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Horse Tack, Part 1

© Caryn A. Tate

With all the talk about training, breaking and riding that I've been doing with my articles, I thought it would be about time to write a little something about tack. Tack is slang for the equipment you use with horses--it includes everything from saddles to bridles to bits to hobbles.

Most of my favorite tack is made of good old harness leather. Sometimes I like a piece of tack to be made of a leather more delicate, or even of something else entirely, but typically I like the tough, smooth harness leather. It's very, very tough, feels comfortable and soothing on the hands, works well with horses' flesh, and smells wonderful to boot.

The main piece of tack that I NEED to have made of leather are my reins. I know there are a lot of people out there who love rope reins, or nylon for that matter, but not me. The reason is simply from my experience of riding in the mountains (or even the desert)--rope reins can get full of burrs or cactus thorns. Then you have to spend all night pulling them out, or if it's too bad, you have to throw them out and use new ones.

Another reason I don't personally like rope reins is rope burns. If you're riding a wild, crazy colt who may at any minute jump and bolt at a shadow or a dragon and leave you in the dust--trying to hold onto your reins--it's one of the most painful things in the world to have one of those rope reins drag across the palm of your hand.

Besides reins, there are the basics. I'm in favor of an all-leather, pretty traditional saddle. I don't have anything against any of the synthetic ones, it's just that I feel all-leather will last much longer and wear better--it just feels more dependable to me. And I need to be able to depend on my tack, I really do.

A piece of tack that I'm quite picky on as well is the cinch. I really like the mohair ones, thick in the middle, and they taper down at the ends. I particularly like the ones with flat buckles--these reduce a lot of the rubbing, or galling, that can happen with your horse's skin. I like anything that makes it more comfortable for the horse.

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