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As mentioned earlier, the best option for a first-time horse owner is to board the horse rather than care for him solely on your own. And the best place to board the horse is at your child’s lesson barn. Owning and caring for a horse on a daily basis is nothing like owning a dog or cat — there is an enormous amount to learn about horses’ surprising delicacy and vulnerability to injury and illness before attempting to keep a horse on one’s own property.
For example, did you know that too much grass can be bad for horses? That they need their hooves trimmed every six to eight weeks? That they need the companionship of other animals, preferably horses? That they don’t do well being kept in a stall most of the time and need room to move around? Not to sound like the voice of doom, but horse people are all too well aware that most horses could find a way to hurt themselves even in a padded cell! If you’re just starting out in horse ownership, you, your child, and your horse will benefit from the guidance of experienced barn owners.
Talking the Talk
Farrier. The person who trims hooves and puts shoes on horses.
Deworming. Treating a horse for parasites; a necessary component of horse health.
Box stall. A stall that is large enough (usually 12′ × 12′) for a horse to move around and lie down in.
Tie stall. A narrow stall where the horse is haltered and tied; used for feeding and grooming but not suitable for a horse to stay in for long periods of time.
What Horses Need
When you are looking for a boarding facility for a horse, even when considering your child’s lesson barn as the most viable option, you need to consider three basic needs: food, shelter, and safety. Horses evolved to eat most of the day while in constant motion — grazing horses take a bite of grass and move a step or two for the next bite of grass, taking breaks to drink, nap, or play. A wild herd can easily cover 30 to 40 miles a day. As a consequence, equines need room to move around freely. Remaining in a stall all day can lead to extreme behavioral problems and to poor health.
There are three basic truths about owning a horse:
1. Horses are always hungry.
2. Poop happens and happens and happens.
3. If there’s a way for a horse to hurt himself, he will.
The ideal situation is one where your horse will have several hours of outdoor turnout every day (the more the better), even if he is unable to graze. Maintaining enough pasture to allow a large group of horses to graze is difficult, so most horses are fed hay at least twice a day and most receive some sort of concentrated feed in the form of grain as well, though this is not always necessary if sufficient hay is provided.
Horses are also highly social animals and must have companionship, which is another good reason to choose a boarding facility rather than keeping your horse at home. Horses who live alone, even with a loving and attentive owner, are usually lonely, unhappy, and nervous. The ideal companion is another horse or pony, or even a donkey. Goats can also make good companions for horses. At a barn, your horse will most likely be turned out with other horses or will at least be able to see and smell them around him at all times.
The Cost of Keeping a Horse
If you’re considering buying a horse, you need to have an idea of some of the costs involved. The basics are the same as any other creature needs for survival: food, water, shelter. Depending on where you live, the cost of basic feed, hay, vet, and farrier bills can differ widely: high cost-of-living areas have higher horse expenses, while metropolitan areas will have fewer horse-friendly services and choices close at hand. Here are some examples of standard expenses related to horse upkeep:
The expenses listed above are just the basics — standard upkeep essential for keeping a horse healthy. If the worst happens and a horse becomes seriously ill or injured, vet bills can quickly skyrocket into the thousands. Other expenses include equipment such as tack, halter and lead rope, blankets (if used), and grooming tools.
Types of Board
Horses can be boarded with either “full care” or “pasture board” (also called “rough board”). Full care usually includes a stall (ideally for nighttime and foul weather use) and turnout time (the more the better), as well as access to the arena(s), grooming area(s), wash rack(s), and other facilities.
Pasture board usually means that the horse is kept in a pasture or paddock 24 hours a day, with some sort of shelter for inclement weather but no stall. Some pasture-board farms may have a few stalls available, should you want to use one temporarily while working with your horse or for health care purposes; but the horses are not brought in and stalled on a routine basis.
In both cases, the horses are monitored regularly and fed — usually twice daily — and have access to fresh water. A horse’s diet varies considerably depending on its size, age, condition, and the amount of work it’s doing, but you can expect an average horse to eat as much as a bale of hay a day if no grass is available. Grain requirements can range from none at all to several quarts a day. Full care is the most expensive, with pasture board a decent alternative offered by some facilities.
A third option that can sometimes be found is “self-care” in which the owner is required to go out and perform all of the horse care — which means checking the horses and feeding twice a day, morning and evening, and ensuring access to water. It is the least expensive, but the most labor-intensive, option for owners.
