How Being a Considerate Horseback Rider Can Benefit You

Riding a horse is one of the most breathtaking and rewarding sports. The horse’s intelligence and temperament make them great partners to work with. However, owning a horse is not easy and it sure takes a lot of work, patience and time. To properly take care of your horse and yourself, you need horse supplies and horse equipment. You need to maintain the horse’s health by grooming, feeding it properly, regularly exercising – all of which requires special kind of tools and supplies.

Their resilience, intelligence and abilities make them a flexible and pleasant partner for people to work with. They have been used since BC times for hunting, traveling and even warfare. People can ride them for recreation and work. There are even disciplines that involve horses in the Olympics. So, depending on what you intend to do with your horse, you’ll be needing various horse supplies.

The most important piece of equipment by far is the saddle. There are multiple types of saddles – leather, suede and synthetic. Synthetic saddles are lightweight and easy to clean, but usually have a shorter lifespan than leather saddles. A quality leather saddle may last you a lifetime. When you’re buying one, you should pay close attention to the stitching, fittings and finish of the saddle to make sure it doesn’t have any faults.

Furthermore, when it comes to saddles, you have to consider the purpose of the saddle. There are all-purpose saddles, dressage, hung seat and flat racing saddles. The all-purpose saddle is pretty self-explanatory. The dressage saddles provide close contact with the horse, allowing max contact between the horse and the rider’s legs. The hunt seat saddle was originally made for fox hunting, it provides a better position for the rider for jumps. And lastly, the flat racing saddle is very lightweight and has short stirrups that allow the rider to lean forward as much as possible.

Besides saddles, you need supplies to take care of your horse’s health. Every horse needs to be groomed before and after riding it. Therefore, a set of brushes, shampoos, hoof care products and tail conditioners are a must-have if you want it to have a healthy life. Furthermore, you need supplements and vitamins to provide good nutrition, which is key to the well-being of your horse.

There are more horse supplies and equipment that you may or may not need, like riders apparel, for example, but one can do without them if limited on the budget. What equestrian gear and supplies you will need mainly depends on the conditions you want to ride in as well as on the activities you intend to participate in. Riding should be fun and safe for both you and your horse, so every rider should do their best to secure the well-being of both!