Learning about the parts of your barrel saddle is important because if something on your saddle breaks then it would be easier to find a part in a tack shop. The most common parts that people know of the saddle are the horn, seat, gullet, fender, stirrup, skirt, cantle, and the fleece lining which is really sheep skin.
To determine what size seat your saddle is you will first place a measuring tape or ruler in the middle of the top of the gullet straight back to the top of the cantle. You will measure the barrel saddle in niches and how ever many inches the saddle is how many inches the seat is. Now just because your saddle is one size doesn't mean that you fit in that saddle. The most common seat size is a 15 in or 16 in. You want the saddle to fit you a little tight because barrels saddles are made to keep you in the saddle when you go around the barrels or if your horse bucks. This is just so you don't fall off if you get off balance. Some people don't like to have tight saddles they really should have a 14 in but they feel conferrable in a 15 in. Barrel saddles are really good for little kids that do or don't know how to ride simply because it will be more like a car seat. You also want to make sure that it fits your horse in the withers because we don't want it to be uncomfortable for them. There are two types of saddles that will fit your horse ether a full quarter horse bars or a semi quarter horse bars. This this where the saddle is placed on their withers right above their front shoulders. If it looks like the saddle in sitting up high on the withers and when you are ridding the saddle likes to slip then you probably need a full quarter horse bar saddle. I hope that this will help you find a saddle good luck!
Horses need to get our of their stall or pen every week so they get their exercise that they need. Horses that are in a stall usually have more energy and get more exited than horses in a pasture or a bigger pen. This is because horses like to run, if they don't get out than they get out of shape just like humans. Horses also get bored just like humans too. For example, if you have a class that you do in the same steps or routine every day you ether get annoyed or bored it the same thing. Also, horses love and know what their jobs are but they need a vacation for a day of work so try something new or go on a trail ride for two three hours straight. This wont only make them happy it will build their muscle tone! If you and your horse haven't become a teem yet then try lunging him or her for a while to get them to focus on you. One other thing you could try is let your horses out in a pasture or round pen for a half an hour so they could just be horses and they can get their energy out before you ride them. If you don't have access to a turn out or round pen then go for lunging instead or if you don't think that you will be able to catch your horse in a pasture lunging is defiantly the way to go so they don't just run away from you.
These different types of braids are mainly for western pleasure or gymkhana riding. Western pleasure is when you do what the judge says, for example, walk, trot, canter, and it is all about how you control your horse. On the other hand, a gymkhana is when it is all about time not you and your horse. For example, you run different types of course like barrels or pole bending. You can see in another of my posts that it will show you how to do the courses. There are many different braids besides these just google it! The types of braids are very easy to make. The regular braid will take you less than ten minutes is you know how to braid your own hair it will make it a little bit easier. Most people use it mainly for gymkhana or just in the pen so it wont get dirty or tangled. The cobweb braid is a bit harder i have never done it before so i don't know how to do it but i researched and found out that it takes about fifteen to twenty minutes if you know how to do it. This is more of a stylish look for you and your horse! The diamond braid is similar to the regular braid just because it is more standard and most people use it for gymkhana but it can be used for many things. This takes less than ten minutes because you and just putting it in to many pony tales. Last but not least, the french braid is similar to the cobweb braid because it is more pretty and girly. This will take like ten to fifteen minutes. You will want to do these types of braids a day before a morning show because you don't want to run out of time. If you would like to try one of these braids just google the name of the braid to find directions. Have fun!!
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