Evaluating Boarding Facilities
Ideally, you would keep a leased or purchased horse at the barn where your child is already taking lessons. Most likely, your child’s instructor would help locate a suitable horse or pony for your child’s level of experience and her personality and interests. If, for some reason, you choose to board the animal at another facility, you would employ the same characteristics you used to gauge the lesson barn, with the added element of the animal’s safety and well-being. Things that create a hazard to the horse or pony also create a hazard to those working with or around that horse or pony — specifically, your child.
Looking at Barns
Barns come in many shapes and sizes, but the key components are for them to be safe, solid, and healthy for the horses (that is, provide adequate light, ventilation, and shelter), and safe for people to interact with and around the horses. As a boarder, you should look for features that meet your and your child’s needs, too. Three of the more common types of barns are:
Center aisle (the barn is enclosed and has an aisle that runs down the center, onto which stalls open) — a useful design in areas that regularly experience inclement weather.
A traditional center-aisle barn with a hip roof almost always has a large area upstairs for storing hay bales and extra equipment and is a favorite place for barn cats to spend time. Center-aisle barns are great for all climates, as long as the barn is built to catch summer breezes and crosswinds.
Shedrow barns are a good choice in warmer climates, where the sheltered aisle is open to the outside. This design allows for excellent air circulation and gives the stabled horses an interesting view of the outside world.
Shedrow (a row of stalls opens to a covered walkway and the outdoors) — a useful design in areas that have mostly temperate weather.
Pole barn (open-air construction, with poles supporting the roof and acting as dividers between stalls) — a design ideally suited to arid, very hot climates.
Why is it useful to you, as a parent and prospective boarder, to be aware of barn styles? Because the barn can tell you a great deal about the facility, and its design, uses, and upkeep can create an environment of relative safety — or hazard — for your child.
While many owners buy property on which the barn is already built and, consequently, have no say in the design of the barn, the use to which the owner puts the barn and the design’s flexibility to support that use will be very important to you — again, because your child will also be using it. Here are some of the features you should look at.
EXAMINE THE AISLES
How wide are the barn aisles? With horses and people regularly moving through them, they almost can’t be wide enough, although 14 feet is a decent width. Look at the flooring. If the aisle is concrete, is the material scored to give horses good traction? Or is it slick, which could be dangerous when the concrete becomes wet? If the aisle is dirt, is it regularly moistened with water to reduce the amount of dust in the air? Or to the other extreme, is drainage a problem? Does water seep in, creating a muddy mess?
You also need to consider the way the space is used. Are horses tied in the aisle for grooming and tacking up? If so, how? There are two ways to tie a horse: cross-tied and head-tied. Cross-tied means that the horse stands directly in the center of the aisle with lines connecting the halter to heavy-duty bolts in the walls on either side. This style of tying horses prevents traffic from flowing up and down the aisle.
Head-tied means that the horse is tied with a single line, which allows him to swing his haunches from side to side. Head-tied horses allow traffic to move up and down the aisle, but the practice can create a hazard if the horse is skittish or inclined to kick. It’s not always possible, but ideally aisles should not be used for tying horses at all — there should be a grooming area, separate from the aisle, where horses can be tied for grooming and tacking up.
Finally, notice if the aisle is tidy and well maintained. Is it regularly swept and free of manure? Is it used for storage of hay bales, tack trunks, and wheelbarrows? Even tractors? Preferably, aisles are kept utterly clear of everything — the less stuff there is in the way, the safer the area is for both horse and handler.
When You’ve Got to Go
The location of the bathroom is a surprisingly important consideration in selecting a barn. Is it conveniently located in the barn or is it a hike down the lane to another building? Is there even a bathroom available? If there is just a portable toilet, are you and your child comfortable using it? If not, where will you have to take your child should she need to use the rest room? The owner’s on-site home, if he or she will allow it? A local gas station?
STUDY THE STALLS
The standard size for a box stall is 12 × 12 feet, which provides enough room for the average horse to move around comfortably and lie down safely. In some facilities you might see “tie stalls” that are designed for horses to stand facing a wall with their heads tied to a ring. These may be used for feeding horses who live outdoors most of the time or for grooming and tacking up. They are not adequate for animals to spend more than an hour or two at a time in.
Once your child is skilled and confident enough to work outside the arena, it would be a bonus to have riding trails on the property to practice her skills in a new setting. Both horses and riders benefit from a change of scenery!
