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THE SEVEN HORSEMAN'S SURVIVAL STEPS
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- Use a Proper Saddle.
Horses aren't really designed to carry loads. They have long horizontal backs and they are designed to carry their own weight and propel themselves long distances. However, as we know, horses are quite adaptable to carrying humans. However this activity can sometimes come at a price to the horse.
Saddles were invented around 365 AD by the Sarmatians to help improve their soldiers' balance in battle. Over subsequent years it was discovered that saddles could either improve or undermine the condition of the horse, depending upon how the saddles distributed the rider's weight and how closely the saddles matched the contours of the horses upon which they were placed. In times when people relied on horses for transportation, saddle construction and fitting was something people just understood. After all, if your horse got sore you were simply out of luck and pretty soon your feet got sore!
Nowadays we often don't think of saddle fit unless a horse gets edgy under saddle or develops saddle sores. However before these obvious signs of problems appear, a poorly fitting saddle could be doing constant "micro trauma" to our horse. Therefore proper saddle fitting is an issue we must consider.
Proper saddle fit is not based on price. An expensive saddle can either fit or not fit a particular horse the same as a cheap saddle. We need to look at a few basic elements to determine if our saddle really fits.
- The Angle of the Tree.
The angle of the tree (the underneath "A" shape) needs to be the same relative angle
as the horse's back. If the tree angle is too wide the saddle will tend to pinch at the
top and be loose along the bottom. If the tree angle is too narrow, the saddle will
pinch along the bottom but not make proper contact at the top. If a saddle is of the
correct angle but is too wide, the gap can be filled by properly designed pads. If the
saddle is of an improper angle and pinches somewhere, pads aren't going to help any more
than thicker socks will help if your boots have a narrow place that pinches your feet.
- "Cut" of the Saddle
Some horses have long backs. Other horses have short backs. Some horses have high
withers while others seem to have no withers at all. A short backed horse may find
a saddle with lots of skirting to be uncomfortable when all that leather constantly
rubs his hip bones. A high withered horse can find a saddle having a low fork that rubs
his backbone to be downright painful. A proper saddle should accommodate the particular
contours of the horse being ridden.
- Seat and Stirrup Position.
How the rider balances in the saddle impacts the comfort and stamina of both the horse
and rider. Seat and balance vary slightly for different riding disciplines, but for
general purpose riding, the rider should be able to sit up straight with thighs sloping
downwards and when relaxed, the rider's legs should be underneath the shoulders. Saddles
not designed or rigged for the type of riding intended often make things harder on both
rider and horse. The saddle seat should be of a proper dimension to accommodate the seat
of the rider comfortably, but not so large the rider tends to slide around.
If in doubt find someone who really knows what he/she is doing and make sure your saddle fits!
- Maintain Equipment in Good Condition.
It's hard to predict when things are going to go wrong and when they do, we really want to be able to count on our equipment. The time to discover that a key piece of equipment is not up to the task is long before the horse has flipped into "right brain" mode and our safety depends on all of our equipment doing its job.
Years ago we participated in a charity group trail ride and there were at least five breakdowns during the day ranging from tack failures to a shoe coming loose that we had to "fix." Most of these problems could have been detected and fixed before the ride. And there have been times that we, too, have let something that needed fixing or replacing slide by a little too long and we've had to make repairs when we'd rather have been using that time for horse activities.
Set aside time for tack cleaning and inspection. As busy as life gets some of us
may simply need to reserve time for this chore. We need to go over our equipment, clean it up, and look for subtle changes that are warning us of needed repairs or components that need replacement.
Any leather that is starting to crack deserves attention. Reins, stirrup leathers, latigos, billets and any other pieces of leather that have to sustain a load are mission critical components. As leather weathers and cracks, its load strength diminishes and when really tested, can (and often will) fail. Most of these components are relatively inexpensive when placed in the context of the total expenses related to owning and riding a horse... or one's co-payment charged by the emergency room, so these items really do need replacing if they aren't truly in serviceable condition.
