Sutherlin FFA

Horse tack and how it’s used

There is quite a bit of tack used on horses.

It’s all important stuff you need to keep your horse in control while you’re riding. The first piece of tack I’m going to talk about is a saddle. There are two types of saddles, English and western.

 English saddles are more used for showing and competition. English saddles also don’t have a horn.

Western saddles are used more for just plain riding. Riding in the mountains, working on farms, and in Rodeo’s. These types of saddles do have horns. Some people prefer riding English, I’d prefer Western. The saddle is a supportive structure for the rider fastened under the horses belly by a belt called a girth.

Another important piece of tack is a bridal. A bridal is used for driving horses. Bridals have a small metal piece that goes in the horses mouth called a bit. The bit helps give you better control of the horse. The reigns are also attached to the bridal. Some people don’t like to use bridals, so instead use hackamores. Hackamores are headgear that has a heavy noseband rather than a bit. They are more so used to train young horses or to go easier on an older horse’s mouth. They are more often used in Western riding. These are just some of the basic tack that you need. There is many more accessories that people like to use too.