# What do you use, and why?



## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Well I'd say i have very basic gear. I have a jerry bethune barrel saddle (that i have tl sell for a smaller size ) a simple light oil and blue ostrich bridle / breast collar with silver dots. My reins are braided blue and black nylon with knots and very adjustable. My pad is a navajo blue/black /tan teskeys pad and a right now a simple snaffle.


----------



## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I have kind of two sets of tack. I have my trail riding set, which is my Aussie saddle, red/black lumberjack plaid saddle pad that I made, red/black lumberjack plaid polos, red nylon bridle, leather nose Little S hackamore, and I'm getting a pair of red/black braided nylon reins like those BarrelracingArabian uses. Then I have my English set, which will be my schooling and showing set. It consists of my older medium oil Stubben Siegfried saddle, red saddle pad, dark oil English bridle (I need to replace this with one that closer matches my saddle and is better quality), and eggbutt French link snaffle. I need a set of red SMBs and a full cheek French link snaffle for my English set, as well as replacing my bridle (the one I have is a crappy made-in-India thing that won't soften up no matter how much I oil it).
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Cruiser (Aug 28, 2011)

Just for regular work I have a old junky western saddles that's dark leather with white buck stitching (ick), and a hunter green wool felt pad, felt cinch. Usally use black english bridle with the noseband removed, with a plain dee ring snaffle. As she doesn't neck reins overly well. 

Or I have my Elan sidesaddle, a chafless girth, and my english bridle again. No pad because they seem to bunch up under than saddle too easily and it fits well enough without one. 

Thinking of changing her bit, because she doesn't seem to like the action of a single or double jointed snaffle, and not sure what to try yet.


----------



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

I use an all-purpose, black Kieffer Genf saddle. For everyday use, I have three cotton saddle pads - a plum one, a dark blue with a red lining one and a navy with sheepskin padding one. As for the girth, I have a black cushion web one by Aerborn - that's a very good girth brand for English saddles. I also use a rather nice, black Cavallo bridle with a little-S hackamore headpiece attached (with black, synthetic leather, padded noseband) and black all-leather reins. 

For show purposes, I have a dark yellow with khaki lining saddle pad and a golden, metallic browband. 

I also use a rope halter, which is black with dark green flecks, and a black lead line, and, for ground-driving - a dark brown leather surcingle with tan padding, and dark brown long lines.


----------



## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Forgot a few pieces of tack when I posted last night. Lol.

For my Aussie saddle, I have a neoprene western cinch that my best friend gave me because it was too big for her narrow Arab. Whoever had my Aussie saddle before me had it re-rigged western, which I do not like because it adds too much bulk under the flap when it's done up and digs into my leg. So, I'm switching it back to traditional Aussie rigging (or maybe even the Tackleberry system from the Australian Stock Saddle Company, if I can afford it).

For my Stubben, I have a matching leather girth.

The reins for my English setup are dark oil leather with lacing.

As far as halters go, I have a red with black flecks rope halter that is too small in the nose now (and is adjusted as big as it will go) and a red draft-size nylon halter that fits perfectly. Our lead rope is red with black flecks, as well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Annanoel (Mar 29, 2011)

I have a few sets, one for trail riding. I use my corriente saddle with a smart cinch, impact gel pad or my esp, maroon smb's if necessary, two ear bridle with rawhide covering on the ears, copper comfort snaffle, leather split reins, or my cotton trail reins depending on the terrain and a thick, dark oil breast collar. 

-For the trail I like having reliable gear that's going to last, the bling isn't necessary for me and I'd rather not ruin it. We do a lot of water riding and rough riding through out the year. Snow can destroy a nice bling bridle. I tend to use my roping corriente now for trail riding because it's comfy, but HEAVY. I am upgrading to a lighter wade soon and can't wait.

My gaming / play / bling sets, esp or gel pad, silver royal zebra set, or the back in black set, my dakota barrel saddle, smart cinch, copper comfort snaffle, zebra pad, lime green smb boots, and neon pink and green gaming reins.

