By Ron Caldwell – “THE TACKGUY”

Making sure that your horse’s saddle is saddled correctly is very important for both the safety and comfort of you and your horse. Follow these few steps to insure that your horse’s saddle is properly placed and safe to ride.

1. Prepare your horse for receiving the saddle.
Preparation starts by tying your horse up securely, as well as making sure that it has been groomed properly. If you do not groom your horse before you place the saddle or saddle pad on, it can cause a lot of irritations. Make sure that you clean his back, belly, and even his horseshoes.

2. Inspect your saddle and saddle pad.
Next you’ll want to inspect your saddle and saddle pad to make sure that they are clean and ready to go. Do a thorough inspection to make sure that you don’t have any missing parts. In total you want conchos, metal D-rings, screws, and stirupp hobble straps.

3. Place your saddle pad on the horse.
After inspecting your saddle pad you’ll want to place it on the horse. Always make sure that the horses hair doesn’t get stuck or tangled in it. I always think a good idea is to place it a little forward and then bring it back to where I can see the perfect center is.

4. Place your saddle on the saddle pad and horse.
Your next step is to finally place the saddle on the saddle pad on the back of the horse. I usually carry it on my hip and then swing it up and onto the horse’s back. Look around the horse and make sure that everything is set correctly on, and that the saddle pad is away from the horse’s withers.

5. Secure your saddle onto the horse.
You want to make sure that the saddle is properly secured and fitted to the horse so that there is maximum comfort for the horse, as well as a safe ride for yourself. I face the back legs to make sure that the horse isn’t going to kick or jump, and then I’ll reach over to grab and put together the front cinch. If by chance you are have a back cinch, you’ll want to make sure that both the front and back cinches are together with the connecting strap.

6. Relax your horse and perform final inspection.
The last step is to relax your horse and look over and make all the last inspections. To relax my horse I’ll usually walk around with him for a couple minutes. While I’m walking him I make all the last inspections by making sure everything is where it should be and isn’t too loose or too tight.