Ekidemy

The parts of the saddle

The pommel

The raised front of the saddle, which arches over the withers without touching them.

The seat and the cantle

The seat is the part you sit on; the cantle is its raised back edge.

The flap and the knee rolls

The flap is the large leather panel under your leg; the knee rolls are the padded blocks that support your knee and thigh.

The skirt

The small flap that covers the stirrup bar, the metal hook the stirrup leather hangs from.

The stirrup leather and iron

The stirrup leather is the adjustable strap that carries the stirrup iron, where you put your foot.

The sweat flap and the girth straps

Under the flap, the sweat flap covers the girth straps, the straps fixed to the tree that the girth buckles onto.

The girth

It goes under the belly and holds the saddle in place.

The panels and the tree

The panels are the cushions that rest on the back; between them, a channel leaves the spine free. The tree is the hidden frame that gives the saddle its shape.

Saddling up

1. 1Get readyThe right horse’s saddle, a clean, dry numnah, the stirrups run up, the girth fastened on the off side and laid over the seat.
2. 2Put the numnah onA little in front of the withers, then slide it back, with the lie of the hair.
3. 3Put the saddle onGently, without dropping it, the pommel over the withers; slide it back a little, together with the numnah, until it leaves the shoulder free.
4. 4Free the withersLift the numnah up into the arch under the pommel: you should be able to slide your fingers flat between the numnah and the withers.
5. 5Go round to the off sideWalking round in front of the horse, let the girth down without it banging the legs, and check that the numnah and the flap lie flat.
6. 6Do up the girthBack on the near side, reach under the belly for the girth and buckle it to the girth straps, not too tight: you will tighten it in stages, before you mount and then in the saddle.

Caring for the saddle

• After every ride: run up the stirrups, undo the girth, lay it over the seat and put the saddle away on its saddle rack. Wipe off mud and sweat with a barely damp sponge; hang the numnah up to dry.
• Regularly: clean all the leather with glycerine saddle soap and a well wrung-out sponge — leather is never soaked. Once it is dry, feed it with a thin layer of leather balm or conditioner to keep it supple. Too much product clogs it.
• Every time you clean it: check the stitching, the stirrup leathers, the girth straps and the girth. A worn or unstitched piece must be reported: your safety depends on it.
• Never flat on the ground: if you have to put it down, stand it on its pommel, the cantle against a wall, the girth tucked under the pommel to protect the leather.