There are two basic types of bedding used commonly in stalls: shavings and straw. Shavings can come in a variety of thicknesses, from almost sawdust to bigger slices of wood. Of the two types of bedding, shavings are usually easier for horse facilities to manage, as they’re easy to sift through for solid waste and wet material, which allows for more economical cleaning of stalls. Straw is generally cheaper to buy, but because it’s harder to manage and to clean, the barn may have greater labor expenses and waste. What is most important is that the bedding be changed regularly.
CHECK OUT THE STORAGE BUILDINGS
As a boarder, you don’t need a great deal of knowledge about storage buildings, other than to understand their very basic purpose and the utility of having available storage. Depending on the size of the boarding facility, the number of horses, and the amount of equipment the property owner has, having outbuildings for storage can be extremely helpful and can actually save money, as it allows the owner to purchase supplies such as shavings and hay in bulk. This in turn benefits you by keeping overall costs down. As well, storage buildings ensure that supplies and equipment will not be stored in barn aisles, which helps to keep those aisles open and clear for your child to move through.
Looking at the Land
As a prospective boarder, there are several considerations to keep in mind when you look at the overall size of the property. Because your child is still learning to ride and should be in a suitable arena while mounted, the amount of acreage is not a major concern. The condition of that land, however, is something to consider as you gauge the overall professionalism of the boarding facility and the staff’s attention to maintenance and upkeep. Here are some questions to ask:
• If the facility has horses in pastures, how many are in each?
What’s a Loafing Shed?
If you choose pasture or rough board for your horse (see box, page 132), you will not be concerned with the stalls in the barn, but you should take a close look at the outdoor shelter your horse will have access to. Horses can tolerate fairly wide extremes in weather conditions and often seem to prefer being outside in the rain and snow. However, they must be able to escape harsh sun and severe weather such as hail; hard, cold rain; and icy winds. A properly situated three-side loafing shed or run-in provides adequate protection from all but the most extreme weather.
Loafing sheds must be large enough to accommodate the number of horses who need shelter, as dominant horses may prevent submissive horses from coming under cover. It’s also not unknown for a dominant horse to corner a more submissive pasture mate inside a loafing shed and kick him mercilessly, so the building should either be completely open on one side or have several exits so that horses can escape. This is an added safety feature for inexperienced handlers, including children, who may enter a loafing shed to halter a horse and need an easy and quick way to get out if the horses begin jostling or kicking.
• Do horses have enough room to move around or do they appear to be crowded?
• What does the land look like in the pastures? Is it covered in green and lush grass? Or are there chest-high weeds with patches of bare dirt?
• If horses are kept in dry lots (paddocks without grass), is the ground sandy and clean? Or is it hard-packed dirt with heavily pocked holes in it, created by horses having to walk on it after hard rains?
• Do the paddocks have hazards like rocks, tree trunks, or fallen limbs lying around in them?
• Is the pasture covered in manure, fresh and old? Or does it appear to be cleaned regularly?
• Do the water sources (troughs, automatic waterers, or buckets) hold enough for several thirsty horses to have as much as they want? How clean are the containers and the water?
• If there is a pond, is it clean and clear or is it scummy and covered in thick algae?
A boarding facility doesn’t need a huge amount of land — a barn, an indoor arena, a limited number of small turnout paddocks, and a storage building or two could easily fit on five to six acres, if designed thoughtfully. A more important factor is the quality and usability of the acreage. Forty acres of land is a lot, but if most of it is rocky or extremely hilly, it’s not very useful for keeping horses.
But generally, as a boarder, so long as there is a safe arena in which your child can ride, you won’t really care too much about the size of the property. As in all things, the key is the condition of that property and the effort the owner puts into maintaining it.
Looking at Fences
Fences are a big deal for an equine facility, and they are something you should look at carefully when you inspect a barn. In most cases, they are solid, immovable elements your child will interact with every time she rides or interacts with a horse there. In other situations, the fence lines may change as horses are rotated to different pastures and new areas are marked out with electric tape. The style of fence and its condition are key to your child’s safety. Here are some other reasons a good fence is of critical concern:
Fences must contain the horses effectively — if your horse gets loose and is hurt or, worse, hurts someone else, you may have some liability in the situation, especially if the horse has gotten loose more than once (some horses are true escape artists!).
Fences must be sturdy enough to limit the amount of damage a horse can do to himself — an injured horse costs money and can’t be ridden. Fences must be constructed to limit the amount of damage a horse can inflict on it — if your horse damages the facility owner’s fences, you may be required to pay for repairs.
Fences must create an adequate barrier between horses in different paddocks. Horses can hurt each other or even knock fences down while fighting or playing. Having solid perimeter fencing on the property is also critical.
