FIT IT RIGHT
Have you ever ridden up and down steep hills and found yourself—and your saddle—riding up on your horse’s neck? Or sliding backwards and ending up nearly on your horse’s hindquarters? Neither scenario is a comfortable one for the rider or the horse and oſt en results in the need to stop, dismount and readjust your saddle and girth. If this has happened to you, then you may fi nd both a breast collar and a crupper very useful!
BREAST COLLARS AND CRUPPERS
BY KAREN CHATON ❘❙❚ PHOTOS BY KAREN AND DAVE CHATON B
reast collars are considered by many horse people to be an essential piece of equipment and are used in virtually
every type and style of riding in both English and Western riding. A breast collar at aches to one side of the saddle, goes across the front of the horse and at aches to the other side of the saddle. T e main job of a breast collar is to keep the saddle from sliding too far back, but it can also help to keep the saddle from tipping from side-to-side. For trail horses, a breast collar can also be
a safety feature, especially in rough or very hilly country. Should a rider’s girth or billets come loose or even break, a breast collar will allow the rider enough time to stop the horse and dismount before the saddle slips off of the horse or underneath its belly. Many breast collars are made of leather.
When used in trail or endurance riding, breast collars are also commonly made of lightweight nylon, Biothane or another synthetic material.
T is is the most commonly used style of breast collar for trail and endurance rid- ing. It is highly adjustable and available in many diff erent materials and colors. Some of these materials (such as Biothane and beta Biothane) look and feel similar to leather but are lower maintenance and will last a lifetime.
THE ENGLISH BREAST COLLAR OR “BREASTPLATE” An English style or hunting breastplate consists of a yoke (with a
neck or “wither strap”), a breast strap at the bot om of the yoke that runs through the horse’s front legs and at aches to the girth, and two straps at the top of the yoke that at ach to the D-rings of the saddle. T ere are usually buckles for adjusting the size of the yoke as well as the length of the straps at ached to the saddle and girth. T is style of breast collar not only helps to prevent the saddle from slipping but also may be used to at ach a standing or running martingale, which is clipped or buckled onto a ring at the chest.
THE WESTERN BREAST COLLAR T e term “breastplate” is occasionally used, though Western riders
generally use “breast collar” to refer to both designs. A working Western breast collar may be of either a breastplate or breast collar design. Some
36 October 2010 •
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US
designs at ach to the dee-rings that hold the latigo of the cinch, while others may at ach to dees located above the cinch rings, nearer the swells of the saddle. In either case, an ad- ditional strap usually runs between the front legs and at aches to the cinch. Some, though not all, breast collars for Western riding also have a wither strap.
THE POLO BREAST COLLAR OR “BREASTPLATE” T e polo-style breast collar consists of a
chest strap, which buckles to one billet of the saddle, runs around the horse’s chest, and at aches to the fi rst billet on the other side. T is makes it very secure. It also has a wither strap, which is used to adjust the height of the breast collar and prevents it from slipping down too far. However, this design is more restrictive to the horse’s shoulders, so is not the best choice for the trail rider. T e polo breast collar is oſt en made of leather, strong elastic or webbing.
FITTING AND SIZING A BREAST COLLAR A breast collar should not be fi t ed in any way that will restrict
your horse’s movement. Special attention should be paid to the shoulders, chest and the area between your horse’s front legs. You should be able to fi t a fi st between the breastplate and your horse’s chest, and there should be a hand’s width between the wither strap and the withers. T e breast strap should have some slack, and care should be taken that its buckle doesn’t rub the sensitive skin in that area. It should also be adjusted in a way that the chest straps lay above the point of the shoulder so that the horse’s motion is not restricted. Breast collars generally come in pony, Arabian, horse and draſt sizes.
Most vendors can help you choose the correct size based upon your horse’s breed, size and approximate weight. Since breast collars can be adjusted in multiple ways, get ing the correct size is easier than say, fi nding the correct size of a cinch.
continued page 38
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92