Saddles

I thought I'd share some info about the saddles I use and why I use them, especially my riding saddle, as I'm sure many of you have noticed that it's a bit odd-looking! And just a reminder that I'm not sponsored or paid to endorse any products - everything I own, I bought myself.

RIDING SADDLE - TREKKER "AUSSIE" TREELESS FLEXIBLE SADDLE

I ride in a flexible saddle. Oh la la, contentious and radical! I know treeless and flexible saddles divide the horse world, but this is my opinion: this saddle is amazing. In fact, I wouldn't be able to do this trip without it. Mr Richard is an Arabian, and pretty much all Arabians are short-backed. Add in to that the fact that he is also sway-backed AND roach-backed (how is that even possible?!), and you get the picture: he is a nightmare to fit. In fact, a traditional saddle simply won't fit him. I used to have an old stock saddle, and he always used to be grumpy (read: would often try to buck) when transitioning up into a canter. I soon figured out that it wasn't his temper, it was the saddle causing him pain, as he never played up bareback. Queue a few years of riding bareback, and then a ton of research and money on saddles that didn't fit, and finally I found this one. Made in Europe, they are ridiculously light, have a fully adjustable but rigid gullet, and super strong yet flexible panels that keep the weight off the horse's spine. They also have enough rings for attaching saddle bags - very important on a trek! Richard loves it. It gives him all the comfort of being bareback and myself all the security of having a saddle. And the best bit? It can fit any horse, and can easily be adjusted as your horse grows or looses or gains condition. So if you have a hard-to-fit horse, or want a one saddle fits all solution, I can't recommend this saddle highly enough. Just make sure you pad adequately.

Have a gander: https://www.trekhorse.com/trekker-saddles

PACK SADDLE - CUSTOM PACKRIGGING

I have a Canadian-made pack saddle with panniers by Custom Packrigging that I bought second-hand at short notice on the road in Omeo (thanks Arlene!). I love the solid paniers that can double as buckets, and the fact that everything in them is fully secured and waterproof. Once everything is lashed down and secure, it really doesn't budge. I had the horses bolt once for about 5km (The Rutherglen Disaster) and Micky broke the girth on the riding saddle, but the packsaddle was still secure and intact. One piece of advice? PAD! The more padding the better. Arlene set me up with a doubled woolen blanket, an inch+ think felt pad, plus two foam blankets - that's a lot of padding! If I was going to get another pack saddle, I would probably get the adjustable one made by Outfitters Supply, so that it can fit a wider range of horse shapes - but I'm so lucky to have such a great saddle got at such short notice 😁 Pack saddles are rare and hard to find in Australia.

GIRTHS - STRING IS KING!!

OK, girths. So Richard is an Arabian (anyone getting the picture that Arabs are trouble?!🤣), which means he is super thinned skinned, and I have had more trouble with girth galls on him than you would care to imagine. After spending hundreds of dollars on different "ergonomic" "anti-galling" girths, I got a mohair one.... which also galled him really bad, as it had this webbing ridge under his elbow. So I finally set off with a Colligiate ergonomic girth.... which also galled, but not as bad as the rest. This was actually my biggest worry setting off - girth galls on poor Richard. We got about 500km along, using litres of vaseline and metho (supposed to toughen skin - it never did), until Micky broke my fancy, expensive Collegiate girth. Moral of that story: don't buy Colligiate products. So I improvised a tempory girth out of some webbing, which didn't gall at all, and then picked up a super simple, super cheap low profile string girth in Echuca - which has been amazing! Zero galls. One happy little Arab. So go for a super simple string girth, and if you are spending loads of money on a mohair one, make sure it doesn't have any fancy raised bits... if your horse is prone to galling, anyway! SADDLE PADS I like the principle of more is best when it comes to pads. I've already spoken about the pack saddle padding system. For my riding saddle, I have a wool pad on the bottom, then an Thinline Comfort pad on that. I think you could probably cut up a yoga mat and save yourself a few hundred bucks, but only the best for my boys 🤣

SADDLE BAGS

I got all my cool bags etc from Outfitters Supply in the US. Yes, postage is expensive, but here in Australia we simply don't have the range of horse packing gear they have in the States. I would always try to stay away from leather gear - it needs a lot of maintenance, cracks, gets brittle and goes moldy - yuck! Finally, a note on the strapping y'all may have noticed on Mr Richard's back. This was rubbing caused by the edge of the pack saddle PAD (not the saddle itself). On Micky, it just chaffed off a bit of hair but never did any damage. But on Richard, being so short-backed and thin-skinned, it started galling him, so I just wacked strips of strapping tape across the whole area, which then stuck to his hair so well it was hard to get off. This did the trick, the sores healed up, and I kept strapping as a preventative measure - did I mention that Arabs are trouble?!

The Trekker Aussie in all its glory

Mr Richard modelling the pack saddle in action

Micky showing the layers of padding under the pack saddle