Ok I have a few questions concerning tack and other horse related stuff.
1. How do you know what size saddle will fit you without trying it out? I am looking at an 17 "english saddle, its used but in good condition, I just plan on using it for hacking and schooling. Is 17" the average saddle size?
2. How much do new stirrup leathers cost? I dont want anything fancy just something that will get the job done lol.
3. When leasing a horse should I buy my own set of grooming brushes and tools? The stable has 'community" brushes and Ive leased a horse before I just dont remember if I bought my own brushes or not.
4. Probably the silliest questions but when ordering riding breeches is the size the same as your waist measurement or your hips measurement? I am ordering them from State Line Tack and cannot find a measurement guide and I want to make sure they fit and are comfortable.
5. Can any of you recommend a list or a community that advertises for used tack?
Answers:
17 inches is the normal saddle size... it's kinda the all purpose size... most lesson barns have 17 inch saddles for everyone to use. If you're thinner, you can use the smaller saddles... and they make really small ones for kids. The inches measurement is how long the saddle is from front to back... it should fit YOU!... that part doesn't depend on the horse. The underpart of the saddle (the padded part that sits on the horse) should fit the horse... they make the padding closer together or farther apart (with a gap in the center) depending on the horses back and the size of the withers (height and width). That's why they make different size trees... you'll hear about wide trees or narrow trees and they make adjustable trees in saddles and that's the part that should fit your horse. The length of the saddle (the inches measurement) is about you. The tree is about the horse. The average size for a fully grown person is a 17 inch saddle. If you're a larger size person you might be more comfortable with a bigger saddle... I'm used to the 17 inch saddle, so I'm comfortable riding it, but it is a bit small for me (I'm only slightly taller than 5 foot and I wear a size 14 jeans)... I hope that gives you some perspective. 13 inches would be a saddle for a child... it would be WAY too small for a normal adult.
I'm not sure about stirrup leathers (I've never bought any) but I'm sure it's pretty easy to find out... just search for some on State Line Tack and look at the prices.
Brushes... all of the people at my barn who own their own horses also have their own brushes. I'm sure you can use the community brushes (ours are more like lesson brushes... for the kids taking lessons, so maybe your community brushes are different), but you can control how clean you keep your brushes and what condition they stay in. I've never really had a problem using the lesson brushes... my barn actually just got some new ones and they're really nice... but if the brushes at your barn are poor quality or dirty or anything, you might want your own. It's really your choice. I don't think brushes are really very expensive, but you might choose to wait to purchase some since you're just buying a horse (so you might not have enough money to spend on your brushes right now). You certainly need to have access to brushes because it's important to groom your horse, but if you can use the community ones, there's no hurry to buy your own.
I'm really not sure about breeches... I know mine were a 30something, so (judging from knowing my measurements) I'd have to guess that's the waist size.
You can go on equine.com and search their listings for tack that people are selling. Ebay also has some people selling tack, but I'm never sure about the quality of stuff that people sell on there... I feel like equine.com is more reliable because it has to be horse people and it's a horse website.
Where are you in Ohio? I went to school at Miami University (it's near Cincinnati for all you people thinking that Miami is only in Florida)... the big place for people to go around there is called Wind %26 Withers, but I think it might have closed. I bought most of my show clothes at a place called Macaulays. And I bought my hunt coat at The Tack Trunk. Unfortunately I don't really know where any of those places are (I mean i can't give you directions) because I'm actually from Cleveland. Around here, the best place I've found is called Valley tack and it's in Valley City. There's also a place I've heard a lot about called The Paddock, but I've never been there and I don't know where it is.
Good luck and have fun spending all your money on your new horsey things!
***I would say a 17" is an average size. If you are a small, petite person, it might even be a little large for you.
Depending on what size your rear is, hehe. I always rode in a 15"when I was a younger teen. Now I've had children and my pant size has increased to size 12, so I use a 17".
But the saddle needs to fit not only you, but the horse as well. Make sure it fits his withers properly or else you will have a cranky or sore horse.
*** Stirrup leathers are not expensive. You can find them on ebay for under $15. Also watch in your area for tack sales,you'll find a lot of bargains this way!
**I would certainly buy my own set of brushes. The community brushes are probably going to be old and yucky.
Some barns that share brushes, cinches, etc. get skin rots and different problems from transfering everything from horse to horse. Plus, you'll feel better just having you own.
I would get- A hard bristled brush, curry comb, shedding blade, and a hoof pick to start.
You can get a start here for under $10!
http://www.horse.com/products/product.as...
Another good place is www.jeffersequine.com
**When ordering breeches, I would still buy them according to your pant size. They have a nice amount of stretch in them, so I usually buy them about 1 size smaller than I actually wear. I had some that were like 5 sizes too small and they still fit me.
**here are some that I use most frequently:
www.tacktrader.com
www.equine.com
and I love http://www.saddleupmag.com/cal/month.php... they have a calander where you can find tons of tack sales, shows, etc..
Hope this helps! Good luck with everything. Everyone has to start somewhere!
1. The size saddle you need depends on the size seat you're going to put in it. If you're an adult, then a 17" will probably work for you. If you're on the small side it may very well be too big, though. Where is the saddle ? Will they let you sit in it to see if it feels good? Trying it is best.