-For gaming, showing and "showing off"  I like using the bling, what cowgirl doesn't? For the fun shows, the neon always pops with the zebra and he's a buckskin so it all goes together. It's always fun to get all dressed up and to compete.

Overall I'd say stick with namebrands, MOST but not all offbrands are usually cheap. You just have to know what you're buying, I try to check anything out at some point in the store before buying online so I don't get screwed. I normally do not buy tack off of Ebay either, people claim so much, you pay a lot and don't get what you thought you were. Corriente saddles are the one brand I moved to for saddles and LOVE them.

Picture of my saddle, and also a picture of one of my bling sets, NOT my horse.


----------



## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

I make rope and braided tack and sell it, and pretty much only ride my own brand  I can't wait to get my newest set made (in between my other orders!) - By this spring, the only "outside" tack I'll be using will be my saddle and pad 

I really like having all rope and braided tack because it's strong and low-maintenance. I don't want to worry about leather, especially since I'm doing endurance and things get wet and messy a lot. Now, I can throw all my tack in the tub or even washing machine if I really want to! Plus, I can design my own tack to be exactly what I want, including colors and styles.

You can check out my work at J Bar N Ranch


----------



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

I have a few sets;
-english
inexpensive synthetic "supra" saddle. fits a few of the narrow thoroughbreds. also a nice leather english bridle and a cotton pad.

-western
wintec synthetic. my first saddle. I've beaten the snot out of it. now just using it to start colts, doesnt mater much if they have a melt down in it.
assortment of leather bridles, all fitted with snaffles of varios sorts and braided reins, also a side pull.

-aussie
kimberly stock. This poor saddle has done endurance, mountain riding, started colts, etc. Probably 2000+ miles and still going strong.

-endurance
big horn model 806 hornless leather endurance. love, love, love.
ordering a biothane bridle/reins/breastcollar.

I have leather western and aussie breast collars, neoprene, mohair, felt and synthetic cinches. mohair wins by far.

I have proffessional choice gel pad, wool, navajo style blankets and felt ones.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I used to teach lessons, so I still have a lot of my old tack from that. IMHO, your horse should be comfortable with Western tack and all purpose English tack. 
Otherwise, pick the tack that you prefer. Horses don't care what the saddle looks like, they are just concerned that it doesn't hurt when you ride.
Hard to imagine NOT knowing what you want your horse to do!!!
I have big plans this year for my youngest horses--my mare is finished and we just enjoy her.
--Cuppin' Cakes
1) teach hobbling
2) train to lay down
3) lunging over cavaletti
--Buster Brown
1) lunge over cavaletti to prep for low jumping
2) train to drive
3) finish as a trail horse


----------



## Annanoel (Mar 29, 2011)

Corporal said:


> I used to teach lessons, so I still have a lot of my old tack from that. IMHO, your horse should be comfortable with Western tack and all purpose English tack.
> Otherwise, pick the tack that you prefer. Horses don't care what the saddle looks like, they are just concerned that it doesn't hurt when you ride.
> Hard to imagine NOT knowing what you want your horse to do!!!
> I have big plans this year for my youngest horses--my mare is finished and we just enjoy her.
> ...


Are those their names? If so, I LOVE them.


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Yeah, we've named a LOT of horses over the years. LOL
Sweet Cup & Cakes is aka, "Lawman" (breeder's stable name), registered, "Long Arm of the Law"
Buster Brown was an unregistered QH and the Rescue called him "Pepper". He's a Red Dunn. Didn't fit. He was named after Lily Tomlin's little girl ("Edith Ann") character's dog, "Buster."
He also has to use the 16' x 19' shelter as his stall this year. He and I refer to it as "The Buster Brown Town".


