Tacking up horses is one of the things every rider / horse owner should know. So, in this post, the first of the Horses Weekly series, I decided I would write about tacking up; how to tack up, knowing the correct lengths of various straps, what all the straps are called and troubles you can get with green horses, mouthy ones, etc…

So lets start with what all things are called, so that later throughout when I mention them you know exactly what I am talking about.

N.B! This post is for english tack only!

horse bridle


Okay, so I hope you are a bit familiar with the bridle now. Since when you tack up you always start with the bridle, we can bring the saddle in a bit later, but for now the bridle parts is all what we need to know about.

So first you would like to catch your horse, if it isn’t already in the stable. If it has a halter on, you can open it, slide over on to the horses neck and loop it loosely there, so in case it throws up a fuss you can control it. However, if it doesn’t have one, then that is also okay, since you only use the halter for a minute, because the reins are over the horses neck anyway.

(IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT STRAP IS WHAT WHEN THE BRIDLE IS HANGING, CONTINUE READING I MENTION THAT IN TROUBLES WITH TACKING BELOW)

In this post I mention tacking up with a martingale and without one, also. The procedure is almost same, you just need to put in the bridle.


WITHOUT MARTINGALE:

So we will start off with throwing the rein over her head and pulling them up over her neck, letting them rest just before her withers or on them. You never want to let the reins dangle or lay on the floor, the horse can get her hoof caught in the rein. Now, with one hand, you must hold up all the straps and just hold them up, at such a level that the bit can lie just at the horses lips. Then, with your other hand, gently push the bit slightly in, and if you don’t have a green horse, she should open her mouth and accept the bit. Push the bit slightly deeper in, and then from outside use the bit rings to pull it up into position, just on the bars, the tongue comfortable under it, and not too far back in the mouth, neither so front that the horses front row of teeth meet the bit. Then, carefully and gently pull the crownpiece over the horses ears, gently pushing them under the crown. Settle it comfortably behind her ears(as shown in pic above). Settle the browband gently, make it straight and comfortable on the horses forehead, and it is recommended to pull her forelock over the brow-band, so that it doesn’t pull and damage it. It is also seemingly more comfortable. After the crown and brow-band are in their correct position, close up the throatlatch/lash. This should be loose; you do not want to choke your horse. close it up with around a hands distance from her throat. After the troatlash, buckle up the noseband, but don’t do it up too tight, it should just be normal; her muzzle should remain in the normal way, and just buckle it up around that, not pulling at all. And you know what? That is it! Now you probably know how to put on the bridle. Next, we move onto the saddle.

The saddle is quite basic, consisting of only 3 main parts; the seat, the girth and the numnah, also called the saddle pad. The saddle pad is optional, but if you ride without one make sure your saddle has a thick cloth or foam under it, and is comfy on the horses back. Then of course they are stirrups and other things, and each part of the saddle has its own name, however I am not mentioning those for now. As you got your saddle, it probably had the stirrups rolled up, and the girth lay over the seat. So what you want to do is, like how you got it, place it gently over the horses back, and position it correctly, which means straight and slightly behind the withers, so that his shoulder is free to move. If you have a saddle pad, then straighten it nicely and make it comfortable, too. Finally, take the girth and throw it down. Go to the other side of the horse and carefully pull up the girth, and pass it through the buckles. Read below if you are stuck. Pull it up nicely, and if the horse is going to be ridden after a while then keep the girth a little loose. If not, pull it up tight, but not too tight, it should be loose enough for you to put two fingers in between. And that is it!


WITH MARTINGALE:

If the martingale has a neck collar, slide it on to her neck. Then, put the bridle basically as normal. If it has a breast collar/band, then first put on the bridle as normal.

  • NECK COLLAR:

    • Start putting on the saddle, but don’t buckle the girth in as of yet. After the saddle is comfortable and nicely placed, then pull the girth loop of the martingale up, and pass the girth through it, and then buckle it up as usual. Then, unbuckle the reins, and take the martingale rings and pass each through the rein. Then rebuckle the reins. And now you are done!

  • BREAST/CHEST COLLAR:

    • After putting on the bridle, place the saddle, but again, do not do the girth. First, slide the collar on her neck and pull the reins through. Adjust it comfortably on her shoulder, coming from the chest nicely. then in the saddle rings, nicely buckle in the straps to hold the collar in place. Then do the girth and reins as mentioned above.

Okay, now time to mention frequent problems you can have while tacking.

My horse raises his head too high, I cannot put the bit into his mouth!

Well, the answer is simple. Many green horses will raise their heads so high you cannot reach it. They are a few ways you can solve this issue. #1: Try to tempt her. Put some amazing thing on the bit(GOOGLE THESE, I AM NOT PUTTING THEM). Tempt her till she just does lower her head. When she lowers it, put the bit in her mouth, praise her but immediately put your arm over her head, to prevent her from jerking it again. #2: pull the rein more forward, and loop it up nearer too her head, and pull down. Pull her head down and then put it in.

I do not understand what strap is what the moment the bridle is off her head!

Well, for that, I do not have much to say, however, try to hold the bridle over a fence post, like it would be on a horse; reins over the fence, crown and brow-band over the post, nose band around. those three should be easily understandable. Then, browse carefully the other straps, they should seem to make more sense now.

My horse tries to kick me every time I come near her back!

Well, that means she isn’t comfortable with you going to her back. Have you tried coming to her without the saddle? Does she let you? If she does, then give her some scratches on her back, run her down nicely, and talk to her. Feel along her back, are there any sores? Any odd bumps? They could be irritating her. Make sure the saddle is not to small for her. If they are bumps or sores by the way, then you should call your vet, unless something hurt her that you are aware of, then you shouldn’t even be saddling her.

I do not understand the girth! It has only two straps!

Well, this happens. Some people get confused with the girth, as the saddle has three straps for the buckle, whereas the girth only two buckles. It is quite simple, use any two straps, the recommended ones being 1&3, leaving strap 2 in the middle and blank. You can use anyones, but the recommended is 1 and 3.

EDIT: This is incorrect. Each horse is built differently. Your girth straps should be chosen such that they fit both horse and saddle, and will not always be the same on every horse.

Okay, so that is it for now, I know I haven’t added many problems, but it will be coming soon.

See you next time!