Property owners spend a fortune (not to mention a lot of physical effort) to maintain their fences. Children (or adults!) climbing on the fences or swinging on the gates can damage fences pretty quickly.
Remember: The fences often provide the first impression a visitor has of the property. So how the property owners maintain fences says a lot about their approach to overall facilities maintenance and attention to detail. Shoddy care for their fences can often mean shoddy care elsewhere. Be on the lookout for sagging or broken boards, dangling wires, leaning fence posts, and the like.
Fencing Hazards to Look Out For
Barbed wire fences are durable, inexpensive, and not too difficult to put up. The jagged barbs, however, can do serious damage to horses, especially if they become tangled in it. Also, as the barbed wire ages, it can rust and easily break into brittle sections — it becomes very difficult to work with at that point and is more of a hazard. This is not a good choice of fence for horses and children to be around.
PVC board looks attractive, but it is lightweight and easily damaged. An overexcited horse can break right through it.
T-posts are everywhere, primarily because they are extremely durable, relatively inexpensive and versatile — virtually any kind of horizontal fencing element can be attached to them. With their sharp ends, however, T-posts can be dangerous for horses and for riders if, heaven forbid, they should fall onto the post. For safety reasons, please make sure the property owner has covered the tops of the T-posts with plastic caps.
Horse Tack, Equipment, and Supplies
Once you purchase a horse or pony, your child will need tack and equipment in order to handle and ride the animal. It is extremely important that you seek knowledgeable assistance in this effort and not try to figure out proper fit yourself — a poorly fitted bit, bridle, or saddle can hurt a horse, and even the gentlest animal will react to pain in such a way that your child might be put at risk.
Choosing the right bit is particularly important; a harsh bit can cause serious damage to the tender gum tissues and tongue, creating severe enough pain to cause some animals to rear and even throw themselves over backward in an effort to escape theagony in his mouth. Other bits, while not harsh in and of themselves, can work on something of a pulley system and create pressure on the top of the horse’s head. An animal not accustomed to this sensation could become quite frightened and react badly to the strange feeling.
It’s critical to know what type of tack the horse is accustomed to. It’s no big deal to change a cat’s collar or to introduce a dog to the leash, but horses and ponies can be rather sensitive and react badly to strange sensations and new things. Being aware of this, as well as having a basic understanding of the equipment used for horseback riding, can only help your child and serve to ensure her continued safety.
Finding the Proper Bridle
Bridles are usually sold as three separate components: the headstall, the reins, and the bit. They are typically made of leather but are also available in synthetic materials. It is correct to have the same color bridle as the saddle; for example, a dark brown bridle with a dark brown saddle. The bridle must be correctly fitted to the horse or pony and must suit the rider’s needs and discipline interests.
An English bridle can be identified by its more complex design: In addition to the band of leather that attaches to the bit and goes over the top of the horse’s head to attach to the other side of the bit, it is composed of a brow band (which goes across the horse’s forehead), a throat latch (which goes under the horse’s cheeks or jowls), and a cavesson or noseband (which wraps around the horse’s face, above the nostrils). The advantage to all of these bands is that the bridle cannot easily slip over the horse’s ears and come off.
English bridle
Western bridles are quite simple in their design, with a single strap that attaches to either side of the bit and goes behind the horse’s ears. Other designs include a loop around one or both of the horse’s ears. Still other designs may have a throatlatch that goes under the horse’s cheeks.
Western bridle
CRAZY ABOUT HORSES
When I was two, I used to answer the door blowing air through my lips because that’s how horses greet each other. Horses don’t care if you’re mentally or physically challenged or about the color of your skin. They’ll stay true to you no matter what.
I lease a pony named Jay, but I dream of owning a dapple-grey Thoroughbred. I will name him Trix R4 Kids or So Much for Luv. He will be an excellent eventer/jumper and we will go to the top. I love Jay, though. He’s trustworthy, loving, and he follows me around like a puppy. He’s the best and kindest little dude on the farm.
My daughter is definitely “horse crazy.” She is always either at the barn or reading about horses and horsemanship. Her interest in horses has allowed her to meet many wonderful people, given her an opportunity to be physically active, and taught her a great deal about animal training and care. I spend a lot of time at the barn, but I also spend a lot of time with her, which is good.
Finding the Proper Bit
Even experienced horse people sometimes feel bewildered when facing a wall covered with hundreds of bits at the tack shop. Fortunately, most horse owners don’t need to know all the nuances of bit selection and materials used. But it is helpful to have a feel for some of the basic types that might be of use to your child.
