Posted: 29th September 2014 | Back to news feed
It’s that time of year again. The hunters have come in, fat and happy after their summer break, actually having some sun to bask in!
A relief to all to have a normal spring and summer after a couple of years of very odd seasons.
The repairs are rolling in so it’s time to stop and look carefully at your tack before you set off on the hunting field.
Let’s start with suitability for the job in hand. Half inch cheeks look jolly nice in a showing class, but are not really suitable on the hunting field. Five eighths would be better, with three quarter cheeks being the most suitable for large hunters.
Leather Gag Cheeks should be inspected especially carefully as due to the fact they run through the rings of the bit they are subject to more wear than other parts of the bridle. British saddlery leather is still the best in the world, but if it is not properly cleaned and maintained it will wear and break, but do remember we still use leather bridles more often than synthetic because it can break.
There are situations when a horse becomes entangled for whatever reason, when it is safer that the item breaks than cuts into the animal or indeed person. That is not to say that the modern materials do not have their place, they do and have revolutionised some aspects of equestrianism.
It is popular opinion that rope gag cheeks are safer than leather ones, but always make sure the rope is attached with three rows of stitching at the ends. One should also use a slip head with a gag, just in case they do go ping and you are not left with a bridleless horse, and if you don’t want to be constantly using the bit as a gag a second pair of reins attached as a snaffle are handy.
There is little that has changed in the last few hundreds of years in saddlery design. The real innovations are the modern materials that have enabled some change and invention.
Saddlery has evolved for reasons that are well tried and tested, even if we have forgotten the “why”. White thread is largely out of fashion on bridlework. However it was stitched white so that grooms could see when the stitches had worn away and send them off to the saddlers for repair. Have a good look at the stitching on your bridlework, particularly billets. Is it all still there? Are the billet turns worn and narrowed?
A saddler was recently brought a pair of cheeks to re-stitch. They weren’t actually a pair and the tongues in the buckles were so rusty they actually crumbled in my hands! They went straight in the bin.
Stirrup leathers are a regularly abused item. Please do not punch more holes in your leathers when they have stretched. You may not get the spacings right, which can again be dangerous. A much better thing to do when they are stretched is get your saddler to turn them back again at the buckle end. This not only shortens them, but your saddler will level them up for you too (as how many people remember to swap their leathers from side to side so that the nearside one isn’t getting all the work) but it will also move the point of wear from where the stirrup actually hangs, thus prolonging the life of the leathers as well.
Now for the saddle. Does it actually fit? When did you last have it checked for fit or re-flocked? Does the panel feel soft to the touch or is it as hard as a block of wood? Imagine if your shoes were made that tough and you were asked to run several miles! Are your girth straps safe? Look at the underside for worn ridges where the buckle tongue runs up underneath them, are the holes elongated, or un-level with each other, have the straps narrowed through stretching? Is your stirrup bar still firmly attached and does the safety catch move?
Next time you enter the tack room, take five minutes to have a really good look at your tack and its suitability. You could save yourself a nasty and needless accident.
To find out more information on the Society of Master Saddlers visit www.mastersaddlers.co.uk or contact on 01449 711642.
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