TACK. Lezah Williamson. February, 2012

Transcription

1 TACK Lezah Williamsn February, 2012 Mst cnventinal tack is made f: - Leather: basic material f mst saddle, bridles, breastplates and martingales, halters, etc. 90% is made f cwhide (Aberdeen Angus is cnsidered best) Pig/deer skin may be used fr the seat, r t cver a saddle Sheep skin may be used fr panels Buffal hide is smetimes used fr stirrup leathers Substance = thickness f leather Thicker leather = mre fat = lnger lasting Tw sides t leather: Flesh underside; shuld be smth Grain tp side; treated and sealed There is als a fibrus layer between that binds these tw tgether Gd quality leather in gd repair shuld Feel slightly greasy/nt dry Firm, nt sft/pappy When bent, n bubbles shuld frm The enemies f leather are: Heat Water/sweat: ht water remves fat neglect - Metal: used fr mst bits, stirrup irns, buckles n tack, in sme saddle trees (partially) and t help keep saddles tgether (rivets, etc.) Steel Used in the ld days, nt s cmmn tday rusts Stainless steel is the mst cmmn tday; mst ppular Strngest; mst durable Des nt rust Cpper Encurages salivatin; sweet taste Sft; can be chewed and get sharp pints Sweet irn aka cld rlled steel

2 Dense; sfter than steel Prne t rust Tastes like cpper Aluminum Light Sft Nt very strng N lnger cmmn; may still be used with sme racing tack Least expensive Bitter; drying t the muth Nickel Breaks easily and ften withut warning; cnsidered unsafe N lnger cmmn Nt shiny Nickel ally Strnger than pure nickel Shinier than pure nickel German silver Nt fully silver; an ally (60% cpper; 20% nickel; 20% zinc) Expensive sweet encurages salivatin Needs a lt f cleaning Aurigan 85% cpper; 4 % silicn; 11% zinc (n nickel) Sme hrses/peple are allergic t nickel Has all the benefits f cpper but is strnger - Other materials: Rubber cated bits will have metal r wire inside them Encurages a hrse t g frward t the cntact; nt gd fr a hrse that likes t lean Can be chewed thrugh t expse the metal; least durable Neutral taste flexible Vulcanite bits (nt a metal, but a variatin n rubber bits) Harder than rubber, harder t chew Still sfter than metal Happy muth Engineered plastic with apple flavur Ripple texture encurages chewing Synthetics Used in sme tack (bridles, saddles) inexpensive, easy t clean

3 Used in between layers f stirrup leathers t strengthen/prevent stretching Used n girths and numnahs cmmnly Wd: Rarely, bits in the past were made f wd; nt safe Saddle trees are typically made f beech wd: strng, light, smewhat flexible Saddle trees can als be made f adjustable metal, r fibreglass Trees: are the supprt structure that the saddle is built n; they help t distribute the rider s weight mre evenly ver the back - Beech wd is the mst cmmnly used wd fr trees - A spring tree is a tree made f laminated wd ver a riveted gullet plate f spring steel; this allws minimum flexibility - Synthetic mlded saddles can be made f Plyurethane Fibreglass: limited durability - Sme saddles can be treeless Fr mre n saddle trees and cnstructin, g t bettersaddles.c.uk Fitting saddles: Safety f tack: 1. Of primarily imprtance - make sure it fits the hrse 2. Secnd mst imprtant thing is that it fits the rider 3. Als ensure that it is crrect fr the type f riding yu are ding - Check the stitching: leathers, pmmel, saddle flap, etc. - Check girth billets: watch which nes are attached The girth shuld always be attached t straps that have different pints f attachment n the saddle In yur typical saddle, use billet strap #1, and either #2 OR #3 Never use straps #2 and #3 tgether - Check the cnditin f leather: Obviusly wrn r brken leather shuld be replaced watch fr checking Checking = hrizntal cracks especially seen n thinner pieces f leather like in the bridle - Check the cnditin f metal Metal fatigue can ccur Stirrups have the highest percentage r wear-related breakage

4 Peacck (safety stirrups) are nly safety rated fr 90 lbs, and shuld nt be used by riders heavier than that; there are ther safety stirrup ptins available - Check the cnditin f ther materials Web/webbing (cttn), as seen in web reins, can rt Nyln, as seen in sme halters, bridles and lnge lines, can fray Rubber, as seen as a cating n rubber reins, can disslve if ld r crack if expsed t a hard envirnment (t wet/cld/much cleaning prduct) Felt (as seen in saddles r sme ld numnahs r bts) can get lumpy Bits and Bitting Bits: help t cntrl hrse s speed, directin and imprve balance Hw t check fr the crrect size: 1. take a piece f binder twine 2. put it in the hrse s muth where the bit usually sits 3. put yur fingers n either side f the binder twine 4. remve binder twine frm muth, keeping fingers where they are 5. measure distance between fingers 6. add ¼ n either side fr size f bit t be used a. if using a lse ring snaffle, bit may need t be bigger t prevent pinching Families f bits: - Snaffle - Weymuth (duble bridle) - Pelham - Gag - Bitless Principles f bitting: Bits (and bridles) perate n ne r mre f the 7 parts f the hrse s head where pressure is applied - bars - lips and crners f the muth - rf f muth - tngue - curb/chin grve - pll - nse