THE SNAFFLE BIT
The snaffle bit is the most common type of bit in English riding. The typical snaffle bit comprises a hinged metal piece, called the port, with rings on each end that connect the bit to the bridle and the reins. When the rider pulls on the reins, the snaffle works by applying direct pressure on the horse’s gums behind his teeth (this area is called the bars). The simplest style of ring for a snaffle is probably the D-ring, so named because the rings are in the shape of a capital “D.” Loose-ring snaffles have circular rings that spin and can pinch the horse’s lips as they rotate, so it is critical that the bit be wide enough for the horse’s mouth.
The snaffle should be made of smooth metal or rubber of a reasonable thickness to fit into the horse’s mouth comfortably. A thicker bit is gentler but can be uncomfortable for the horse if it is too thick. A very thin bit (thinner than your index finger) or one made of twisted metal is quite severe and should not be used.
THE CURB BIT
Just as with English bits, Western bits are available in an astonishing variety of styles. The most basic design, the curb or Quarter Horse bit, is a solid piece of metal (the bar or port) connected to the two side arms (called cheeks or shanks). It may also have a chinstrap or curb chain that runs under the horse’s jaw. The port is usually slightly rounded toward the roof of the horse’s mouth, which means that it is contoured to the shape of the tongue and is more comfortable than a solid bar of metal lying straight and flat across.
Ways to Save
Horse people have become very wise about finding ways to save money, and purchasing tack is no exception. Talk first with your child’s instructor to see if he or she has any well-cared-for tack that would fit your child’s horse or pony, and if the instructor would be willing to sell it. It’s also possible that boarders in the barn might have gently used tack you could buy.
Many tack stores offer a consignment section in which horse people display their used tack for sale. You can be fairly confident of the quality found in most tack shops’ selection of consignment tack because they will want tack that is only slightly worn and still structurally sound.
If with the help of your instructor you can determine what sizes of bit, saddle, girth, and so on your horse needs, you can check online sites (see Resources for Parents) for “starter tack sets.” The savings can be significant compared with purchasing items individually, and most companies have customer service representatives who are usually experienced horse people themselves and can offer knowledgeable assistance over the phone.
Always have a horse person’s assistance to help you ensure a proper fit for your child’s horse or pony. Bridles, bits, saddles, and girths — whether English or Western — are never “one size fits all.” It’s imperative for your child’s safety that the equipment she uses is appropriate to the animal.
A curb bit works by applying pressure to the bars of the mouth, the chin, and the poll (behind the ears). The longer the side arms, the more severe the action of the port. Because it can produce greater pressure than a snaffle, a curb bit is more appropriately used by an experienced rider, as it may injure a horse’s mouth if not used properly.
Finding the Proper Saddle
Whether English or Western, the first, most critical fit is for the horse; the second, for the rider. Because of where a saddle sets on the horse, the width of the saddle affects the movement of the shoulders, as well as how the horse carries the rider — over the horse’s center of gravity (which is correct), or too far forward (which unbalances the horse) or too far back (which can put the rider’s weight painfully over the horse’s kidneys, as well as affect his balance). A saddletree (the central structure that balances the saddle along the spine) that is too narrow can pinch the horse’s shoulders and make movement uncomfortable, and one that’s too wide can cause painful rubbing, much as a shoe that is too large will give you blisters.
English Saddle
If the saddle is positioned incorrectly on the horse’s back, the rider’s position and balance can also be affected negatively, so it’s important that a correctly fitted saddle be placed properly on the horse.
The Western saddle’s design is a natural for inexperienced riders — the horn on the front of the saddle, traditionally used to attach a lariat or rope, makes a wonderful handle to grab, and the greater size and deeper seat can help a rider feel more secure. English saddles can be made more “friendly” for inexperienced riders by attaching a leather strap to the D-rings (D-shaped rings on the front side of the saddle, up near the top) that a rider could hold on to if need be. These straps are often referred to as “bucking straps,” a pretty self-explanatory description of their basic purpose.
For the very young rider, a variation of the English saddle is the “lead line” design. This is, essentially, an English saddle with a strap built into the front of the saddle, where little hands can easily and naturally hold on. These saddles tend to be pretty “deep,” meaning that the saddle embraces the rider’s seat more fully through its extended front and back design. And that deepness provides an added sense of security and balance to riders as they develop their skill and confidence in the saddle.
