should your fingers be squiwshed?
2006-08-01 13:59:52 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
lol. Oh my god back to you.. I am asking because my one friend makes the saddle so tight, she can squeeze two fingers in but barely. My other friend has two loose fingers. It makes a difference, especially with horses that are overwieght like mine. She is sentive to that right now..
Oh and how do you spell squished? Oh My God
2006-08-01 14:06:33 · update #1
It should be tight but you should be able to do it. Walk the horse a bit before you ride and re-tighten the saddle before you get on. This lets the horse expel air which it will have when you first tighten it up. A loose saddle is no fun for you or the Horse.
2006-08-01 14:05:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My advice is to lightly tighten the girth up. Leave enough for two fingers in with out fingers feeling tight or a lot of pressure. Naturally horses expand their barrel anyways.
I will walk my horse around for about 5 mins. Get down and re tighten more since there should be more to tighten. Then i would make sure I can fit two fingers snugly. But not to the point it is too tight. In some horses, they will rear back, trash, paw, shake, "gag" or nash their teeth if they feel it is too tight. Some do it due to behavior. However, always take it as pre caution.
During my ride, I will check my girth every 10-15 mins. Even just by adjusting my saddle side to side making sure it still is on correctly and can check while still on the horse if girth is loose.
2006-08-01 17:08:43 · answer #2 · answered by Mutchkin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you talking about in between the girth, or underneath the pommel?
If it is underneath the pommel, you should be able to see a tunnel of light going from the front to the back of the saddle when it is done up without a saddle blanket.
If you're talking about the girth and whether it is tight enough, if you can fit two fingers loosely, it's probably not tight enough, and the saddle could slip if you are unbalanced. You need to remember that the girth usually gets looser after a minute or two of riding. Just imagine you and how you put on your belt. Too tight and its very uncomfortable, to loose and your pants fall down. You can test it by pulling on one side of the saddle once it's done up. If it moves off to the side with your pulling movement, it will move if you become unbalanced and needs to be a bit tighter.
Your horse could be quite sensitive around the girth area, so she doesn't like it too tight. You can get anti-gall girths and stuff like that could make a great difference. Also, make sure you are not being too rough or jerking the girth tighter, I found that can really irritate them.
2006-08-01 16:35:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i know how i prefer to ride and that is my style. all of my trainers have said that i am a dangerous rider because of it, and i do know it. I will say that I have never fallen from a slipping saddle though. I leave mine so that I can get two fingers under it easily. The girth just lies on the skin. I have incredible balance. One of my horses tried to whirl out from underneath me and i managed to stay on even though my girth was looser than it hadever been. But for safety measures, you should be able to get two fingers under it and it should be snug, not pinching. Some people like it tighter and some liek it looser. A horse is a lot happier when the girth is comfortable for him.
2006-08-01 14:30:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it depends what you're doing.
Some disciplines if the horse is breathing it's not too tight. Others allow for a little less tight.
Polo horses - and others where performance is key - it must be tight. A saddle that slips when you're in the midst of 9 horses and riders at full speed can be deadly for both horse and rider.
2006-08-02 08:02:03 · answer #5 · answered by Jan H 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, but the real test is if the saddle slips when mounting. If the saddle is too tight the horse will let you know, Also if a horse just ate and is bloated the saddle will come loose and will slip
2006-08-01 14:08:31 · answer #6 · answered by Wile E. Chipotle 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not terribly squished. you should be able to put your two fingers in between the girth and the horse and pull out a little bit. there should be a little give in it. if it's so tight that there's no give and the horse can't breathe, then you should losen it. if you stick your fingers in between the girth and the horse and just leave them there, yes, you're fingers might be a little squished, but no so much that it hurts or like the blood isn't going into them.....
ask your trainer. he/she will show you. or ask someone who knows. it's very simple
2006-08-01 14:06:13 · answer #7 · answered by Emmers 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. The horse needs enough room to breathe, but the saddle should be tight enough that you have control of the horse. it should be a firm fit on your fingers but enough that they can move.
2006-08-01 14:05:26 · answer #8 · answered by freak_bitch1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is not safe to have the girth even a little loose, and yes, your fingers should be squished. my sister had tacked her pony up and was having trouble riding him so she asked me to ride him. I got on and started to work with gim. he made a sharp turn and the saddle slid all the way over on his side. this happened because the girth was a little loose.
2006-08-02 05:08:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
they shouldn't be stuck tight they should just be snug because you want your horse should have enough room to breathe.
2006-08-02 04:08:54 · answer #10 · answered by hannahs_superstar 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