----------



## TheBayArab (Jan 4, 2013)

jillybean19 said:


> I make rope and braided tack and sell it, and pretty much only ride my own brand  I can't wait to get my newest set made (in between my other orders!) - By this spring, the only "outside" tack I'll be using will be my saddle and pad
> 
> I really like having all rope and braided tack because it's strong and low-maintenance. I don't want to worry about leather, especially since I'm doing endurance and things get wet and messy a lot. Now, I can throw all my tack in the tub or even washing machine if I really want to! Plus, I can design my own tack to be exactly what I want, including colors and styles.
> 
> You can check out my work at J Bar N Ranch


I love how you have all those versatile pieces  Now uhhh, some of these questions may seem stupid. I have been wanting to switch to bitless for a while now, but every trainer I have ever had is set on training bridle horses for arena riding only, etc. The opposite of me. First of all, what is a sidepull/sidepull noseband? I am an english rider but I my horse is going to be english AND western. Also, what is the chin strap supposed to be? Like a curb chain? Also, you have a one ear headstall and a split ear headstall. What is the point of the difference? Also, what would you recommend for a horse that is young and needs lots of control, but is also gentle and versatile?


----------



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

All of my tack is pretty much very blah and basic. It's a working woman's tack and nothing more. Functional but not necessarily pretty.

I have a Corriente Association saddle that I use on most my horses, my bridles are simple Reinsman, my reins are your average 3/4"x8' harness leather. Breast collars are Saddlesmith, made in USA.




























Rope halters are all Mustang brand. I generally don't use boots on my horses but on the rare occasion that I do, I have a couple pair of old Professional's Choice that do the job good enough. Cinches, the brands vary, but I'll only ever use Mohair roper cinches. Saddle pads vary too. Generally speaking, Diamond Wool pads are great quality for not too much money.


----------



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I have two saddles:

A Wintec AP I ride and train other people's horses in. It fits everything fairly well. I just have a little cotton pad under it; sometimes I also add a half pad on narrow horses. I have a couple ovation girths of various lengths. I have a biothane bridle with a full cheek french snaffle I ride most horses in. I have a couple others bits I can change out depending on what I need.

I also have a Specialized Eurolight I ride and compete my own personal horse in. It's all adjusted just to her. I sometimes ride several horses a day, so fixing it up for each would be dreadful! I have a thin cotton pad underneath it, use a mohair girth, and have a biothane breast collar. I ride my horse in a rope halter, so I have one rigged up with 10 foot reins just for riding. 

I don't use boots a lot, but when I'm doing fast "burn and burn" work in the arena or galloping, I put on some woof all purpose boots to protect from brushing. I also put bell boots on horses with a history of over reaching and any horse with back shoes. Just in case.


----------



## Copperhead (Jun 27, 2012)

I have a couple saddles but no brand name really jumps into mind except for two.

Dressage saddle (forgot the brand name)
Jumping saddle - Kinkade (sp*, cheap but does the job)
Barrel saddle - abetta (guest saddle)
Roping saddle - Its a King saddle, I think.

Bridles are off brand. I have a western and english.

I used polo wraps for leg support.

I use my english if I'm ever riding english (might teach my mare to jump this year). I'm on a western kick now so I've been using my roper a lot. I love the "working type" tack thats very plain but sturdy and dependable.

Really, the rest of my tack is kind of miscellaneous. I don't really care much about brand names and I'm not much for bling. I don't have a lot of extra tack laying around. If it doesn't get used, it gets sold.


----------



## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

TheBayArab said:


> I love how you have all those versatile pieces  Now uhhh, some of these questions may seem stupid. I have been wanting to switch to bitless for a while now, but every trainer I have ever had is set on training bridle horses for arena riding only, etc. The opposite of me. First of all, what is a sidepull/sidepull noseband? I am an english rider but I my horse is going to be english AND western. Also, what is the chin strap supposed to be? Like a curb chain? Also, you have a one ear headstall and a split ear headstall. What is the point of the difference? Also, what would you recommend for a horse that is young and needs lots of control, but is also gentle and versatile?


Thank you! And no, they don't seem stupid  I work with tack, so I hear just about every question and comment and get to learn a lot by what different people ask. For example, I just made someone a hanger for their bosal today and they wanted a gullet strap. I took their bosal apart, including a leather loop they'd tied onto the bottom of the bosal that I assumed was for attaching a lead rope. I thought this was an interesting request since bosals don't typically have gullet straps and you lead with the mecate, not a lead rope. Turns out, when I returned it today, the strap was a makeshift gullet strap that she didn't need since I built one in, and she wanted a gullet strap because, when she was leading her horse, the bosal would sometimes get pulled over its nose without it! What a great idea to add the gullet strap and solve the issue! (I'll be putting a picture of this hanger online this weekend if she gets it back to me after trying it on).

