To ride safely and securely, two items of tack are essential for the full enjoyment of riding-a saddle and a bridle. After the purchase of your horse, these are probably the next expensive items you have to buy.
Saddles and bridles can be bought ready made, but it is also possible to have a saddle-maker make a saddle especially for your horse. While this can be a more expensive option, the saddle will be made to the exact measurements of your horse, giving it maximum comfort and you maximum control.
Saddles
There are many different types of saddles available to suit the wide variety of today’s equestrian activities. For everyday riding, the most commonly used saddle is the general purpose. As its name suggests, it is designed to be used for jumping, hacking and schooling. For riders specializing in dressage, the dressage saddle has a deeper seat and straighter flaps than the general purpose to give the rider optimum balance in the saddle and enable them to sit in the most central position to perform dressage movements. For show-jumping, the jumping saddle has forward-cut flaps to accommodate the rider’s leg at the shorter stirrup length needed for jumping position.
Bridles
As for saddles, there are a variety of bridles available. They come in three standard sizes-pony, cob, or full. Ideally they should be of good-quality leather but are also available in synthetic materials. Ideally, the bridle should match the color of the saddle. The standard colors are light brown, dark brown or black. Try to select a bridle where the color and width of the leather complements your horse or pony. Horses, particularly hunter types, look better with wider leather, whereas the smaller head of a show pony or Arab suits a much finer, lighter leather.
Nosebands
Nosebands are also available in various designs. The cavesson is the most common and is largely used for appearance only-many people feel it “finishes off” the look of the horse’s head. Other nosebands, such as the drop, flash and grackle, are designed to give the rider more control. They do this by preventing the horse from evading the bit, which it might try to do by opening its mouth or crossing its jaw.
The basic noseband should sit just below the cheek bones and be fastened without any slack at the back of the jaw.
