1.3 Caring for Tack
Horse Tack – Maintenance
Once selecting the proper tack, it is important to properly maintain it. This will reduce injuries to the horse and to the rider. Tack inflicting irritation or injury to a horse can cause the horse to behave abnormally. Important steps to maintaining tack include:- Clean and check tack for wear on a daily basis, especially saddle pads. An irritation under the saddle pad can cause a normally calm horse to become agitated and dangerous.
- Each pen rider should have multiple pads so that washed pads have the ability to dry completely before being used again.
- Replace cinch and stirrup hobbles when worn. Injuries can occur because of loss of control from broken reins or falls because of broken cinches.
- Make sure that slobber straps are checked for wear on a regular basis.
- Check your saddle to make sure the tree isn’t broken or the horn is loose.
**Deana question: Do we have an images that show each of these points, rather than a generic image?
Wear Points on Tack
**need intro statement….***
Each day it is also important to make sure to check all buckles and wear points. When a horse is working hard and sweating, this can lead to rubbing skin raw if the girth is slightly loose.
In these next three images, the arrows are pointing to areas where it is common to see wear points on a horse from the tack. **We can do pop ups here, too…with more explanations as to the type of wear at each point or its specific causes, etc.**.
Review
Work through these interactive questions to review the important concepts discussed.