Hi, I’m brand new to all this but looking for some help. My girlfriend sent me a photo of her saddle when she went down to to see her horse. Is there anyway to fix it? Or where would I look into bringing it? Thank you

My filly is about to be 2.5yo. I am not going to sit on her until she's at LEAST 3. When I do start riding her, it will be ~20 very light rides, just establishing a kindergarten level understanding of WTC stop/back up. She will be turned out afterwards until she's 4, when I will start piddling around on her -- very low intensity, mostly walking and hacking around. "Work" won't start until she's 6. The majority of my professional and personal horse experience is young/green horses, so this is not my first rodeo either. Just wanted to establish that before I get into my question!!

She'll be 3 in March. I have started hand walking and ponying her with a saddle on and have hand walked her 2x with a saddle and bridle both on. She is perfectly behaved when we are hand walking and that is not the issue. But when we're ponying she can be a little shit and I'm wondering where the line is between "baby getting overstimulated and jubilant" vs. "young horse being dangerous and needing immediate and swift correction." I don't mind some silliness but I have a zero tolerance policy for any sort of dangerous or disrespectful behavior.

I have ponied her a LOT starting at about 1yo. On and off property, in the arena, trails, hayfields, hills, WTC in all of these settings. Without the saddle on, she sometimes gets a little froggy when we're trotting/cantering but only really in the arena has it ever been a big display of WOOOHEEEE!!! Today was no more than the 2nd or 3rd time max I have ponied her with a saddle on.

It was also a really beautiful, cool morning, and I haven't ponied her in a while, so that def played a role too. The ride was 90% walking, circles, turns, and walking over ground poles with less than 15 laps of trotting total for both directions (my arena is like 60ft x 80ft, so ~7 laps each direction is not much at all). In a ~25min ride, all three of these instances occurred at the trot:

(1) did the type of crowhop where they aren't truly bucking, but more like getting in the air and propelling themselves forward (not rearing). I popped the lead rope with sharp, moderate downwards pressure when she did this, which was attached to a standard rope training halter, and made a verbal correction noise.

(2) got very uppity, I didn't see the first part bc I was riding and not staring at her, but when I turned to look at her she had reared all the way up as tall as she could. Like I thought for 0.25 seconds she might flip. She got the lead rope out of my hands and came back down and just stood there. I dismounted, got the lead rope, re-mounted and kept riding. I did not correct this bc she got the lead rope out of my hands and the window had passed by the time I had dismounted and recollected her.

There was a (3) but for the life of me I cannot remember what exactly she did. Or maybe I was looking forward again and just felt the commotion. Idk! I did correct her immediately with an appropriate intensity/magnitude of correction for this while she was in the action of doing it. She did not "act up" again for the remainder of the ride and we finished on a good, correct note with her behaving politely and compliantly with more trotting in both directions.

She is definitely in the testing boundaries stage of development. 99% of the time I catch it and correct the instant something happens. In the 1% of the time where I miss that 3 second window, I don't correct bc it isn't fair to them and that is not my training ethos. I think I am giving her the same benefit of the doubt that I give other animals by not correcting as fully "intensely" as the situation could potentially call for that very first time she misbehaves. Like the first correction is a, "knock it tf off right now" almost like a warning. Any subsequent corrections bypass that subtle warning feeling and go straight to full-throated correction, which scale in intensity depending on the behavior.

When she was a weanling, she had this really fun thing she would do where she would attempt to blindly bolt when I was leading her. I think it happened on 4 separate occasions. The first and second times I don't remember correcting them with the appropriate intensity bc I was surprised and taken off guard both times. The third time I was a bit more ready, but when I spun her in to a circle she bucked/kicked out very close to me. The fourth time I was ready and waiting for her to do it -- she attempted to bolt, and the second she passed my shoulder I got all up in her shit and ROARED AT HER to get back, backing her up quick AF with a lead rope and dressage whip, like a certifiably insane person. But she has not done it since and it's been about 2yrs.

I think I need to more harshly and intensely correct her the next time she bucks/rears while I'm ponying her. But being on another horse is a complicating factor bc I have to manage both of them and I think that is what is hindering me.

