Horse Tack & Saddles

A shank snaffle horse bit with a roller has a barrel in the center that can spin and keeps a nutcracker effect from occurring. Learn more about shank snaffle bits with a roller with tips from a horse trainer in this free horse care video.

Expert: Kathy Kentala
Bio: Kathy Kentala owns the Bee Cave Riding Center in Austin, TX. She also owns Signal Hill Ranch, a western venue specializing in team penning and ranch sorting, barrels, poles, and other speed events.
Filmmaker: MAKE | MEDIA

Duration : 0:1:14

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my husband has done some leather work and is looking for books and/or videos on the making, restoration of saddles, making bridles and harnesses. he is looking into starting a business of making and selling to the horse community.

This company is in Australia but they have a huge selection of books. Everything from Bridlework to Practical Saddle Fitting.

http://www. horsebooks.com .au/ecms/ category .asp?cid=1147

For Western Saddle making try:

http://www. western-saddle-guide .com/ western-saddle-library .html

According to the Leather working Community the Best DVD’s are in this order Jeremiah Watts,(Is consider the best but, is expensive) Bill Gomer ( I could not find his video unless you joined Prairie States Leather Guild) Dusty Johnson

http://www. ranch2arena .com/ videoeng .html

http:// pslac .org/ video .htm

http://www. gibsonprorodeo .com/BOOKS%20AND% 20VIDEOS .htm

Also try this leatherworking community for forums and info. It is where I found the information on the DVD’s

http:// leatherworker .net/

Hope this helps

“It’s a new world … It’s a new day!”

That’s the theme song that played as these young riders showed how well school horses can behave in a Nurtural bitless bridle. Maybe it truly is a new day – when people realize all they can do with horses … by removing the bit!
These girls are students from the River Ridge Riding Stables in Milton Ontario. Laura Colgan, the coach and owner, made the dramatic move of changing all her school horses to bitless bridles after one of her students started using a Nurtural Bridle from last year’s Royal.

Three times a day, from Sunday Nov 5th to the end of the Fair on Nov 12th, these young riders and horses put on amazing shows in the Spirit of the Horse Ring at Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair!
Laura directed them through all the basic moves that you want a horse to do: walk, trot, canter, turn circles, perform figure 8’s, do transitions, halt, back up — and even go over a 3 foot jump!

These are school kids, most with only 1-2 years riding lessons. These are school horses who had only ever been to one show. Zeus is a 7 year off off-the-track thoroughbred who has only been at River Ridge since July. Polar is a five year old pony, who is much happier in a Nurtural bitless bridle. Even 5-6 year old beginner riders took part in the show – to demonstrate that they could stop the horses in a bitless bridle.

See more about this video and Nurtural No-Bit Bridles at http://www.nurturalhorse.com/Royal_Fair_Bitless.html

Watch for more video coming soon of kids learning to ride in Nurtural Bitless Bridles.

Duration : 0:2:34

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I want to make a few items for my breyer horses and I was wondering what i could use to make them… not including kits…

:what I want to make:
*Bridle
*Saddle
*Leggings

any advice???

Rio Rondo (http://www.riorondo.com/) is the best known supplier of realistic model horse tack making supplies. They are quite cheap (comparatively) and top quality. Their kits will teach you how to make different tack, from cutting the leather to assembly.

Unicorn Woman Kits (http://www.unicornwoman.com/cat/uw_catkits.htm) are okay, but more pricey and not as detailed.

I have a pessoa saddle and i’m crazy so i like the brands to match. I’d buy the nice bridle, padded and fancy stitched, that run over $350. Are they good bridles? is the leather nice? or should i go with edgewood or arc de triomphe?

The leather is very nice in the pessoa bridles, soft. Maybe too soft. It tends to stretch a bit. The color is well matched to the saddle.

I think I like the leather on the Edgewood a little better. It has a little firmer "hand" and not quite so soft. I have yet to find an Edgewood that matches any saddle! The rider has to like to have a bridle and reins that are different than the saddle.

If you want matching, go with the Pessoa, and then be a little careful of it. The leather is very soft and easily scratched, so plan on using a bridle bag from the beginning; it will save a lot of tears (both the crying and slits!=)

Just fyi–if any part of the bridle/reins/breastplate/martingale have to back ordered, it may be months until you get it. Pessoa makes cob bridles one month, full size the next month, breast plates the next, reins the next, saddles the next…on and on like that. They don’t make everything all the time. Hopefully wherever you get your tack from will have everything already on hand, or you may have to wait for quite some time to get everything you want. Just the way many fine saddle / leather makers work so that the quality stays very high.

The Extreme Mustang Makeover Western Stampede was held in Fort Worth, TX September 18-20, 2009. 100 approved horse trainers had 100 days to train 100 wild mustangs.

