Saddles page 2
Long Rider Comments
Click on photo to enlarge
Steve Nott |
I started out with a James Brisbane-style Australian stock saddle - the only style I had ever ridden in. It gave good service in the first twelve months of my 16,000 kilometer journey around Australia. But I was persuaded by my friend Steve Granger to change to a western-style saddle. Steve and I designed a western-style saddle for an extended ride - we chose the narrowest western tree available as we felt this would spread the weight best on the horse's back to reduce the risk of back problems. This was lined with 1" felt with a layer of foam between the felt and tree. Under it I used a thick pad and serge blanket. The latter absorbs most of the sweat and dirt and can easily be rinsed and dried. My horses have had no back problems from this saddle. My saddle was originally fitted with a breast-plate and breeching. I have found these items are unnecessary except for use in the most mountainous country, and so dispensed with them. My pack-horse sometimes carries instead a neck water-bag in place of the breast-plate. |
I use a Pakistani-made
saddle. It is made of buffalo leather so it was quite cheap.
Together with an old saddle-maker of Rawalpindi we designed the saddle, it
is between a sport and cross country. I have been comfortably able,
and at ease at all times, to play polo with it and ride for days on almost
any terrain. Being of buffalo leather, it needs a lot of attention,
especially in Northern Pakistan, kingdom of dust, heat and dry cold.
Weekly I wipe it with English saddle soap, or even better, Yak ghee
(clarified butter).
Simone Carmigniani |
Late
in 1970 I departed on a horse trip that was to take me from Lesotho to
Europe and spread to nearly two years. Up to this time I had little
experience of horsemastership, which I must distinguish from horsemanship.
I could ride for I competed in the Modern Pentathlon championships and, as
far as the riding event went did quite well. However I had to think long
and hard about this trip for it was a long way and nobody had ever done
it. What would be the best type of saddle to take? Out I went to talk to
the old Boers who had great experience of riding in Africa. With one
exception they said that the British other ranks' saddle was the best for
the horse but not so good for the rider. I went their way but added a
fleece to the top of the saddle to give more comfort. Under the saddle was
a woollen blanket folded into four and was, at the start about two inches
thick. They were crushed down in a few days and I am certain were the
reason there were no sore backs of any great moment on the trip.
Gordon Naysmith |
Saddles. I used a
secondhand Keith Bryan Pathfinder, which was excellent. It has fitted a
variety of horses of the broadly "cavalry" and "light
draught" type. I think now that I was lucky in Romania as the
saddle that I used here in 1994 is too wide for many of the smaller
horses (i.e. Hutzuls) and thinner horses (some Lipizzaners). The
solution for these will be a narrower fit, as the basic Pathfinder is an
idea saddle for these trips. I fitted a raised plate at the rear to
carry saddlebags (to Jeremy James's design, which works).
Numnahs/blankets. I
used a Metropolitan Police pattern numnah back in 1994, but now I prefer
an army-pattern saddle blanket. It is easier to wash, and is also good
for covering the horse, sleeping under, etc.
Saddle bags. I have
been using a pair of large rear bags when needed. These are joined by a
strap that goes over the rear plate. I have used both leather and
synthetic bags. I prefer leather - more waterproof, stronger, and easier
to repair. I have also used Metropolitan Police wallets on the front and
find them useful for small things. I've tried a pair of front bags -
they clip onto the girth leathers and join around the breast by an
adjustable strap. They are useful, but slip if imbalanced and when the
horse puts its head down to graze the the straps are somewhat strained.
Girths/Cinches. I use
tubular synthetic girths almost all the time. I use removable washable
girth sleeves always. Fleece ones are my favourites.
Julian Ross |
Mongolians
change their riding horses every two weeks, so it doesn't matter if the
"one-saddle-fits-all" saddles didn't fit the horse perfectly.
We had to experiment a lot, however. After a while we developed a different way of putting the saddle blankets on the back of the horse. We took two for each side of the horse and folded them in half, then we hound them together with a rope. So now the wooden parts of the saddle sat on the blankets, but the spine of the horse was free, without saddle blankets, and the saddles didn't touch the spine any more. From then on we never had any more problems with saddle sores. Evelyn Landerer |
I started out with regular canvas
saddlebags. Those lasted about a week and a half! Then I went to leather.
They were heavier and lasted just about as long. At last I tried army/navy
backpacks. So far, nothing can beat the quality and durability of these
things, not to mention the low price and all the cool pockets! Because
they are meant to be used as backpacks, some modifications have to be
made. The straps should be cut off. A special harness made out of nylon
seatbelt material is then sewn onto each backpack using a leather-sewing
awl. Seatbelt material won’t wear out, and it is extremely strong. It is
advisable to cover the horse side of the backpacks with nylon material to
minimize wear. The following diagram shows where to sew the seatbelt
strapping onto the backpack. Next the saddle must be outfitted
to accept the modified backpacks. All that is needed is more seatbelt
strapping and some snap hooks. The following diagram shows how to make
this simple saddle harness. The unique feature of this packing
method, as opposed to conventional saddle bags, is that most of the weight
of the saddlebags is shifted forward under the rider, and off the
horse’s lower back and kidneys. Another great feature is that it takes
less than 30 seconds to put the packs on after the horse is saddled. The
packs have two ‘D’ rings on the back which hang on two small hooks
that are attached to the saddle harness. So the daily routine of packing
the horse is only a matter of picking up the packs and slipping the
‘D’ rings into the hooks! I kept my sleeping bag behind the saddle in
an army/navy canvas duffle bag. This was attached using the saddle
strings. I sewed buckles into the strings to make it easier to attach the
duffle bag nice and tight so it didn’t wobble. I used to walk several
miles per day with my horse. When I walked, all my packs (the two
army/navy backpacks and the duffle bag) could be easily shifted forward on
the saddle where the rider would sit. The saddle Tracy Paine |
Saddles 2 | Saddles 4 |
Saddles, saddle-pads & saddle-bags | Pack saddles | Horse-shoes & hoof care | ||
Horse training | Tents | Solar power & laptops | Clothing | Camping equipment |