Saddles with trees shouldn't be overly flexible. We know how our saddles should feel when we pick them up and if any component feels "sloppy," we're going to stop and check it out. Screws can start to work loose, nails can work out and leather lacing can start to get slack or wear through. These are all items that can be fixed before any lasting damage is done to a saddle.
Rein and line buckles and clips should be inspected. Clips with weak springs or sloppy actions are suspect. Lobster claw clips that look distorted are probably ready to fail. Chicago screws are notorious for working loose. (A drop of nail polish on the threads can help keep them from vibrating loose.)
Any buckle with a bent tongue is a point of weakness. Any rivet in any leather component that shows green oxidation around it is showing the early signs of deterioration. Torn buckle holes any gear are early signs of pending failure under stress. Know what your gear should look like and if it doesn't look right and you don't know why, solicit competent advice.
It amazes us that people who wouldn't take a freeway trip across the desert with bald tires, frayed fan belts or leaky radiator hoses would ride out in rough country with gear just waiting to fail. And when it does fail, many complain about their bad luck. But we create a lot of our own luck. We can either prepare and be ready to take advantage of opportunities (good luck) or we can fail to prepare and be victims of predictable happenstance (bad luck.) It's our choice.
- Remain in Thinking Mode.
In the fire service, long before we ever thought much about left brain and right brain, we would drill into the rookies the following bit of wisdom. "When things seem to be getting out of control, always ask yourself, 'Am I thinking or am I reacting?'" While admittedly there are a couple of instances we can imagine when reacting might be the right answer, in the vast majority of instances we're safer when our left brain remains engaged and we are making conscious decisions ... thinking.
Remaining in left brain mode when handling and riding horses is even more mission critical. When the leader / handler / predator (however you are categorized by the horse) flips into right brain mode the phenomenon is often contagious. When things seem to be moving too fast or headed out of control, we need to ask ourselves if we are still thinking or if we're reacting. If we can still think the situation through, it's time to refocus and regain logical control over the situation. If we can't get back into thinking mode it's probably best to stop the action (or get off the horse,) regroup, formulate a new plan, and continue with both rider and horse operating in left brain (thinking) mode.
- Always have an "Escape Plan.
Whenever we are riding, on a green horse, on the trail, in an arena, in a crowd, we always think about having an escape plan. Some of these concepts are simple. For example, if a green horse bends well to the left but still occasionally hesitates or gets rigid if asked to bend to the right, we're going to already pre-plan to bend the horse to that more comfortable left direction or use a left rein one rein stop if the horse gets overstimulated. (We want the horse equally supple on both sides but that sometimes takes time and until the horse is supple, we'll avoid riding in ways that prevent us from using the most efficient "escape track.")
If riding in a crowd, especially if the crowd contains a number of beginners, we constantly process "openings" where we can guide our horse if things suddenly get hectic.
If riding in a parade we process where we are in the formation and pre-plan what we will likely do if, for example, a child rushes us with a balloon. Pre-planning and constantly observing helps keep us in left brain mode when things start to get busy, and it shortens the reflex time between awareness and decision if we need to take corrective action.
If we make an effort to take in the big picture and take charge of "danger aversion," we'll be more competent in those little things that make our horses more confident. When something doesn't look right we can start to make those little changes that let our horses know that we're also aware of the problem and that we're still in charge.
Similarly we need to know when to get off the horse. If the situation has reached a point that the rider is no longer confident that he/she can handle things, making an emergency dismount and landing on one's feet is preferable to having one's head planted into the ground like a lawn dart. Everyone needs to practice emergency dismounts, head toward the ground feet first, and be aware to direct their horse's head toward the side from which they are dismounting in order to encourage those hind feet to swing away toward the opposite side. Mecate reins are great because a rider can execute an emergency dismount and still have a chance of still holding onto the horse should the situation warrant it.
Safety is everyone's business. Once it becomes second nature you should find yourself wasting less time dealing with breakdowns, accidents or other calamities, and you'll be less likely to be on a first name basis with the medical helicopter crew.
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