Endurance Horse Training Basics: Saddle Slipping

One of the scariest things to have happen at an endurance ride, is to have a panicky horse galloping towards you with it’s saddle underneath it’s belly.

This has happened to me. More than once.  Not to my own horses, mind you; I’ve been in the path of other horses as they run in fear usually back towards camp.

It’s not a fun thing to experience for anyone, least of all the horse or the owner of the horse that is panicking. Even worse is when the horse that had his saddle slip manages to get a hind hoof and leg through the stirrup on the saddle.  I’ve seen that happen twice and can say that it is a pretty ugly injury.  The hide is pretty much stripped right off of the leg.

I’ve seen these kinds of saddle-under-belly wrecks happen often enough to feel that it’s important enough for me to train my horse’s to deal with having their own tack slip and fall.

I’ve done this training with every single endurance horse that I have ever had.  For all of my horses this has been a part of their basic training that starts with hobble training, tying, ropes and groundwork.

Usually that training happens prior to the horse being ridden but not always.  It does always happen prior to me taking them to a public event.

The only time that hasn’t happened was when I first tried Bo on a ride prior to purchasing him.  Fortunately his previous owner had also done a lot of groundwork and rope work with him so that anything I did in addition was just to reinforce what he’d already been taught – which is one of the most important lessons a horse can know:  when you get in a bind, wait to be rescued!

At the bottom of this post I’ll show a video or two with Bo and his reaction to having his saddle slide down on his side.  I also will include a few still photos.  My horse’s are both used to me doing this kind of work with them so I had no problem having them stand a bit longer in an uncomfortable position to get the photos.  I wouldn’t recommend doing that with a horse that is experiencing this kind of thing for the first time.

Having a saddle slip or fall under a horse can be a really scary thing for a horse, especially the first time.  It can be just as scary for the rider if the rider happens to still be attached in some way to the saddle.  Perhaps that is one other very good reason for doing this kind of work with a horse – so that if a rider ever does happen to get tangled up or caught up underneath a horse in some way, the horse will freeze and stand still.  Less chance of an injury to the rider, the horse, or the tack that way.

For doing this lesson you’ll need the following: 

1)  A horse that has already done the basic rope and hobble training (see my previous blog posts).

2)  A horse that has also learned how to tie and stand quietly.

3)  The horses needs to have handled both item #1 and item #2 above in a calm manner.  It’s okay if it took two or more lessons to achieve that, so long as the horse now understands the importance of remaining calm and waiting to be rescued should he get tangled or caught in something.

4)  A safe area to work that has good footing, no obstacles and no way for the horse to escape.

5)  A halter and longe line.  I used a collar on Bo; he is very well trained in it.  I would recommend anybody else stick with a regular halter unless their horse is already VERY well trained in a neck collar.

6)  An old saddle is preferable to use.  It’s also a good idea to remove the stirrups, or tie them up.

7)  At this stage in your horse’s training, he should already be responding to voice cues (trot, ho/stop, reverse, etc.) while on a longe line or while being free-longed.

Always keep these safety tips in mind when doing this kind of real life experience training with your horse: 

1) Take things slowly and include every step for safety and acceptance.

2) Stay alert and out of harm’s way, no matter how experienced you are horses can be unpredictable.

3)  Keep a pocket knife handy in case of emergency; use it only if you can do so without endangering yourself.

4)  Ask another person to keep an eye on you.

5)  Some horses may respond better if this particular lesson is done after a workout and is not fresh.

6)  Wear gloves, good shoes or boots and consider using a helmet.

I start with longing the horse first with the saddle and girth on snugly.  I have also done this lesson minus the longe line in an open field (I don’t have a “round pen”).

I don’t like working horses in a lot of real small circles; however for this particular lesson having a smaller enclosed area is going to be safer.

After I have longed the horse in a circle both directions for a few minutes with the saddle on, I will then ask the horse to stop and loosen the girth.

Do some reinforcement on the voice commands with your horse.  Make sure he is listening and will stop when asked.  I haven’t done a blog post specifically on longe line training.  I’m trying to target most of these basic endurance horse training lessons towards riders who are already riding their horses.  I know that just because *I* consider longing and free-longing a horse in an enclosed area and having it obey voice commands a basic part of training that is done prior to riding doesn’t mean that everybody does.   Please take the time to work on longe lining or free longe training prior to doing this particular lesson.  It is just as important as the basic hobble, rope, and tying lessons that I have covered.

If your horse has withers, like Bo does – you’ll have to give the saddle a little bit of help or else it won’t fall to the side on it’s own.  I start by pushing the saddle over just an inch or two and then asking the horse to walk or trot again in a circle.  Usually the saddle will move over more on it’s own.  Reassure your horse and praise him if he should stop once he knows the saddle is moving.  Great!  Keep the girth fairly snug at this point.

While having the saddle slip over a few inches and having your horse stop and not move is a good start, I find that it is important to keep up the work until your horse can handle having the saddle completely over on the side or under the belly.  Keep working slowly and getting the horse used to going both directions and having the saddle slip on both sides.  You may need to loosen the girth another hole or two in order to give the saddle the freedom to slip all of the way over.

Remain calm and reassuring to your horse during these sessions.  I like to sometimes lift the saddle back up onto the horse’s back and tighten the girth.  I also like to release the girth, allowing the saddle to completely fall to the ground underneath the horse.  It’s good for your horse to be able to deal with both situations.

It can be frightening to do this the first time, especially with a horse that may have a tendency to panic or over-react.  Be sure to get extra help on hand to help.  Most horses that have been through the other basic training that I’ve covered by this point will handle this well.  I have had horses take to bucking and jumping about – that usually lasts for about thirty seconds (though at the time, it seems like a LONG thirty seconds).  STAY CALM if your horse is one of the ones that reacts strongly.  Every horse I’ve done this with has figured it out and the lesson stayed with them.

Why is this training important?

By doing this training in advance at home, in a safe and controlled environment you are giving your horse the education he needs to go to an endurance ride or other public event.  Trust me, you don’t want to be the person walking back to camp following the trail of dust and broken tack or blood that was left behind by your horse.  Worrying about how badly injured your horse might be but also worrying about what kind of chaos and damage or additional injuries that your horse could be causing to other riders and their mounts.

Disclaimer: These lessons I am covering are meant to be for endurance horses or for horses that travel that already have some training and conditioning base on them. They reflect my experience and opinions and are not guaranteed to be effective in the hands of others nor are they meant to be the only method or means of training a horse in order to accomplish the same things. Working with horses can be incredibly risky and dangerous. You should only try these methods with proper supervision or assistance from an experienced trainer or horse person that you trust. If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment in my blog. Happy trails, Karen