randiliana
Well-known member
Today, I started on a job that I try to do once a year. Cleaning tack and oiling it. This, for me anyways, involves taking everything apart which of course means that I check out every little piece of tack. Some of the stuff doesn't get looked at very often. Case in point the off side stirrup leather that is hidden under the seat. I look at the left side every time I saddle up since I throw the stirrup over the saddle to make it easier to do everything up. Well, the off side stirrup leather is almost 1/2 cut through. This saddle is new to me, having bought it 1 1/2 years ago, and there was a rivet that had been put in crookedly, and over the past 1 1/2 years it slowly ate away at the leather. Whoooo hooo, would that have been a nice surprise at a dead gallop after a cow!! I replaced the rivet, and the leather should be OK until I can get it replaced.
I have had other could-be-wrecks involving tack. One was last fall at the stock yards, the leather tie holding the off-billet let go. I noticed the saddle felt kinda loose which was weird since I had been on the horse for several hours. I ride with a full rigging, which was fortunate in this case, it was also fortunate that it was in the stockyards where most of the work is at a walk or trot, and there is no sharp turning. I snugged the cinch up from horse back and that is when I realized something major was wrong. Chance's belly just isn't that small ;-) . Got off, and the cinch was just hanging there. I fixed it with twine and made sure I tied it good. That won't be coming loose again.
So for those of you who use horses or just go out for a ride, check your tack out. Especially the parts on the off-side of the horse!! Might save your own neck one day!!
I have had other could-be-wrecks involving tack. One was last fall at the stock yards, the leather tie holding the off-billet let go. I noticed the saddle felt kinda loose which was weird since I had been on the horse for several hours. I ride with a full rigging, which was fortunate in this case, it was also fortunate that it was in the stockyards where most of the work is at a walk or trot, and there is no sharp turning. I snugged the cinch up from horse back and that is when I realized something major was wrong. Chance's belly just isn't that small ;-) . Got off, and the cinch was just hanging there. I fixed it with twine and made sure I tied it good. That won't be coming loose again.
So for those of you who use horses or just go out for a ride, check your tack out. Especially the parts on the off-side of the horse!! Might save your own neck one day!!