5 What makes a bit mre/less severe: - # f pressure pints acted upn - Size f muthpiece in relatin t hrse s muth size Previusly it was believed that a thick muthpiece was sftest This is still true in mst cases Exceptin: the hrse with the small muth, lw rf f muth r large tngue will be mre cmfrtable in a smaller/narrwer bit - Length f shank The lnger the shank, the mre leverage yu have = strnger bit Hw the curb chain is dne up will affect this Nne used/lse chain = decreases leverage capabilities Overly tight will increase the leverage 45 degree angle is cnsidered crrect - # f jints Mullen muth (straight bar) = least severe Single jinted = nutcracker actin Duble jinted may be: Less severe is the central link lies flat n the tngue (e.g., French Link) Mre severe if the central link cuts int the tngue (e.g., Dr. Bristl) An unjinted bit with a high prt can be cnsidered very severe - Treatment f muthpiece (smth, serrated, rllers, etc.) - Materials used fr muthpiece (steel, rubber, etc.) - Technique/skill f rider - If used in cnjunctin with ther articles f tack (e.g., crank nsebands, etc.) - Size f the rings (the further away the reins attach frm the centre f the bit, the mre severe) - Length f the cannns (the further away the reins attach frm the centre f the bit, the mre severe) Main types f bits: Snaffle: direct pressure bit with upward head raising actin; des nt use leverage Has ne muthpiece, jinted r mullen muth/unjinted Simplest frm f bit Operates n the crners f the muth A jinted snaffle adds nutcracker actin t the lwer jaw Bars Tngue Pssibly the rf f the muth Jinted is mre severe than a mullen muth - straightbar/mullen muth: simplest bit wrks n direct pressure

6 - single jinted snaffle: wrks n direct pressure and adds nutcracker actin t the lwer jaw cmes in many different ring types, including: eggbutt lse ring D ring Full cheek Fulmer/Australian lse rein Half cheek Cmes in many different muthpiece types, including: Smth muth Slw twist Fast twist Wire/twisted wire Rllers May have attachments that change the actin r try t prevent an evasin Muthing pieces Spns Duble twisted wire (and a few thers) intrduces a secnd bit int the muth Cmes in many different materials: Stainless Cpper/partially cpper Rubber Happy muth - Duble jinted (French Link): decreases the nutcracker actin; a sfter bit Has a spatula shaped centre link that lies flat against the tngue - Duble jinted (Dr. Bristl); severe bit Had a rectangular /blng shaped centre piece that is at an angle t the tngue Weymuth: aka Duble bridle - There are tw bits in the hrse s muth at the same time any curb used with a bridn Curb, which uses leverage t cause the hrse t flex at the pll Typically used in cnjunctin with a curb chain t increase leverage Bridn (small snaffle) that has an upward head raising actin Bridn acts n the crners/lips Curb acts n bars; mullen muth acts n tngue Pll pressure Curb chain acts n chin grve The tighter the chain, the mre severe the bit is 45 degrees is cnsidered ideal A curb with a high prt may act n the rf f the muth

7 - The duble bridle is nly fr the mst advanced rider and well trained hrse NOTE: at B2, the candidate will be asked t fit a duble bridle Pelham: anther leverage bit Gag: Bitless: - Uses pressure n the muth, pll and chin grve - The lnger the shank, the mre the leverage - ½ way between a snaffle and duble bridle - Only ne muthpiece - Actin: Pressure n the crners f the muth Mullen muth puts pressure n the tngue Pll pressure Curb chain acts n chin grve - Kimberwicke is als in this family - Head raising actin actin thrugh pulley pressure - An exaggerated snaffle - Extremely severe - Encurages hrse t hllw its back if used lng-term - Illegal in racing and many types f cmpetitin - Suitable fr hrses wh are unable t wrk with a bit in their muth r wh have had a muth injury - Wrks n nse, pll, and r curb/chin grve pressure Three main types Hackamre Bsal (western) ; r English Jumping hackamre, perates primarily n nse pressure Related t the lngeing cavessn Mechanical/Blair pattern hackamre: English and western; has shanks and a curb chain; perates n the three pressure pints (nse, chin grve and pll) Crss under bridle (aka Spirit, Dr. Ck, etc.) adds mre pints f pressure including side f face but has a slw rein release