When buying a saddle, be it newly or used, it is very important that the saddle not only fit you, but that it also fits your horse. While some saddles can be re-stuffed, only so much can be modified through the re-stuffing process. It is best to find a saddle that fits well in the first place.
Most retailers will permit purchasers to take a saddle home to try on their horse. Some will charge a deposit or even the full cost in advance, but will accept the return if the saddle does not fit. As long as you do not damage the saddle, most will accept a return without trouble.
Saddles are calculated fitting to the length of the seat. A 16" saddle measures 16" from the pommel to the cantle. With this in mind, you need to consider how big a saddle you need to comfortably sit in. The regular adult is comfortable in a 17" seat. Teenagers can generally manage a 16", while children oftentimes need something smaller.
If possible, try sitting on a few various sizes of saddles to see what size of seat best suits your needs. Keep in mind that the higher the pommel and cantle, the tighter the fit will be.
As long as the saddle feels good to sit in, your will in all probability be in good form as a rider. Keep in mind the height of the pommel and cantle, and the positioning of the padding. Some saddles provide flexible padding, in particular in the knee roll.
The rest of the fitting is related to your horse. Saddles come in three basic tree sizes, narrow, medium and wide. Most horses will fit a medium tree. Fine boned horses such as Arabians, sometimes need a narrow tree to fit the structure of their back. Wide trees are suited to horses with broad backs such as warmbloods or draft crosses.
When the tree is the correct width, the saddle should sit equally on your horse's back with both sets of padding resting on the muscles along the spine. There should be a clear opening along the backbone all the way from the front to the back of the saddle. If there is no gap, the tree is too wide. If the padding is sitting on the backbone, the tree is too narrow. Some saddles have adjustable trees, making them great for riders who need to ride a range of horses who may have different body types.
Next, you need to consider the pommel. While the height of the pommel affects your seat, it also relates to the horse's whither. If your horse has a high whither, you might need a saddle with a higher pommel. Some saddles have cut-back pommels which are designed to offer room for a particularly high whither.
Ultimately, the flaps need to rest comfortably along the horse's shoulder and side. The front edge should not rest off the horse's side, nor should it dig into his shoulder. A properly fitted saddle should rest smoothly along your horse's side, with no air space or pinched places.
Take Away the saddle when you are done, and check your horse's back. Are the sweat marks evenly matched from one side of your horse to the other? Are there any places that seem to be more worn than others? If the sweat marks are even, and the weight appears to have been distributed evenly throughout the saddle, your saddle fits. Any irregular wear is a sign that it does not fit right.
Make sure to lightly clean the saddle before giving it to the store. Sweat can damage the material if left on the saddle for any length of time, and it looks bad to return the saddle with signs of wear and tear. Do not use the saddle for more than one trial ride. Let the store owner know how your ride went, and either return or keep the saddle depending on how well it fit.
You can find more on used saddles for sale!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Looking For Used Saddles for Sale?
Friday, December 5, 2008
Horse Racing Tips: Make The Most Out of Them
Even if you get horse racing tips from the best bookers, successful gamblers, trainers, owners, and jockeys, you really should not take other people's word on its own. Before betting, take into account important factors like ground and weather conditions, physical appearance, trainer and jockey, and past performance, and create a horse racing system that uses all these.
Consider Big Brown, for instance. This is a real 'last today, first tomorrow' scenario. After a disastrous loss at the 2008 Belmont Stakes, he had a stunning win two months later at the Haskell Invitational.
Tips for Gamblers
There are three basic gambling tips you must remember prior to making use of horse racing tips. Everywhere you go, everything you bet on, and any money you bet, these gambling tips will help you stop a losing streak. And do not even dare assume that luck plays a huge role in winning; it does have a role, but not so much as these tips:
* Wise money management. This means you shouldn't be greedy. You should know when to stop, the amount of bets to place, and knowing what you can spare to lose.
* Educate yourself. Horse racing tip come from educated guesses about the outcome of the race, with emphasis on 'educated guess' as winners and losers cannot be determined until the horses' hooves cross the finish line.You won't know the race results until the conclusion, so the most you can do is use horse racing tips to make educated guesses. You will definitely feel like a fool if you don't know what the differences of show and place bets are.
* Just do it. When it comes to gambling, move forward with courage. If you're afraid to lose money, you have no business being a gambler.
The Horse Racing Tips Advantage
A horse racing system will only be successful if you make the most out of the free horse racing tips you get from all sources. This is how you can benefit from them:
* Bet close to the race time. After all, many aspects can affect the race, like weather changes, injury, handicaps, and ground conditions.
* Maintaining sobriety as you bet. With your judgment befuddled with anxiety and alcohol, you might end up facing disastrous financial outcomes.
* Patience is a virtue. Always remember that there are losers and there are winners in gambling, and you will find yourself straddling both sides of the fence.
When you're in the right mindset, you can win more than you lose.