Horsey Accessories

A saddle and a bridle are a great start to riding. But, of course, there is much, much more.

A standing martingale prevents a horse from throwing its head up. It attaches from the girth to the cavisson, with a strap around the neck. A standing martingale should never be used while jumping because it limits a horse’s freedom of motion. A running martingale acts like a pulley to give the rider more downward leverage on a horse’s head. Rather than attaching firmly to the cavisson like a standing martingale, a running martingale has two straps ending in loops that can ‘run’ freely up and down the reins. Little rubber rings called rein stops should always be used with a running martingale.

Chest plates or breast collars help keep a saddle from sliding backwards. They are common in Western riding, jumping and hunting. Breast collars have a strap that runs around the base of a horse’s neck with straps that attach to each side of the saddle and one that attaches to the girth underneath the horse’s belly. A breast collar can also have a running martingale attached. A chest plate is very similar but instead of having a complete loop around the horse’s neck, it is a Y-shape that attaches to each side of the saddle, meets at the center of the chest and connects to the girth between the horse’s front legs.

Cruppers stop the saddle from sliding forward. They attach to the cantle of the saddle and loop underneath the base of the horse’s tail. A crupper is very handy for a horse that has very low withers (the big bump at the start of a horse’s back) or if you are going up and down a lot of steep hills.

Horses can be surprisingly fragile things for half-ton animals, and often it’s a good idea to protect their more vulnerable areas. A major site for injuries is the lower leg. Horses can easily nick the inside of their legs with a hoof or catch the heel in front. These accidents can really hurt, especially if a horse has metal shoes. Bell boots, so named for their distinctive shape, are rubber protectors that cover the front hooves and help prevent the hind hooves from cutting into the soft heels of the front feet (this action is called forging, if you cared to know). Splint boots or gallop boots are normally made of squishy neoprene and wrap around the lower leg bones (called the cannon bones—check out the horse anatomy entry or the horse body map in the resource section) to protect them from both hoof nicks and outside dangers like jumps. Polo wraps, aside from being used in polo, are fleece or cotton bandages often employed by dressage riders to protect their horses’ lower legs.

Side reins keep a horse’s head and neck in a more collected position. They are simple straps that fasten from the girth or saddle straight to the bit. Draw reins run from the bottom of the girth, between the horse’s front legs, through the bit and to the rider’s hands. This arrangement creates another pulley system to encourage the horse to move in a collected way.

A circingle is big, padded leather band with handles that fits like a girth all the way around a horse’s barrel. Vaulters like to use them (because of the handles) and are also a great way to learn to ride bareback (also, because of the handles). Trainers also use a circingle while lunging, often with side reins.

So that should be more than enough to munch on for now. Please check in again for my entry on how to properly fit tack.