Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Saddles, what do you ride in.

My stirrups are as long as my leg will hang. Just a little pressure in the stirrup. Its easier on my knees.

I like to keep them so I can put a little weight in the stirrups but not too much leg bend.Sorta like you can swing your legs to and fro. They always tell you to ride with your heels down,but never say what for. Heels down means that you have weight in the stirrups usually.

Without some weight there,you are only sitting in the saddle,usually wallowing around which tends to cause cincha galls,not to mention that if the horse spins or jumps unspectingly, you can't react and off you go.

Pretty hard to do a balanced ride with no weight in the stirrups. You will get more miles out of the animal and you if you do so. Just saying, no offense intended.

http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd480/lazytl/?action=view&current=DSC_0523.jpg


my attempt to master posting photos. For some reason my Mac doesn't want to paste so if I don't click and drag nothing much happens.

saddlesore you are right. I definitely don't put enough weight on the stirrups. I can only put one or two fingers under my butt when I stand up. Its a little weight but not much. I didn't know it was hard on the horse. I've only been at this horse thing for 15 years so there's lots more to learn. Time to raise it up a notch.

Looks good! now lets see some pictures of you and your horse!

When I sit in a saddle, I want to just barely see my toes looking over my kneecaps. If I cant they are to long, see the laces on my boots they are two short. So far that gives me the most comfortable ride.

There is no sitting to far back or to far forward on that saddle to the right is there.

One last photo of the scabbard Charley made me. Fully basket-stamped and fully lined with synthetic fleece.
http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd480/lazytl/?action=view&current=DSC_0011.jpg

That's a NICE scabbard. Could you PM or post the makers website?

That is something I would look into having made.

When i stand in the stirrups theres about 4" of clearance between my tail and the saddle, i also like a little weight on the stirrups.

I use an old Hereford roping saddle, very comfortable, and durable, dont know if they make 'em like that anymore.

Gunner

Really a nice looking scabbard.I know you probably do not use e it,but if so, be careful of the fleece lining. If it should get wet or even little damp, it sure is tough on the rifle barrel.

Good advice saddlesore, i rob a giant hangful of the little wifeys cottonballs to stuff in the base of my scabbard to protect the rifles crown, a straightened coat hanger after season will retrieve the old ones.

Gunner

I wish I would have seen that pic before I had my saddlemaker start mine. I really like the way that scabbard is made.

Lots of nice saddles here. Really like that King, been in their saddle room, museum a couple times. My Sister-in-Laws mother was order buyer on the retail floor for many years.

I just ride a factory 16" Dakota mule saddle. Sort of an A-frame/Wade type. Here I'm trying out scabbard positions just after being allowed back on my feet after a broken pelvis. It was sure nice to find out I could still handle riding.



These show the mule earning his keep. I'm sure Saddlesore will recognize the country.




Hoping to make it back this fall. That mule is just over 14 hands, but gets around that country real well. Gets kind of buddy sour though.

That last picture is the Castles in the back ground.That little lake was a lot drier this pastyear. A lot of the beaver ponds were washed out. I plunked another cow elk down there this past season up along the Anthracite south slope ramparts.1st season was too warm and 2nd season didn't get off the round until it snowde Wed. .

I also have a Dakota semi custom factory mule barred saddle that looks close to Ole 270's( BTW, nice to hear from you again), but I chose a Bowman style pommel.

You can choose the seat, pommel type, cantle, finish and they make it to order.I bought one when my halflinger mules were young,but as they matured it was too narrow.It fits this 28 yr old fox trotter mule great though.You really have to tug to get it off,but he has really high withers.

The only thing I don't like about it is the way the cantle comes out of the seat. Instead of a nice rounded transition, it has too much of a sharp bend. I put a handmade leather covered 1/2" foam seat in that area and that fixed the problem.
They are a decent tough saddle for the price they sell for.

Robster, I sent you an email with Charley Snell's email address in it. Charley has a blog spot for his horsemanship clinics but for some reason I can't put my hands on the address.
Saddlesore, I do use that scabbard but not a lot. I was designed for a scoped BLR in .308 that I used a lot before it blew up on me one day. (Faulty Remington bulk bullets, I suspect.)
I use it now mostly for day trips and I am careful not to get it wet. Charley was going to line it with real sheepskin but the supply company sent him this very pricey synthetic sheepskin by mistake. It was their mistake so they just told him to keep it.
You guys keep posting photos of mules and I'll have to have one. Actually I have half a dozen in the north pasture right now but I don't know if any are broke to ride. One stands 16 hands.
This ranch has been in the registered Quarter Horse business for almost 60 years so I have to be careful what I keep here close to the road. Unless, of course, I want to change and go into the mule business.

That is for sure mtrancher.Folks see mules out front and they get to thinking you stepped down a peg or two.Most non mule people regard the mule as a sub standard ride and worker.

It's hard to convince folks to try one as they think they are all stubborn or mean. But good bred & trained mules now sell for better money than most grade horses and some registered ones and you have to have some mighty fine bred horses to make any money at all as I'm sure you know already.
I sure enjoy seeing good quarter horses or just good horses of any breed. Especially those blues.

But I enjoy my mules too.

Here is my presnt ride. Got to admit,she looks pretty good

A general rule-of-thumb is to be able to put a fist between the saddle seat and your crotch when you are standing in the stirrups.

That lends to a pretty good weight distribution, and you can get off the horse's back when needed.