Horseback riding is a sport, hobby, lifestyle. To have your own horse is a dream for some people from hte childhood. But before your first horse makes first step on your stable you nedd to think about the basic set of equipment for your horse. There are a lot of models of every item of horse equipment you can find in every tack shop or in Internet. How to understand what you need? Do not worry, we will help you to figure it out!
So what is horse tack? Why is it so important to choose the correct one? Here is a basic set of horse equipment you need for your horse.
Halter and lead rope
A halter is a basic tool every horse need. Is does not matter are you going to ride your horse or not. Every horse owner has at least one or two halters for each horse. First you need a simple every day halter. There are two usual type of halters: leather halter and nylon one. Leather horse halter costs more than nylon one but leather halters are strong, durable and will serve you for many years if you care for it properly.
Nylon halters are cheaper and easier to maintain in good condition. They do not need any special care (leather one needs), but on the other hand they will last you much less than leather halters. You can buy nylon halter for using at home and leather halter for shows and transportation.
Also you will need a good lead rope. Better to buy a couple at once. Pay attention to the quality of the lead rope. Horses ae strong animals and for safety reasons lead rope must be really strong. It should be made of thick leather or nylon. The quality of the hardware is also important. Choose a sturdy snap hook made from brass or stainless steel. It will last you a long time and will withstand the stress if the horse pulls the lead hard.
Bridle
There are a lot of models of bridle, to choose the one you need first you must to understand what tipe of riding do you prefer. Western? English? Spanish? Portuguese? This will help you narrow down your choices. For example, if you prefer an English riding you can choose a classic English Hunter bridle. If you prefer Spanish or Portuguese riding, go for an Iberian horse bridle or a medieval bridle. Spanish bridless, by the way, are also great for photo shoots. Who doesn’t photograph their new horse?
If you prefer to ride bitless, then you need a hackamore. Hackamore can be narrow – this is a more strict option. Or anatomical – this is a softer option that will suit most horses.
Saddle and saddle pad
Saddle is very important part of basic set of horse equipment. You must be sure thesaddle fits your horse correctly. If you are not a professional in that area the best you can do is to call saddle fitter that hepl you find and fit a perfect saddle for you horse. Or you can choose a bareback pad. They do not need a specialist to fit, you can choose the one you like and start to ride on it immediately. There are a lot of models of them. For example dressage bareback pads, bareback pads for ponies, hacking bareback pads and etc. Also you need to buy at least 2 saddle pads. The type of saddle pad must mach your saddle type – dressage pad for dressage saddle, western pad for western saddle and etc.
That is a basic set of horse equipment for riding you need. But the world of horse tack is huge! You maybe need a cavesson for lunging and ground work. Or you will need a breastplates to keep your saddle in perfect position. You will defenitelly will encrease you collection of bridles in time. If you have a questions about horse tack we are always happy to help you!