Just typing this out helped me organize my thoughts and I can see now how I didn't set her up for 100% success with (1) not working her in a few months, (2) ponying her at a trot with the saddle on, very early into her saddle-wearing experiences, and (3) not correcting the first misbehavior intensely enough the first time. But then again maybe I'm making excuses for her... please let me know your thoughts!

Hi everyone,

I've been learning and working with leather saddles for quite some time, and I recently finished this handcrafted Western saddle.

I'd genuinely love some honest feedback from experienced riders and saddle enthusiasts.

• What stands out to you first?
• Is there anything you would improve?
• What details do you usually look for when judging the quality of a leather saddle?

I'm here to learn, so feel free to be as honest as you'd like. Thanks for taking a look!

The pictures don't do it justice as there are some very low spots.

I was considering tilling the dirt, leveling, tamping, the doing a layer of crushed limestone tamped level before installing new mats.

Or should I just shovel what I can then add dirt to the low spots then my layer of limestone?

I've been seeing a lot of hunter style half seat in show jumping lately and I am curious what people think about riding a show jumping course in half seat or two point the entire time vs riding in a full seat and letting the jump kind of thrust you into two point? I personally prefer riding in two point the entire time to full seat but I'm a novice "jumping" poles that are barely off the ground (jumping in parentheses because I don't think that really counts as jumping lol). I know that full seat makes you more stable but I just personally find two point so much more comfortable. Is this technically wrong?

I have a yearling gelding mustang that is beyond sweet and wonderful. I would like to teach him to drive, work, and pack sometime. I would like to start working with him on it asap within reason and he is already broke for a saddle. My trouble is I am on a very tight budget and can’t afford much. I found these the two sawbuck saddles for $10 and the harness the owner is considering $100 for it. Are these worth buying or should I wait for something better?

I was pretty consistent with walking uphill, doing poll work, and doing stretches to lift her back last summer but then winter hit and I sort of stopped. Should I just be more consistent with those things or is there more that I can do? She isn’t bothered/sore at all in her back (yet) but id like to get it in better shape before it gets worse.

Hiya! I’m based in southern Louisiana and started taking riding lessons back in March. The facility I learn at is a ranch style place - more Western style riding.

We’re getting deeper into swamp ass season and the Wrangler jeans I typically wear to my lessons are starting to stick to my body from sweat and restricting my movements in a distracting way.

I ordered a pair of the Ariat Ascent Half Grip tights to try out (and because they were on sale so it felt safer? I dunno). They haven’t arrived yet, but I figured I’d get started on some more shopping around & research.
I know there’s a difference between some clothing for English vs Western riding and of course I’d like to try and find stuff that’s durable but breathable & offers the coverage needed when in the saddle.

I’m curious if I’m looking in the right direction or if anyone has some suggestions for any type of garments/retailers/brands (tops, bottoms, headwear, whatever!) for riding & working in hot, humid, & sunny conditions?

Thank you!! :)

I’m about to start taking riding lessons, and all I know is not to come in sneakers. 😅
Some tips and recommendations would help me enormously!

Hi everyone!

​I’m looking for recommendations on free websites, online resources, or downloadable books/PDFs ect to learn how to identify different horse breeds. ​I’m looking for something beginner-friendly—explained as if you were teaching someone who knows virtually nothing about horses yet!

Ideally, I’d love something that breaks down key visual traits (like coat patterns, feathering, body builds, and facial markings) in plain, simple terms. With any visuals would be extra helpful.

​Does anyone have favorite go-to sites, beginner guides, Child friendly resources or database resources for this? I'm also open to book recommendations I might find in the library.

Thanks so much in advance!

After my old horse had to be put down a year ago, I recently bought a new horse. And while I try to not have the new horse be a stand in for the old, one thing is very hard for me.

My old boy and I had a very tight bond, he always called for me from across the field, would snuggle and trust me no matter what. He generally hated other people, so it felt special. I’d had him all his life, so basically all my life as well

My new horse is young, loves people, and while I have had him for a few months now, he doesn’t seem to recognize me, or at least not consider me all that special.

I know that in time it’ll come, but I’d like to know what you do about bonding with new horses, if you do anything at all other than just being around them

Ive worked at 2 hunter barns this year, almost all horses from both have had sore backs. I ride at another barn, and if any of the horses showed signs of discomfort they wouldn't be ridden. these owners say it's just from work, getting into shape, etc. Is this something normal for this discipline? Or is this not a sign of pain, but maybe sensitivity when checking? They're mostly ridden in sanded rings.

