Parts of The Western Saddle - Interactive

I always notice there are many great examples of the Parts of The English Saddle, but not as many examples of Parts of the Western Saddle.

This weekend my Dear Husband took me to the barn to take pictures so I could do a post on the Parts of The Western Saddle. I was under strict orders that I keep my pregnant belly to the side of the horse.

Perry got so excited because she thought I was going to finally ride her. We put the saddle on the horse, took the pictures, and then un-tacked her and put her back into the stall. I should have taken a picture of the bewilderment on her face, it was really sad. She looked at me like "Why won't you get on me and ride? Don't you like me anymore?" It won't be long more until I'm back in the saddle again, but until then this is as close as I can get.

To test your knowledge just point your mouse at different spots on the saddle to find the names for each part.

Enjoy!

Deanna

Cantle, Cheyenne Roll, Concho, Fender, Fork, Horn, Latigo, Latigo Keeper, Pommel, Rear Jockey, Rear Rigging Ring, Seat Jockey, Skirt, stirrup, Stirrup Hobble

The Night Latch Strap

I don't know how I ever missed this, but I recently discovered the Night Latch Strap for Western Saddles. It's very similar to the English Grab Strap which is another great product that I was familiar with.



If a horse starts bucking, you have something to hold on to help keep you in the saddle. I would even take it a step further.

What I really like about the Night Latch Strap, is that when a rider is learning to ride, there is something to hold onto instead of the saddle horn.

When a rider holds on to the saddle horn they round their shoulders forward, tip forward, and lift their bottom off of the saddle. All of these things are undesirable. A rider can place two night latch straps on a western saddle if they would like to hold on with two hands for longe line training. They will then keep their position with shoulders back, bottom seated deeply in the saddle, shoulders stacked on top of hips, and still have something to hold onto.

If you don't want to purchase one, you can learn to rig one yourself by clicking HERE.

The possibilities are endless. What a great piece of equipment, thanks Ann-Margaret!