horse wider which will cause more pressure.

Shop Saddles.

Trail Saddles

Trail or pleasure riding usually doesn’t entail heavy work or long days, so the Pleasure Saddle is lighter in weight than most of the saddles intended for heavy jobs. The balance point tends to be to the back of the saddle. Lightweight saddles built with comfort in mind. Trail Saddles are usually built with comfort in mind on a lighter weight tree with a single “Mother Hubbard” style skirt. This diverse group of saddles has a variety of cantle heights, varied amounts of seat padding, and rigging choices. Many options at the rider’s discretion according to type of use, riding style, and breed of horse that will be ridden with that particular saddle. Rings and saddle strings are plentiful for attaching gear.

Shop now for Western Trail Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Shop now for Tucker Trail Saddles at PFI Western Store

Barrel Saddles

Lightweight saddle built for speed and security. Usually built on a lightweight tree with a single “Mother Hubbard” style skirt. A tall cantle for security and support, combined with a horn tall enough to grip with your entire hand will help keep you seated. The vast majority of barrel saddles have roughout seat jockeys and fenders, although smoothout and tooled are available. Most barrel saddles have an in-skirt rigging with other rigging options available.

Shop now for Western Barrel Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Cutter Saddles

Saddle built so you can move easily in the seat. Usually built with a lower cantle and a tall pommel (or swell) and horn. The seat is mostly flat with some rise toward the pommel. Seat jockeys and fenders are generally roughout. Most are rigged with the standard Double Dee Western rigging.

Shop now for Western Cutter Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Ranch Saddles

Ranch saddles are built to withstand the rugged use of daily ranch work. These saddles are built on a tree durable enough to handle roping large animals whether dallying or “tied hard” to the horn. Most have a tall cantle with a moderate rise to the seat. The twist needs to be narrow enough to be comfortable during long hours of riding. Most have a hard seat with options of a bicycle seat, or a full padded seat. Heavy leather and a heavy tree make for a rugged saddle most of which tip the scale at 50 lbs. or more. Drop plate and double dee are the most common riggings for this type of saddle.

Shop now for Western Ranch Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Ranch Cutter Saddles

Ranch Cutter saddles are built similar to Cutter Saddles with the main difference being the reinforced bars of the tree. This reinforcement makes the saddle strong enough for roping. The versatility of this saddle makes it an easy choice for horse trainers, team penners, and working cowboys.

Shop now for Western Ranch Cutter Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Reiner Saddles

Reiner saddles are built for a close contact feel. Many of these saddles have cutaway skirt patterns to allow riders to easily cue their horse. A narrow twist and lower cantle provide a defined “pocket” in the seat that helps the rider stay Positioned. A lowered horn and pommel allow rein movement without interference. Most Reiner saddles are skirt rigged which allows for more forward fender movement when sliding to a stop.

Shop now for Western Reiner Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Roper Saddles

Roper saddles are a durable saddle built on a heavier tree to withstand the riggers of arena roping or pasture work. Most Roper saddles have a padded flat seat, a straight up dally horn, and a lower cantle, and a lower pommel to prevent interference with rein movement and dallying. Typically roper saddles don’t have a lot of fender movement due to their position underneath the rider.

Shop now for Western Roper Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!

Show Saddles

Show saddles are built for close contact and for show. Most show saddles are fully tooled and covered with silver. Cutaway skirts help the rider cue the horse. The equitation seat helps make a defined pocket for proper positioning. Show saddles are often made with very light colored leather.

Shop now for Western Show Saddles at PFI Western Store!!!