The Pessoa AO Saddle. This, Pessoa’s principal jumping saddle is a classic and has already hit their their top seller mark. It’s ideal for a wide range of riders, amateurs and experienced riders alike both of whom who will appreciate the quality and comfort of this  jumping saddle. Plus it’s standard or lengthened flaps provide an element of individual choice when selecting the saddle and the square cantle, deep seat build ensures a secure ride position.

This saddle incorporates the best of the Pessoa collection. Years of development have gone into the technology harnessed in this saddle and the refinement is also shown in the calf skin leather:

• Adjustable Gullet: The saddle tree can be refined using the xChange gullet system. This allows you to suit the saddle correctly to your horse.
• BayFlex Panels: An innovative memory fabric that offers the best comfort for both you and your horse by adjusting and adapting to the applied pressure.

Innovations like these keep the Pessoa AO out in front of  competitors saddles.

Real Riders

The popular Pessoa AO Saddle, as real riders will quickly tell you, is built to endure. These saddles will last and last with only a little thought to maintenance. You may decide to replace your sadddle, but it certainly won’t be because you need to. Riders regularly buy into another recognised marque but the value they get from the brand both in terms of comfort and longevity frequently means they come back to Pessoa time and time again.

What you’ll like about this jumping saddle:

• The flexible leather and BayFlex panels break in remarkably quickly meaning there is a reduced chance of rubbing as you and your horse get adapted to the saddle. 
• Wider ponies and horses are well suited for this saddle. Although the gullet can be changed to fit narrower horses and ponies as well. 
• Supple and forgiving to the rider, you don’t sense like you miss any of the stability you look for.

A potential dislike:

• For some horses, the saddle could look to sit slightly high if the gullet is not the right match.

The above opinitons of real riders will hopefully be beneficial when you’re looking and trying to decide on the right jumping saddle for you.

If you want the best out of a saddle and want to mix both operation and appearance, the Pessoa AO Saddle is favorably recommended. The last step is to find the best retailer. One where you’ll find true horse lovers can be found by clicking above.  They have an excellent customer support team and are all riders. They provide quick shipping and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  And they currently have a 10% deduction on the Pessoa ao saddle.  But, as always, it’s time well spent to shop around and compare.

Related posts:

1. Saddles and tack: Tighten up the girth ~ or not?
2. Wintec 2000 – Just One Of An Extensive Range of Saddles For All Riders!
3. Where To Look For Affordable Horse Tack!

Tips on buying affordable, quality horse tack.

You could possibly be a ’newbie’ rider or an individual doing your best to outfit a stable. Whatever the motive, you should be endeavoring to locate superior  horse tack at inexpensive prices. If you realize where to look, along with the manner in which to shop, you can wind up spending a lot less money to purchase the things that you need. All it takes is a bit of preparation, a little networking and the awareness of just what you want along with where to obtain it.

Horse care  can be somewhat expensive. Between grooming equipment and tack, fodder and added products you can finish up having to pay out a considerable amount of hard cash on a steady basis. The quandary is that if you are doing your best to get started, or are functioning on a budget, you may think that you are restricted in the selection of horse equipment you have got to choose from.

This needn’t be the case. You’ll regularly come across excellent deals on horsetack equally via the internet as well as at your neighborhood tack stores. Should you decide to search the internet , you can regularly hit upon many excellent supply stores that stock everything from grooming supplies to tack to riding clothing. If you are going to purchase by going online, you should study the online businesses you are thinking about buying from. You should take a look at the suppliers they represent and figure out if they manufacture high quality goods. If they do, you will feel more confident about purchasing things.

Consider networking.

If you can obtain price savings for obtaining a larger amount of products, this is where networking comes in. If you’re part of a riding stable, find out if other horse owners are in the market for ordering tack or other supplies at the same point in time as you might be. You may well have the opportunity to order many items and get a better price both on the per unit cost as well as on the shipping and handling expenses. You may perhaps be surprised at how inexpensive horse equipment may become when you consider purchasing it in this way.

Take the time to compare prices.

Consider that if you’re comparing cost between a shop and a web site, you should be sure that that you take shipping and handling and any minimum order charges into account. If viewed in this way, you may discover that opting for items from a tack shop can in point of fact be cheaper than buying on the internet. Or in may turn to be the reverse.

If you take the time to check around you will soon find a set of tried and true stores and websites that you are able to use to make all your purchases. A little research at first will save you lots of time and not inconsiderable amounts of money later.

A recommended supplier of tack:  Horse Saddle Shop

Related posts:

1. Saddles and tack: Tighten up the girth ~ or not?
2. A Modern Jumping saddle – the Pessoa AO.
3. Selecting the Right Horse Riding Saddle is Vital: Tips on Selection and Fitting.

  

 

The blanket and saddle comfortably fitted, so now the girth can be suitably tightened.

 

Fitting the girth.

As a rider, the last thing you want when out for a pleasant trail ride is having your horse’s saddle slide around your horse’s body, particularly when you mount or dismount. If the girth is not fitted correctly and is too loose, this can easily happen.  So just how tight should you make the girth when you’re tacking up for your ride?