2. Stirrup leathers are really cheap for English saddles. You can get them from the State Line catalog. If you want to be sure, look them up on-line first.
3. If you're needing to save a little money, community grooming tools should be okay. I just always kept my own, though, because then I could buy soft brushes, stiff brushes, specialty items that I liked and keep them clean and in good shape.
4. Can't help you with this one, but try calling State Line and speaking with someone in Customer Service. I'm guessing waist size, though.
5. Check with your local feed store. People often advertise sales or equipment for sale in the store. In our neck of the woods we have a horse-related newspaper that has all kinds of stuff for sale all the time.
Happy Trails!
1. You do need to measure the saddle by fitting it on your horse. when you set a saddle on his or her back, you should be able to fit your hand between the horses back and the saddle without touching either. 17" is a kindof large saddle. The average size is probably a 13" It does depend on the horse. You need to go to a tack shop and find out what size saddle fits you best. like I said before, 17 inches is alot.
2. $40 is the average stirrup leather cost.
3. Yes you should buy your own tools. It will help later on if you buy a horse.
4. You can order a State Line Tack catalog for free and inside it will tell you how to fit them.
5. ebay, or you can do a google search for used tack. OR look in the classifieds of your local newspaper.
1) If you are going to order a saddle online (which is the place you often find the best deals) Then i suggest you first go to a tack store and sit in some of the different sized saddles. I suspect that a 17'' would fit you fine but you can never be sure. When trying on a saddle you should be able to fit 4 fingers behind your rump and about 3 in front. There will probably be someone at the store that will gladly help you!
2) I'd say 30-200$ I got good ones at stateline tack for 60$ So i'd try to find some around that price range but make sure they match your new saddle!
3)YES! When I leased my horse I loved having my own stuff It's much easier that way because you will always have brushes-- if you share they might run short and if you decide to go anywhere (like a show) with your leased horse you will want to have your own things.plus, it's good to have your own stuff around when you decide to buy a horse.
4) I'd say go to a tack store, try some on-- and go from there. What I did was buy a pair from a tack store after I knew they fit and then ordered from online from there on. Once you know your size it's as easy as that. And the measurement depends on what kind of breeches you get, high riders, low riders, long legs, short legs etc... I'd say hips measurement though because chances are your hips are wider than your waist-- so you dont wanna chance it by going to small and having them be too tight.
5) Sorry, I don't live in ohio but try some online websites like horsetopia.com, horseclassifieds.com etc...!
Have your seat size measured for the type of saddle that you are getting ot looking at. if you want ' get the job done' stirrup leathers, new ones run an average of about 40-50 dollars. if i were you,. i would buy my own grooming tools. even if the stables are clean, there is still the chance that some of the other horses could have things like lice or mange. if you are getting waist high breeches, then i would go by your waist meadurment whenever ordering your breeches.
I think a 17 sounds good. But because your just hacking, you could get half a size bigger just to bet more comfy. Usually people have to be fitted to their saddle in jumping so they dont fall as often. I also, remember finding this saddle in a magazine that is a very comfy saddle for both rider and horse. It comes in one size and fits every horse because there is no tree. or stirrup leathers, if your looking for cheap, I would go with synthetics. They arent cheap but they arent expensive. Plus they dont stretch! For the brushesm yes buy your own. Because if a horse get a disease or fungus or like ring worm and then you use the brush, your horse would get it. I am also in Ohio, and I dont know where you are. But there is a Tacky Horse near Dayton and there is a Tack Trunk near lebanon.
1. 17" is about average size for an English saddle. To get a good idea of what size saddle you need, you can measure from your hipbone to your knee. That is a good baseline for the size saddle you need...it's not the size of your butt that really matters, but the length of your thigh. For example, the length of my thigh is about 17", and I ride in a 17" saddle...I also have a 17.5" saddle which fits just fine too. You are better to go too big, than too small. When you sit in the saddle, you should be able to fit a hand's width behind you, and your legs should not be over the front of the flaps.
Also, be sure the saddle fits the horse as well as you! If it doesn't fit the horse, you can have major problems. Improper saddle fit can cause physical and behavioral issues. If it is too narrow, it can pinch the withers and cause back soreness and sores. If too wide, it will actually sit on the withers and cause pain and possibly sores on the withers. Trust me, I have seen what can happen with a poorly fitted saddle, and the horse went through hell being treated for a long time. If you are leasing, you may want to get a saddle with the interchangeable gullets so you can adjust to different horses without buying a new saddle (Wintec and a couple other brands make them).
2. State Line sells leathers, get good quality leathers such as Courbette(around $75, I use these and they are excellent)..they are good quality and will last better than cheap leather. The cheap ones may have bad stitching or be very thick and rigid (signs of poor quality leather) and not be comfortable or flexible to ride in. Sometimes you can find nice ones on e-bay, or State Line probably has some other quality ones for a little less.
3. Yes, I would get my own brushes. Community brushes, if not cleaned regularly, can harbor bacteria and fungus that can be transferred to other horses and cause skin problems.
4. Yes, most are the same as your waist unless you get the low rise or the description says they run larger or smaller.
5. Tacktrader, ebay is good...there are lots of sites...just do some searches
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