05/05/2025
Hereâs a little tip for those of you who spend long hours in the saddle, whether working on the ranch, or riding the trails.
Saddle pads tend to work down as we ride, even when weâve a correctly-fitting saddle, even when weâve âtentedâ the pad to clear the withers while weâre saddling up. Even the shaped pads will trap long mane hair behind the shoulder blade, over the miles.
I'm pointing out that what a horse can stand for an hour-long ride in the arena is really not on the same level as the discomfort that can come with a day-long ranch or trail ride. When people say they 'only trail ride', I often wonder if their horses would be so dismissive, for it is quite a feat of endurance.
Many horses with long, flowing manes experience discomfort in the wither areaânot from saddle pressureâbut when the last six inches or so of their manes become trapped underneath the pad. With each step of the horse, there becomes a tighter pull on the mane, as it works its way down and back of the moving shoulder blade.
We'll see the horse begin to bob his head up and down at the halt, or shake his head while moving. We'll immediately think it must be his teeth, or the bit, or a pinching of the bridle. While all of these may well be true, and should certainly be checked, I have found the mane pulling at the withers is often the cause behind a fractious horse.
We must either make a point of shortening the entire mane, or constantly pulling the long mane free⌠or we can do this quick fix, instead.
Iâll take a pair of scissors, or clippers, and trim the mane hair even with the horseâs coat, from the end of the mane until it would just clear the pad when it is placed for saddling. This will not rub the horse, nor get itchy, though I will have to trim it throughout the ridden year. It takes all of a moment.
A dandy brush is then used briskly in the area to remove any short hairs that might aggravate the horse. It's basically a 'bridle path' but on the opposite end of the horse's mane.
What this does is ensure the mane hair will not get pulled tight and trapped underneath the pad while I am riding. Iâve noticed that so many of our working horses will actually get tossing their heads in an up-and-down motion, if the days are long. Having watched them carefully, Iâve seen that itâs not postural or saddle fit, nor is it impatience or neglected teeth.
Freeing them from this constant hard pull prevents all that. This little trim mightnât make them show ring ready but for long riders, it offers the horses instant relief. Note that I donât just braid the long hair in this area because it is too risky that a hard lump will working its way under the saddle area. That would be even worse.
The picture angle on the right makes it look like a longer trim that it actually is. I might put a saddle pad in place on a horse before I begin the trim, just to make sure I don't go too far up the neck.
It is also a reminder to those of us who regularly ride far longer than the standard one-hour time slot that every time we take a water or lunch break, or we feel the need to adjust our hats on a hot day, we must stop⌠dismount, loosen the back and front cinches (in that order) and raise up the saddle to allow the back to air cool.
We can then reposition the saddle, re-tent the pad, saddle up and finish our riding job. My own horses certainly appreciate these little kindnesses.
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