Kara Bump from Shepherd Texas trained her mustang Poseiden using a bit. On the day of the competition, she saw the Nurtural Bitless Bridle for the first time and decided to give it a try.
There are 4 parts to this video:
1.In the practice ring, just hours before the contest, Kara rode Poseiden first in the bit so we could see how he behaved.
2.Then for the first time ever, she rode in the Nurtural Bitless Bridle. Watch how Poseiden adapts to the unique pressure-and-release signals of the Nurtural Bitless Bridle.
3.There was a possibility that his earlier issues were caused by a tight saddle, so Kara brought him back into the ring with a more comfortable saddle, riding again in the bit, to prove to herself whether the difference was caused by the Nurtural Bitless Bridle or the saddle. The young mustang was not at all happy to be back in the bit.
4.She chose to compete in the Nurtural Bitless Bridle. Poseiden was happy!

Kara was so impressed, she signed up to be a sales agent for the Nurtural Bitless Bridle. Contact Kara at horsepowwer18@aol.com Ph: (281) 761-1213

Learn more about the at Extreme Mustang Makeover at http://www.extrememustangmakeover.com/

See more videos of more mustangs, other first time users, show-jumping, dressage and more about the Nurtural Bitless Bridle at www.nurturalhorse.com

To become a sales rep or dealer in the USA, contact TACK OBSESSION
US Distributor for Nurtural Bitless Bridles (480) 294-1833 www.TackObsession.com e-mail what@tackobsession.com

Duration : 0:5:5

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I know a bit about fitting saddles and the different types and parts and such, but for bridles i get so confused! i just started riding at a new barn and i dont know how to tell the difference between snaffles and D bits and rings and all those different kinds for all the new horses. Do you have any tips to help me remember, or just about bridles and bits in general?

Okay wow, this is hard it’s so broad, so I’ll just go through a run-down here.

A bit should make 2 wrinkles behind the lips when you are attaching it, fingers below their cheekbones with the noseband(this piece should be snug not tight), the throatlatch should take the last 4 fingers of your hands once you attach it.

Different bits
Most bits are jointed snaffles with different cheek pieces.
These can also be jointed in different ways such as:(just lookit the middle part)

Regular jointed.
How most of the bits are attached.

Straight Bar
Just a straight metal piece across.

French Link
http://www.tackroominc.com/images/JPHunterDeeFrenchLink.jpeg

These are your basic ones.

We’ll go from softer to more severe. Anything with rubber coated mouth pieces is going to be softer than metal.

Loose Ring snaffle
http://www.greystokefarm.com/store/files/images/1011.jpg
The ring spins on the metal hooks

D-Ring-most basic kind, one of the softest bits out there
http://www.outfitterssupply.com/images/WBIT25567.jpg

Full Cheek(presses against the sides of the nose)
http://www.horsetackinternational.com/images/260035-full-cheek-pinchless.jpg

Eggbut Snaffle
http://www.hitchingpostsupply.com/images/products/203.jpg

Pelham Bit(uses two reins, the lower rein works the curb chain)
https://www.horsetackinternational.com/images/210876-corkscrew-pelham-bit.jpg

Elevator bit(each ring provides more leverage in the horse’s mouth)
http://www.horsetackinternational.com/images/243828-gag-bit.jpg

Then you just have ones that don’t fit like

Waterford
http://myhorse.ie/images/P7b.jpg

Combination bits
http://fesweb.org.nz/images/medium-bit_03.jpg

Gags
http://www.poloshop.ie/images/forTheHorse/Bridle&Accessories/Gag-Bit.jpg

Bits that have low ports and high ports, it’s really hard, you’re just going to have to remember which horse gets which bridle and bit.

*I specifically left out the Kimberwicke bit, because I believe it holds no function in the horse world, and should no longer be manufactured*

Self explanitory.

Duration : 0:3:16

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i am going to get my first horse and i dont know any of these answers….can you please answer them for me?

well saddles are hard u mainly want it to fit you and you can do this by going to ur local saddlery and have them fit you the seat sizes are measured in inches usually starting at 16 in and moving up by halves like 16.5 and flaps are measured in whole #’s starting by 0 and depends on ur height it also has to fit ur horse and that is very important cuz it could hurt ur horses back
always get one on trial be4 u buy it and when taking it for a trial have a very expierienced horse person look at it on ur horse

bridle/halters; same size types: pony(self explanatory)cob(smaller horses) horse(again self explanatory)large(for larger horses)
blankets u need a long measuring tape and u measure from the center or the horses chest to the back of their butt and that would be the blanket size
don’t forget brushes, saddle pads, girth boots for riding or turn out
depending on where u live ull need ull need a sheet, heavy blanket, and a fleece or wol cooler. dont forget stirrups and stirrup leathers and some basic first aid stuff like vet wrap and aloe vera just in case. yu may want some bath stuff too
good luck and have fun. also some saddlerys have a first horse coupon thing where they give a few discounts for some of that basic horse stuff but u have to ask about a first horse discount
good luck and have fun

How good quality do you think it is?

Hi there,

I just love this make for the price I think they can not be beaten, I have several different pieces and leather is really soft so they get my vote every time hope this helps