Tack and Attire

So, one of the things about Working Equitation is that it doesn’t matter what kind of horse you ride or what tradition you ride under, everything is okay provided your tack and attire match and you ride with the same tack and attire the entire show. I have seen people show in a myriad of traditions: from dressage to Heritage to roper to Portuguese or Spanish traditions. At the National Show in October, one of the women who was competing was riding in an Alta Escuela and was dressed traditionally. She looked very good. It was also very apparent to me that I was never going to pass with the clothing I was currently riding in. That recognition sent me frantically searching the interwebs for proper apparel, which strangely enough, you can only buy from Spain.

For lots and lots of money.

Like I could easily drop a thousand dollars and not be guaranteed that 1) everything would match and 2) it would fit. Let alone look good on me.

I decided that maybe it would be easier to find a fairly cheap western saddle and go about putting together an entirely new look for Ashke and I. So started a half-hearted attempt at finding the perfect saddle for my very hard to fit horse. My intention was to find said saddle used for not a lot of money, and only ride in it a couple of times right before the show. I loved the Alta and had no real desire to change. In my reluctant search, I saw a used Mexican saddle on consignment at a tack shop and decided to try it. 

At first I thought it was too narrow, and then when I tried it a second time ($330 is too good to pass up) I decided it was too wide. However, once I got a western saddle pad fitted to his back under it, the saddle fits very well. It came with a breast collar and back cinch and the tooling is phenomenal.

I hated the pad, however. He is so short back that the pad edges flared out and annoyed me.

The stirrups were never turned, so we are working on that.

The most interesting thing to me, however, is the fact that he moves in it better than he was moving in the Alta. It has taken me some time to get used to the saddle, especially since it does not lock my hips into place the way the Alta does and there is a lot more swing through my lower back. It has been pretty amazing to feel his improvement in the lateral work just from freeing up my lower back. I have also been very pleased with the press pattern of the saddle. It has gone from a “just ride in it right before a show” to my every day saddle. 

I ordered a new, short, rounded saddle pad for it, which I like the looks of very well.

I also got a new fleece girth to use, but intend to purchase a TSF western girth the next time I’m flush with money.

I also purchased a new headstall and reins, which match both the saddle and the bit. I had to move the earpiece to the left ear, since his right one has cartilage damage from someone twisting it in anger.

I decided to go to the one ear model in hopes of moving the side pieces of the headstall away from his eye. It has always been an annoyance that the Spanish bridle just never really fit him due to the narrowness of the browband (when I say I want it in 16.5” size, I do know what I am talking about.) 

I decided that since I was sticking with the saddle, I should probably clean it.

It was pretty dirty and the silver work on it was very tarnished.

It looks black but I’m pretty sure that it was originally a very dark brown with lighter reddish brown highlights.

I don’t think it’s been cleaned for years, although someone did replace all of the leather strapping, including the stirrup harness under the tooled stirrup leather. 

It took a couple of hours of scrubbing with a toothbrush to just get the embedded grime out.

The leather took the oil like sand in the desert.

Cleans up pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I also have new western style boots, with western spurs and spurs straps, which I wear with my breeches and half chaps. It’s a look. Don’t judge. I have a set of chinks coming and will need to get the vest back to its western look and perhaps add a bandana to the mix, but we are getting there.