Western Saddle
With either an English or Western saddle, a saddle pad (English) or saddle blanket (Western) is placed between the saddle and the horse’s back. Both pads and blankets come in a wide variety of colors and thickness, as well as styles. The key is to find one that fits the horse or pony and that will provide adequate cushioning and protection from the friction created between the horse’s (often sweaty) back and the underside of the saddle. (And buy two, because they need to be washed!)
With the exception of competing in English horse shows with traditional rules for tack, saddle pads and blankets can provide a fun opportunity for your child to express her own personal style with bright colors, flashy patterns, and even tassels.
Wait, There’s More!
Yes, it is possible to run amok in a tack store and buy all kinds of gear for both horse and rider; but once you have purchased properly fitting tack, there is little equipment that you absolutely must have. Depending on your climate, a winter blanket may be desirable, though horses can live quite happily without them, given sufficient shelter. It makes sense to wait and see what is needed (a fly mask in the summer, for example), rather than rushing out and buying one of everything you see.
Basic Barn Gear
Every horse must have his own halter and lead rope so that people can handle him on the ground, lead him, or tie him. Halters are usually made of either leather or nylon, with nylon being the more economical (and longer lasting) choice. Leather is generally considered safer, however, especially if your horse is turned out with his halter on, as is a frequent practice at some boarding barns. Leather will break if the horse becomes caught on a fence post or even puts his own foot through the straps (it happens!). If you do prefer a nylon halter, buy one with a breakaway strap. It is always best to remove the halter before turning the horse loose.
Lead lines can be found in leather, nylon, or cotton rope and come in a variety of lengths. Some versions have a piece of chain between the snap and the line itself; the chain can be wrapped around the horse’s nose if he is difficult to lead. A child shouldn’t be handling such a horse, anyway, and the chain can whack a horse on the chin if left to dangle, so this style is best left on the shelf.
Many horse people believe that cotton lead ropes are the most economical and easiest to use — unlike nylon, cotton won’t burn your hands as badly in the event that a horse pulls away or bolts. They’re also easier to tie and untie, which is especially important for small hands. But, which material to use may ultimately be a simple matter of personal preference.
Gathering a Grooming Kit
The basics needed for a grooming kit are a dandy brush (a stiff body brush), a soft brush for the face and legs, a currycomb for tackling muddy clumps, a brush or comb for the mane and tail, and a hoof pick. It’s a great deal of fun to find supplies that match the color of the carrier, or your child could choose to have a full rainbow of colors. There are plenty of other delightful items that could be purchased for the grooming kit, if you’re inclined — tack stores and farm feed stores are filled with them and any salesperson would be happy to help you and your child find even more — but your child will be suitably equipped with this small collection.
A basic grooming kit can be kept in a plastic container that has interior sections and a handle for easy carrying. Labeling each item with the horse’s name is a good idea.
Safely Tying a Horse or Pony
Tying is not just a matter of finding a fence post or sturdy wall hardware and tying a knot with the lead rope. In fact, it would almost be better to leave the horse standing with a loose and hanging lead rope than to tie him with a regular knot. If the horse panics and pulls against the rope, his reaction will typically be to pull even harder, making the knot impossible to untie. And then, the only way to free the horse is to cut the lead rope — a dangerous proposition, as this requires stepping close to a thrashing horse with a sharp knife in your hand.
That’s why horse people use a “quick-release” knot — a slip knot that can be quickly disengaged by tugging on the hanging end, even if the horse is fighting against the rope. This releases the pressure on the horse’s head and, often, immediately calms him (it’s the pressure and feeling trapped that can panic some horses). Even with a safety knot in place, however, an inexperienced handler, especially a child, should not attempt to release a horse who is struggling to free himself. It’s just too dangerous.
More Ways to Save
In addition to purchasing gently used tack, you have the option to buy tack made of synthetic material (English or Western) instead of the more expensive leather traditionally used in riding equipment. At one time, synthetics were viewed unfavorably, but this has gradually changed as some of the world’s finest equestrians have begun using synthetic tack themselves.
There are a number of synthetic options available; Wintec is one of the better known. Regardless of the manufacturer, the advantages of synthetic tack are plentiful: it’s weather resistant, comes in a variety of surfaces (for example, sueded for extra “stick” in the saddle), is offered in different colors, and is very attractive. It’s also extremely durable and easy to care for, unlike leather, which can be easily damaged and requires regular attention to keep it clean and in good condition. Many synthetic styles, and some leather models, also have sizing options that allow a single saddle to be fitted to a variety of horses, unlike traditional leather saddles that typically fit a single horse.