No matter whether you ride an English or Western saddle, the basic principles for saddling up remain similar. Your goal should be safety and comfort for both horse and rider. These instructions feature an English saddle in their images but still apply equally to both styles of saddle; there may be minor differences when strapping one on.
Brush Your Horse
Carefully brush your horse’s back and girth area. Be mindful to remove any dirt or grit that could cause discomfort to chaffing under saddle or girth; make sure all hair lays flat after brushing so any galls or irritations develop; check also your horse’s girth area and brush or sponge away any dirt or mud from there as well. Failure to do this could result in painful galls or irritations which lead to misbehaving behavior from your equine companion!
As is customary, most riders choose to saddle from the left side; however, should any issues arise, you can saddle from either side if necessary.
Position the Blanket or Pad
A Western saddle blanket must typically be folded in half with its fold facing forward when on your horse, or folded over as you mount. You could also opt for a Western saddle pad which doesn’t require folding.
An English saddle pad should fit neatly underneath the saddle, with fastener tabs or ties attached to a D-ring on the saddle to keep it in place during riding. Any tabs or ties attached must remain on top side, not against horse.
Position the saddle pad or blanket onto your horse’s back by positioning it forward over their withers and sliding it back in place. This positioning ensures that hair on their back lies flat underneath both pad and saddle; check both sides to make sure nothing has folded, wrinkled, or curled up underneath either one.
Lift Your Saddle
Before mounting an English saddle, its stirrups must be run up the leathers; on a Western saddle, its offside stirrup must either be hooked over its horn or folded over. These steps help prevent hard stirrups from striking you or your horse as you lift. Girth buckles or cinchs, if present, should also be folded back over the seat of the saddle; some people take this precaution off each time they finish riding so as to prevent their billet straps becoming twisted when stored away – although doing this may force them buckle both sides when getting back onto their horses when getting on.
Lift the saddle high enough that it doesn’t hit your horse or knock its pad out of place, then place it gently on their back – otherwise, it could spook them or make them dislike being saddled or “cold backed.”