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I don't sell tack. But I would like to share with you some recommendations on tack that I've discovered over the years. Whether English, Western or Endurance a saddle needs to fit the rider and the horse properly. Fitting the person usually isn't too hard. It's pretty easy to get yourself to a tack store and try out lots of saddles. The problem usually comes with fitting the horse properly. Getting a horse to a tack store can be impractical for some. I've come across a great tool for checking saddle fit at the tack store without bringing your horse along. It's called the Equimeasure Kit. With this kit you can make a mold of your horse's back. Although this kit is often used for creating a custom saddle, it can also be used to evaluate a saddle in the tack store. Simply flip a potential saddle over and see how well the mold fits the saddle. Here's the mold being taken on my horse Cowboy.
By the way, the tack shop with the best selection of both English and Western saddles in this area is Crawford Saddlery in Ruckersville, VA. If you're contemplating a custom saddle made to fit both yourself and your horse I highly recommend Synergist Saddles. They make Western, English and Endurance saddles by hand. Synergist is a small family owned and operated company and are very good to deal with. They recognize that their are physical differences between men and women and make adjustments to their saddles accordingly. I had them make a Western style saddle for me that is lightweight and super comfortable. It was a big financial investment but I couldn't be happier with the outcome. If you do order their video, please mention my website in the comments section. Basically, I use two kinds of halters. One is the classic nylon halter with a leather breakaway poll strap. This halter is useful for tying when there is no tie ring available. My horses have had occasion to break several of the leather straps. No big deal, just gather up your horse and replace the strap. I don't use these halters for training. They encourage a horse to be heavy and lean on the halter.
The preferred training halter is a rope halter. They are good to use simply because the horse leans on them less. I personally like the Clinton Anderson version because it is stiffer and has four knots across the nose. Teamed up with a 14 foot lead line made out of marine (or yachting) rope and you have a good training rig. I don't like lead lines that are 12 feet long or less. They just don't give you enough room from your horse and still have something left to twirl.
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Sticks certainly aren't mandatory and there's nothing magical about them. They just make your arm 4 feet longer (or 10 feet longer with the string). I do like them for desensitizing because they make more of a commotion then the lead rope alone. Any relatively lightweight pole will do. Some people use sorting sticks available at the farm store. Retractable fishing rods are another option. I do stay away from lunge whips as they tend to have too much "bite." Still, if you want a tool that's nearly indestructible and is comfortable to use then I recommend Clinton Anderson's Handy-stick. Sells for $39.99. The Natural Nag site sells a "Nifty" stick for $32.00. Unless you're competing in an
event that requires using something else, I recommend using a 3/8"
smooth snaffle bit. I avoid snaffles that are made out of
stainless steel. They just don't have any taste and don't
encourage salivation. Snaffles made out of sweet iron with copper
inlays give the most taste make for a softer mouth.
Many times I will forego a bit completely and ride in either a rope halter or a hackamore. I particularly like to use them on some horses to teach the concept of a vertical give (the start of collection) and to teach backing. I like to ride my own horses in a rope halter every once and a while just to lighten them up to the bit.
Bandit riding in his rope halter and lead line.
When I tie up a horse in a rope halter I always use a tie ring. Why? Rope halters are very strong and are unlikely to break if the horse pulls back. The tie ring feeds out slack to the horse until he stops panicking. It actually teaches a horse not to pull back. It's a simple tool that works very well.
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