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Breast Collar
For the next few weeks, I'll go over some basic rules of thumb when fitting pieces of tack.
Items such as curb chains, hind cinches, and breast collars all have their uses, and to work properly, they should be fitted correctly.
A breast collar, or breastplate, has several uses, but the main one is to aid in securing the saddle. A breast collar helps keep the saddle from sliding back in case the horse is being ridden a lot uphill, and also aids in side to side stability for horses making fast turns such as barrel racers.
Most breast collars also offer a place to attach a martingale, such as a running martingale or a tie down.
Breast collars come in both english and western styles. The english style is usually just a single strap of leather, or leather with nylon webbing. They tend to be plain, whereas the western version can be very attractive. Western breast collars mainly come in nylon, nylon or leather with fleece backing, leather, or leather and silver. This last is used in the show ring much of the time for adornment rather than function.
The fitting tips below are for the western breast collar, although they should work equally well for an english style. If anyone out there has more important information on the english breastplate, I encourage you to let me know at kristi@hiway16.com so I can share it with our other readers.
To fit a breast collar, you first need to decide what size to buy for your horse. A rule of thumb is to use a 32" breast collar for a smaller horse, such as an Arabian or still-growing 2 year old, a 34" for a standard 1000 lb stock-type horse, and a 36" for a big-chested rope-type horse. Each side of the breast collar should have adjustment straps, called tugs, to allow for individual fitting within those ranges.
Attach the breast collar to the front dee-rings if your saddle has them, or to the front of the cinch rigging if it doesn't. For high stress applications, consider attaching to the cinch rigging, as there is more stability and strength than in the little dee-rings.
Center the the breast collar on the horse's chest - the center ring will sit just below the horse's windpipe. The chest pieces of the breast collar should sit just above the ridge of the horse's shoulders, not impeding their movement but riding along on top.
I like to check the tightness by turning my hand sideways in the center and it should fit there snugly but not too tight against the horse's chest. Your breast collar may be a bit tighter if you know the saddle will slide back without it, but don't do it up tight enough that it wrinkles the skin or presses into his shoulders.
Most western breast collars also have a cinch strap that passes between the front legs and attaches to the dee-ring on the cinch (make sure your cinch is adjusted evenly so that the rings are centered on the horse's girth). Standard adjustment for this cinch strap is about 4" of slack. More may allow the horse to become tangled in it and looks messy, while less can chafe and restrict the horse's movement.
Is there a piece of equipment you'd like to learn more about? Please email me and I'll look into it for you!
If you have tips or questions on equipment care, purchases, fit, or anything else to do with equestrian equipment, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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Past articles are all available in the
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Winter Grooming
After some consideration, I've decided to leave the vaccinations till closer to the spring months when we will actually be vaccinating our horses. If you have any specific questions about them, feel free to address it on the Horse Talk page or by emailing me directly at kristi@hiway16.com.
So, what else is there to talk about in the way of winter care for our horses? Well, we can cover grooming for one, and that's where I'm starting this week.
Many of the people in northern BC show their horses at the local shows and fairs, and as anyone who has horse shown knows, a long, full tail is something to be desired.
Did you know it can take 6 years for a tail hair to reach the ground? All the more reason to take care of what your horse has and do what you can to encourage more healthy growth.
Start by washing your horse's tail - this is one of the few body parts we can get away with washing in the winter time! Pick a warm day, and plan to keep him somewhere where his tail will stay clean while it is drying (if you think it is too cool or damp for the tail to dry well, you can use a blow dryer on it, but take care not to overheat the hairs).
Once the tail is dry, use a conditioning product. You can try Mane & Tail Conditioner, Cowboy Magic, or another one of a variety of products on the market. Ask the people behind the tack store counter what they use on their horses.
Make sure the whole tail gets a thin coating of conditioner. Now you're ready to comb it out - carefully! Start with your comb at the bottom of the tail - I prefer to use a wide-tooth plastic comb. Work your way slowly up the tail, picking out the knots with your fingers, until you can slowly run the comb from top to bottom (this can take a long time with a tail as thick as Raime's!).
Start a braid in the tail just below the tail bone, and tie it off at the bottom with an elastic. Try not to make the elastic super tight, as it can break the hairs at the bottom of the tail.
Now you can take a tail bag, or easier had and cheaper, a man's long tube sock, and *bag the tail*. If you use a tail bag, it will have a velcro or snap attachment to attach it, if you use an old sock, cut the top section into two pieces which you can tie together after passing them through part of the braid.
This should be redone every week, so it is a commitment for you to keep up with! Another thing you can do is consider a hot oil treatment once a month. Whatever you do, don't brush the tail out - always comb it from bottom to top, to prevent breaking hairs.
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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The Trot, part III
Now that your colt knows to go forward in response to you clucking and swinging the rope at his hips, you can teach him to trot with you on the lead rope.
Start with your usual cues - lean slightly forward, then walk off with him in a straight line (see archives, November 22).
Check his whoas, and his turns on the forehand and haunches (also in the archives). When he is responding nicely and seems to be tuned in to you, increase your go forward cues at the walk - move your leading hand slightly farther forward, increase the forward slant of your body, prepare to speed up your steps, and start clucking quickly at him.
If he trots off right away, great, but most likely you'll need to swat his hip with the lead rope. A long whip (like a dressage or buggy whip) can come in handy here, as instead of swinging the rope at his hip, you can have a more controlled movement and tap his hip while you continue your forward position and motion.
If your colt gets excited and plunges ahead, go with him a little ways before bringing him back to a walk. There is no point in punishing him as you asked him to speed up and he did - he doesn't realize just yet that there is a limit on that speed!
If your colt swings his butt around away from you, keep focussing on the forward motion. At first he may trot sideways, but I've found it best to ignore that and continue working forward.
As he realizes that trotting with you is the desired response, he will quit moving his hip away from the cue.
One last reminder - don't forget to speed yourself up when the colt does! Sometimes that scares them as much as trotting on the line, so just stay with them patiently and keep trying. You can do this for just a couple of minutes every day and your colt will be the better for it.
If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com |
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Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse
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If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page.
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