Most of the time your horse (hopefully) stops on cue. You increase the contact on your reins and simultaneously ask your horse to slow by stopping his forward motion with resistance from your seat.

On rare occasions, you may need more stopping power. It could be that your horse has bolted or started bucking, or you could be out galloping with a group of friends and find you need just a bit more than normal to get your horse under control.

Teaching the runway stop. Photo from http://www.horseproblems.com.au

The one rein stop is a tool that you should (and your horse) should know for those “just in case” times. But it’s not something to try for the first time when you need it; it’s something you need to teach your horse in advance.

• Start training the one rein stop at the halt. Using one rein ask your horse to bring his head around to the side so that his muzzle is either touching, or close to touching, your leg. You should not have any contact on the other rein. (That’s why it’s called a “one rein” stop).
• Hold until your horse relaxes into this position. You should see his eye soften and he should not be fighting.
• Release and bring his head to the opposite side.
• Rinse and repeat until there is no resistance. You may need to do this dozens of times. Don’t overdo each individual session and remember that your horse will learn what you want him to do.
• Next, try this same procedure at the walk. Bring your horse’s head around to your knee and hold the position until he is completely still and has relaxed into the position.
• Remember to keep your core strong so that you stay in the center of your horse. Don’t lean into the bend because you will unbalance your horse.
• Once you’ve mastered the one-rein stop at the walk, step up the challenge and try it first at the trot and at the canter. Make sure you’ve completely mastered each gait before you move on and make sure you always get to a complete stop.

Why do you need to practice this? First, you need to know the technique before you need it and second, horses learn to relax into it the stop once they’ve been trained with it. If you have a horse that’s panicing, putting them in the one-rein stop can help them calm down.

Equestrians, walkers, joggers and bicyclists all want to use the same trails. There’s only so much public land and it’s important that trail users get along.

Here are some tips for that can help make trail users more comfortable with their shared existence.

Tips for cyclists and joggers:

• Horses are animals and as such, are not predictable. Since they evolved as prey, they have strong flight instincts and can be spooked by creatures they don’t recognize. Things that look normal to us (someone wearing a back pack, riding a recumbant bike, or carrying a child in a back pack) can really frighten a horse.
• If you come up behind a horse, please call out or ring a bell. If we know you are there we can prepare for you to pass. Talking to us is best because then the horse will understand that you are human. Every winter my horse gets spooked by cross country skiers the first few times we encounter them. As soon as they talk to us he calms right down.
• Take your time when passing and leave plenty of room. On a road please don’t ride right next to us or at top speed. If you slow down and give us some room our horses probably won’t even flinch. On a trail, it may be better to wait for a wide spot, especially if you are pushing a stroller.
• If a horse looks scared, please stop your bike or stroller and wait. We don’t want to disrupt your ride or walk, but we also don’t want you to get hurt. Please remember that the average horse weighs more than 1,000 pounds and has steel shod hooves.
• If you’d like to pet a horse, please ask first. My horse is good with people and kids and I usually invite people to approach and get to know us but not every horse is so accommodating.

Tips for equestrians:

• Make sure you have the skills to control your horse before you leave home. Sometimes it’s better to go out on the trail with an experienced trail horse to get your horse used to the sites and sounds.
• Desensitize your horse to potentially scary things such as tarpaulins, flapping paper, dogs, etc. at home. Working with your horse will help build his confidence in you and will teach him how to accept new things. If your horse is scared of bikes, have a friend come over and ride a bike near you in a ring or a field until the horse starts to accept that bicycles are not dangerous.
• If your horse doesn’t do well on their trail, don’t take him to areas where you know you’ll encounter hikers, joggers or cyclists. Work him in quieter areas until you gain more experience or, stay home. Not every horse enjoys being on the trail.
• Remember that most people don’t know anything about horses or how to behave around them. In fact, many people are afraid of them. Don’t assume that people who ride close to you are being rude; they likely have no idea that they could cause an accident.
• Talk to the people you encounter on the trail. Many people are really interested in learning about your horse. Be an ambassador for our sport.

With some mutual respect and education we can make our roads and trails safe and fun for everyone who wants to use them.