I’ve noticed a few posts recently that have sparked some pretty heated debates about jumping position, and it got me thinking about how much of it seems to come down to where you learned to ride.

I’m Australian, and we don’t really have a hunter culture here. Our jumping position, particularly for eventers, tends to be much more defensive. The emphasis is on staying balanced over your feet, keeping your upper body with the horse rather than throwing it at the fence, maintaining soft elbows, and allowing with your hands without a huge crest release. If anything, getting ahead of the movement is something we’re actively taught to avoid.

Then I saw a post discussing hunter equitation, followed by another where a girl on a young horse with quite a big jump was getting half praised and half criticised because she had a very still, secure position but wasn’t making a more dramatic release over the fence.
It made me realise just how differently people are taught depending on the discipline and country they’re riding in. What one group sees as a secure, effective position, another sees as restrictive or incorrect.

For those who have ridden in different countries or disciplines (hunters, jumpers, eventing, etc.), what differences have you noticed? Is it mostly stylistic, or do you think there are genuine biomechanical advantages to one approach over another?

One thing I have noticed, though, is that people on this sub can be incredibly harsh when critiquing photos or videos. It’s interesting that the same position can be praised by one group and torn apart by another, when often it’s simply a reflection of different systems of riding.

(Not my photo, just one I thought illustrated the sort of position I’m talking about.)

Hi! I’m looking for books that teach me about horses themselves rather than riding techniques.

I’d love to learn about horse behavior, communication, welfare, husbandry, health, breeds, how they think, and why people manage them the way they do.

I’m a beginner, so I’m looking for books that are accurate but accessible. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

I got new ariat paddock boots to replace mine that are starting to fall apart- why are they so ugly omg

they look like clunky rubber rainboots, the material is thick and doesn’t feel like leather, plastic zipper..

Should I return? These were the ~$170 (heritage) version, is the $260 (devon) version of any better quality? Is there another brand of better quality? I bought ariat because I wanted to match my half chaps.

Honestly if you can’t have fun what are you doing? Even with my show horses I goof off and have fun with them. Like putting a blow up unicorn suit on…

I randomly came across a post about this horse on Facebook, by what appeared to be its seller/broker. The post said it was bay roan, and said that the parents were red roan and bay. Is it really bay roan? Commenters were saying it looked grey or very light buckskin, it kind of reminds me of dun like Fjords. But going off the parents those aren’t possible?

Anyway I’m just really curious what would give this colour, it’s gorgeous!

Here's some trot work where I feel like I'm getting the hang of keeping this big boy with me instead of rushing away or dragging his hooves. Amazing how much shorter the reins feel than they actually are. Feel free to tear me to shreds in comments because I'm not allowed to nitpick during lessons anymore and have come to you to get my fix.

I know it’s almost time for my old gal, she’s summering well but I can’t put her through another winter. She has some pretty bad arthritis that isn’t treatable at this point (she’s on equioxx daily and a joint supplement to help with daily comfort). She’s 30, 26 of those years we’ve been together. For those of you who have made the same decision, how did you deal with the anticipatory grief? It’s killing me. I’m so anxious and I just cry constantly. I just don’t know how to cope, obviously making this the best summer ever for her but I’m just really struggling with it. Any advice appreciate, unless your advice is have you tried xyz bc I have tried everything at this point. TYIA

I am looking into doing a partial lease on a lesson horse (7 days of riding a month) and was wondering if people recommend getting insurance for a lease horse. According to the contract, I would be responsible for vet bills from injuries that occur when I’m riding or from negligence. Do others with similar leases recommend insurance, if so, could you share how your insurance works? Thank you!

Maple is a posable, weighted plush artwork, I 100% handmade, enjoy! <3

So this popped up in my feed for the first time and I was wondering if anyone's heard of them (or tried them) as there's no reviews I can find when searching that are directly in their content. I personally will not use any bungee ties because I've seen horses get injured due to them breaking and snapping back at them.

According to the creator of these, they aren't bungees and aparently don't snap back if they break (I want to see video proof of that though) so, thoughts? Opinions? Experiences with them?

I just like to expand my knowledge of different equipment so I know what might be a good investment in the future.