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Horse Tack, Part 2

© Caryn A. Tate

Let's talk some more about tack. In the first section of this article I discussed reins, saddles, and cinches...now we move on to more things.

Breastcollars have never been one of my favorite pieces of tack. That's not to say that I dislike them--not entirely, at least. I've even used one for many years. The one thing that prevents me from really liking them is my sympathy for the horse. For some reason, as soon as I see a breastcollar on a horse, it looks to me as though the horse is being smothered. Not only does he have that big heavy leather thing on his back, with a cinch tight around his belly, a bit in his mouth, a piece on his head, and a person sitting on him telling him what to do, but now he's got a leather strap tying it all together. It's not necessarily the most logical thing for me to feel, I know--I'm perfectly fine until that breastcollar comes into play. It's just my personal feeling, my personal opinion of them.

Realistically, though, breastcollars are a great tool. They prevent your saddle from sliding back over and over on your horse's back--this is an essential if you're riding in steep country. In this steep type of terrain, it doesn't matter how good your saddle or your horse's back is, the saddle is going to slide back, and you'll have to keep getting off to fix it if you don't use a breastcollar.

You can find a wide variety of breastcollars these days. They range from, basically, a strap or two of leather to brightly adorned and decorated pieces of art. (Much the same as saddles.) If you're going to be doing some showing, or perhaps just like the look of the fancier breastcollars, try one of the silver-plated ones. There are some really flashy, beautifully detailed pieces of tack out there. If you're not sure where to start looking, try a few of the links that I have listed.

Now on to stirrups. There are two basic kinds of western stirrups (three, if you count tapaderos. But since they aren't used quite as much, we'll focus on the other two). The two basic kinds are called oxbow and bell stirrups. Oxbows are narrow in width, and usually you'll see them with leather lacing on the sides. The rider should slide his/her foot all the way into these stirrups, up to the heel of the boot.

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