One of the beauties of going synthetic is that care is minimal and easy. They have all been extremely durable and showed little to no wear. Synthetic saddles are pretty impervious to sweat or rain and they don’t really show dirt.

With a synthetic saddle, the elements are not an issue. So, toss the oil and the saddle soap. Not only are they unnecessary, but using these products isn’t good for a synthetic saddle. Here’s what I’ve found works well:

Instructions:

• If the saddle is really dirty, you can use a damp cloth with some mild soap. After scrubbing off the saddle, wipe it again with a clean damp cloth.
• Don’t hose down or soak your saddle, especially if it’s wool flocked. While the saddle surface will dry out relatively quickly, the flocking will be wet for a long time.
• If your saddle gets wet (say, from riding in the rain), don’t leave it
• Wipe the saddle with a damp cloth after riding.
• in the sun to dry out. Instead, put it in a warm, shady spot.
• For equisuede, you can restore the nap and clean off dirt by brushing with a stiff brush.
• Wintec also makes a spray on cleaner that you can use to get off stubborn stains.

Tips & Warnings:

• Don’t use solvents on your saddle or girth.
• Don’t soak your saddle with water.
• Always dry your saddle out of the sun.
• Don’t apply oils or waxes.

I frequent the saddle listings on eBay, looking for those great deals on saddles that I’ve always wanted to try. If yo wait long enough, you can almost guarantee that the saddle you are looking for will show up on eBay, and often at a great price. But not everyone feels comfortable buying on eBay. Here are some tips to help ensure you get one of those great deals.

The biggest issue that you have buying on eBay is that most sales are “final” — this means you need to buy the saddle without trying it.

I bought this Schleese eventing saddle for 1/3 of its original price on eBay.

Buying a saddle from a photo requires a leap of faith and an educated eye. EBay is not the place to buy indiscriminately because there are so many variables involved with buying a saddle that fits you and your horse.

Instructions:

1. Only buy from sellers with positive feedback. When you are buying a saddle that you’ve seen only in a photo, you need to trust that it’s being accurately presented. I generally buy only from sellers with 100% positive feedback as these are the ones who have a vested interest in keeping their ratings high.
2. Learn what kinds of saddles suit you and your horse. Does your horse do better with a flat panel or one with a curve? Do you need extra forward flaps? Do you prefer a deep seat or a flat one? Figure this out before you start bidding.
3. Ride in a the exact same size and model to make sure it’s the right saddle for you and your horse. Often you can borrow a saddle from friends or get one from a consignment shop.
4. Make sure the photos are of the actual item being sold and that you see enough photos to assess its condition. I like to see photos of the panels (to make sure they are even), the gullet (to make sure it’s wide enough and doesn’t narrow toward the back of the saddle) and the seat.
5. Ask the seller for measurements. I’ve seen saddles that just didn’t look like the size that was being advertised. Sure enough, when I asked to see a photo of the seat being measured, it was smaller than presented.
6. Ask if there have been any repairs to the saddle. I once bought a saddle that came with patches on the flaps. They weren’t obvious in the photos and the seller “neglected” to mention them.
7. Ask specifically if the tree is sound. A saddle with a cracked or broken tree cannot be used and often cannot be fixed.
8. Pay for insurance if it’s not included. Boxes do go missing. I once returned a saddle to a tack shop and it never arrived. I was mighty glad to have insurance on it.
9. If you buy a saddle that you aren’t sure is going to work, make sure you don’t over pay. You can often resell on eBay and get your money back on a used saddle, something that is difficult to do if you buy new.

Not everyone feels comfortable buying a saddle from a stranger that they cannot return. I’ve bought and sold close to 15 saddles on eBay and only once did I receive a saddle that was truly misrepresented. I was also able get some lovely saddlels that I would not have been able to afford had I bought them new.

Tips & Warnings

1. Don’t buy from sellers with negative feedback.
2. Don’t buy from sellers who don’t show photos of the actual saddle.
3. Avoid sellers who ask you to pay by Western Union. In fact, eBay now specifies that payment should be made only through Paypal.
4. Check to see if sellers have a history of selling equestrian equipment or horse related items. If they haven’t ask enough questions to make sure they have the item and that it’s accurately represented.