Barrel Racing 101 by Marlene Mcrae

Author:Marlene Mcrae
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781461750031
Publisher: Lyons Press

PART FOUR

Champion Tools

What one is in little things, he is also in great.

—UNKNOWN

CHAPTER 7

Champion Tack and Equipment

Train it until you trust it, and trust it before you try it.

—JOSEPH PARENT

Saddles

IT IS vital that your saddle and saddle pad fit and function correctly. Your saddle’s main purpose is to fit your horse’s back without interfering with movement. It must fit along your horse’s back evenly. Minimum cinch pressure should keep it in place. If a saddle fits your horse properly, when you finish working, his back will be uniformly wet. If there is a dry spot larger than three inches, the saddle is putting too much pressure on this spot, compressing the sweat glands. In time this area will become a sore spot, and white hair will become apparent. Once damaged, the dry spot and white hair will be permanent.

Next, your saddle must fit you. Many of the horsemen that I see today ride with a seat that’s too large. If the distance between the swells and the cantle is excessive, you will shift around on your horse’s back, hindering your horse from working to his maximum ability and throwing him off balance. A horse can run and turn much more successfully without you on his/her back, so make this experience as easy as possible by sitting balanced. Also, if your seat is too big, your stirrups will not hang properly underneath you, which will cause your toes to point down or your feet to shift too far forward.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.