Anyway....

A sidepull is a bitless bridle that works better than a halter because it's designed specifically for riding. The noseband sits lower and there's less twisting.

A sidepull noseband is just the noseband attachment that can be put on a regular headstall. I make both side pull bridles (all one piece) as well as nosebands that can be purchased separately and attached to your current tack or paired with one of my headstalls. You'd only need to get a sidpull bridle _or_ the noseband attachment, not both since the sidepull bridle has the noseband built in.

A chin strap is the non-metal version of what an English rider would call a curb chain. It's just a difference in terminology  You don't really need it with most snaffle bits, but you have to have it with a noseband (since it holds the noseband in place) and I think there are some bits that require a curb chain or chin strap.

The difference between the one-ear headstall and split-ear headstall is really just preference. The split-ear has a throat latch and the one-ear doesn't, but I can make it with one if you'd like. The benefit of a throat latch is that the horse can't shake/rub the bridle off as easily, but you can usually do ok without it if your horse isn't shaking or rubbing a lot. 

I would recommend sticking with something similar to what is currently working with your horse if he's young and still needs to have a lot of reinforcement and training. However, I break horses in side pulls with a few noseband knots for a little extra pressure - Indian reiners work well for this since they apply pressure to push the horse's face away from pressure on the opposite side. I don't recommend a side pull if you are worried about your horse running out. How does your horse respond to a the halter (and are you using a flat one or a rope one with knots)? If he's respectful with the halter, you shouldn't have a problem with a side pull, especially since you'll get more leverage in a side pull as it sits lower on their nose. If not, you'll want to work on respect some more before you move to a side pull.


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

While we can tell you what we use it's pretty much useless unless you're going to ride like any one of us.
e.g. you can't use what I ride with if you're going to do shows.
If you're just going to ride for your own gratification then use what ever works best for what you plan to do.

As already stated, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd most important thing about what you use is that it's comfortable for your horse. After that you can worry about what you want.

All that being said, I use different gear for different tasks.
When I start a horse under saddle I use a stock saddle. It's a good all purpose saddle for my shorter rides and works well for me with horse just starting out in case they get spooky or try and dump me.
For my distance riding I use a Trooper, or Universal Pattern military saddle (the forerunner of the Trooper) would work too, because it has more bar contact with the back which displaces more weight.
I don't use a bridle or bit. Just a halter.


----------



## oliveoats (Jan 22, 2013)

I ride in an Australian saddle because I used to ride English, but now ride trails. I didn't feel secure enough trail riding my green horse in an English saddle, but couldn't STAND any western saddle I sat in. I rode a few months in a very comfy Crates endurance saddle, I would have kept it, but the seat was huge for me and I as swimming in it. I accidentally discovered Australian saddles and fell in love. 

They're more secure than any English saddle, but still put my body into that same comfortable English position. 

Best of luck with whatever tack you choose!!


----------



## joseeandjade11 (Oct 12, 2012)

I have my western rawhide saddle that I use all the time. If i go trail riding i'll use my nice thick kodel fleece pad, but if im planning on working with my horse i will use my WonPad! 
In winter time i use a fleece cinch and in summer time i use a 100% mohair cinch because it breaths better when it's hot outside.
As for my bridle, i have an impressive western Nurtural Bitless bridle because i rally like riding bitless and i LOVE to ride with braided barrel reins or poly reins. 
When i know i will be doing hard work and lots of canter or western games and training i like to put on my classic equine legacy boots on my mare for protection. If i plan on doing barrels and gallop i will add my bell boots as well.

When i ride english i have a supra synthetic a/p saddle that i put on a quilted cotton saddle pad or waffle shaped saddle pad with a fleece or chafeless girth.


----------