Should you reef really hard on the girth to tighten the saddle down to the last notch so the saddle doesn’t slip? The answer to this is NO! Horses girthed too tightly will get cinchy and develop a dislike to beng saddled which is a problem you’ll find hard to cure. Instead, right from the start, do things correctly, like correctly positioning the saddle. If  you make the girth too tight, chances are that your horse will either reach around and bite you, blow or go down on its knees.  So, a good snug girth is what you should try to achieve,  and just about right in your horse’s book anyhow!

Position the saddle correctly and you shouldn’t have girth problems.

The saddle should rest solidly and be level on your horse’s back. But, having said that, there are many variations to horses’ backs, withers and rump. And also in the saddles themselves, and this sometimes becomes somewhat of a challenge. But assuming you can level the saddle on your horse’s back ~ it should be on you, the rider’s, centre of balance. This just behind your horse’s natural balance point at standstill. As your horse moves, engaging his hindquarters, his natural balance point (just behind and slightly above his elbow) moves back and under you as your horse rounds his back upwards. Now your horse and you should be in balance.

Now for the saddle, blanket and girth.

Next put your saddle pad or blanket over the withers and well forward. Place the saddle over the withers and forward. Slide the saddle and pad backward until they naturally settle into position, behind the withers and level on the back. You might think that the saddle position looks to be too far back. But it’s not. The gullet of the saddle will be somewhat over the withers. The saddle will be level and the back of the saddle won’t be pressing into your horse’s loin area. The girth will not be immediately behind the elbow, but several inches behind the elbow instead. If you were taught otherwise, forget it!  This is correct.

Here’s why it’s correct.

If the saddle is too far forward well over the withers, and the girth is directly behind the elbow, the movement of your horse’s shoulders is restricted. His stride and lateral action is adversely affected. Properly positioned, the saddle will not need to be tightly cinched, because it will stay in position naturally with only a snug cinching.

When the saddle is on board.

Check the pad or saddle blanket and lift it up into the gullet so that at least two fingers slide easily between the withers and the saddle. If you’ve properly positioned the saddle you won’t give your horse grief or discomfort on his withers or loins.  Then stand back and carefully observe your tacked horse from your ground level.  If there are any problems you’ll easily be able to spot them.

All being well you can now go out and enjoy your trail ride that you were so looking forward to!

Recommended reading:   Horses For Dummies  by Audrey Pavia

 

Related posts:

1. Where To Look For Affordable Horse Tack!
2. A Modern Jumping saddle – the Pessoa AO.
3. Wintec 2000 – Just One Of An Extensive Range of Saddles For All Riders!

Now that you’ve got your very own horse, it’s time for you to get to know him. And to learn how to teach him to get to know you.

Horses really are beautiful and sensitive creatures. Be aware, however, that horses observe the herd system. Their instinct in the wild is for immediate action, as action for them can mean their survival. Any sign of danger, they take flight.

Bearing this in mind you must now learn how to effectively communicate with your horse. Know that horses have a language of their own and that, unfortunately, many owners are not as aware of this as they should be.

Your horse’s BODY LANGUAGE means something.

Every swivel of an ear, each hip movement, tail flick and facial expression means something. This is the language horses use to speak to other horses – and to us – so if we are to get to know our horse, we must listen.

Your horse will love you if, first and foremost, you treat him fairly,  and secondly, if you allow yourself to develop a relationship with him in the same way you would a human partner. There are too many owners who will look after their horse’s material needs but put nothing back into developing the partnership itself. A horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. Such a relationship with your horse requires, amongst other things, trust coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

YOUR body language is equally as important.

You need to know what your body language says to your horse before you can really understand him. Flapping your arms while trying to get his halter on will cause concern. Running up to him in a pasture rather than walking up to him calmly can make him think – is this a predator chasing me? We’ve all heard about ‘bombproof horses’. Sorry to say, this is just fiction! Something, some time, will spook your horse … any horse. So keep your body language quiet, slow, easy and calm. If you are calm, this will also help to keep your horse  calm.

Horses speak to us with all body parts and that includes both their front and back ends. So beware, both ends can cause us untold grief if we do not pay attention to what our horse is saying to us. For instance, most of us know that when a horse has both ears pinned back flat something is really wrong. Chances are that your horse is either frightened or angry. You’ll find that in most cases it is anger. So watch your horse’s front and rear very carefully. Caution is best even if you think your horse may be listening to something behind him or that he’s just bored. Once you really get to know your horse well, you will know what his ears are saying.

If your horse has his ears perked up and forward this means that he’s focusing his attention on something and is either up to some mischief or he’s on high alert about something he is seeing, hearing or smelling. So remind your horse you need his attention, especially if you are out riding and his ears whip forward.

Horse communication through grooming.

Brushing and caring for your horse is a major bonding experience between humans and horses. Don’t ever under-estimate how powerfully you’re communicating with your horse about you when you brush him.

At all times, keep your horse clean. Be sure his entire coat is free from dirt, mud, sand and sweat. If you can, brush your horse every day. Pick out his feet before and after every outing. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad and girth after each work-out or ride. Apart from communication, a clean horse and tack is a major step towards keeping a healthy horse.

Finally, don’t overlook the value of verbal communication. Talking to your horse in a quiet, calm fashion is a major step in having him get to know you and to respect and respond to your instructions.

Related posts:

1. Lunging a Horse ~ How To Go About It.
2. Grooming Tips For Horses ~ A Major Part of Easy Horse Care.