In this blog we want to tell you more about the work of the saddler and why it is important to check your saddle in time. Proper maintenance of your saddle is essential for the life of the saddle and certainly also for the well-being of your horse. If you regularly clean the saddle and maintain it with care products, this will contribute to keeping the leather soft and supple. You can immediately check whether it shows any defects such as tears in the leather or loose stitching. We will outline a number of points that are important.
Check the condition of the girth straps regularly!
These are of course very important because they keep the saddle in place. So check carefully whether the holes do not tear and make sure that the leather remains flexible so that it cannot break due to dehydration. If you notice these defects, have the girth straps replaced by the saddler. Even if the position and stability of your saddle is no longer good, the cause may also be in the girth bumps. Discuss this with the saddler, the girth straps can sometimes be moved to improve the pressure distribution.
Check the stirrup belt hook and your stirrup belts! The hook from which your stirrup leathers hang must be firmly attached and there must be no play because then something is no longer right somewhere in the attachment. This bracket can be replaced or fixed. Check whether the stirrup leathers are still of the same length, to prevent one side from stretching more than the other, you can regularly wear them from left to right. Many stirrup belts nowadays have a nylon core to counteract this problem.
Is the filling of the saddle cushions still good?
It is important to check the filling of the saddle cushions once a year for unevenness and unevenness. Due to numerous causes, such as always taking off on the same side and straight orientation of rider and horse, it can happen that the wool filling of the saddle pads is no longer straight. The saddler can solve this by adjusting the filling and making it resilient again. He uses synthetic wool, sometimes in combination with a steam engine.
Check for loose stitching!
Always look carefully for loose stitching. Then have it stitched again in time by the saddler. This prevents more serious damage and wear to your saddle. Think of the stitching on the sweat sheet and the knee rolls. But letting go of the pillow is also a common problem.
Is the position of your saddle on the horse still good? Do you have the feeling that you are not in the right balance, eg too much forward or backwards. Or does your saddle sink crookedly while riding or does it slide backwards? Then it is important to have the saddler check what could be the cause of the problem. Maybe your horse has grown or has he gained or lost a lot of muscle mass? This can have many causes and there are also various solutions. The saddler can assess whether the tree of the saddle can be adjusted or whether it can be solved with only the correct filling in the cushions. Or maybe the solution is in the girth straps or can be solved with an aid such as a saddle pad.
Check your other rigging in the same way, such as bridle, harnesses and leg protectors! These items are just as important to check so that no equipment breakdown can occur while driving. Because this can of course lead to dangerous situations. Have you come to the conclusion that your materials should be taken care of by a saddler? Then call or email us when you can bring it to the saddlery or make an appointment with Bart to schedule a saddle check via 040-2952275 or fill in the contact form on the website.
