Re: Adjusting a Crupper and Breast Collar

["Terry Barrall and Felix Rodriguez" <losvagos@navicom.com>]

>I didn't know that anybody adjusted a crupper tight enough so that it was
snug unless the saddle had slipped back.
>
>But then, the only time I use a crupper is when I have a horse
>in a harness.  But even then, the crupper is not adjusted
>snuggly; I leave a little slack in it when I put it on and the
>horse is at rest.  Not four inches of slack, but it ain't tight.

Kat: Crupper use is common with folks that ride Peruvian horses. As I
mentioned, they have a slightly different conformation that makes a saddle
tend to slip forward under normal riding conditions, so I ride with one
daily and have for years. The crupper shouldn't be *tight* but a too-loose
crupper is uncomfortable for the horse as well. The crupper should sit right
at the base of the tail, above the anus, fitting closely around the dock. In
my experience, if it is loose enough to hang lower is more likely to rub and
chafe on these tender tissues, and doesn't allow the horse to let his tail
hang comfortably. I do always lubricate the crupper with Vaseline or
Furazone before I put it on. For a snugness test the strap should "pop" on
and off the horse's rump a little bit (like an inch) as he moves.

If I reach back and feel two or three inches slack I'll move the buckle up
till I have an inch. Likewise, if it's tight and tugging at him with each
stride I'll loose it until I have the inch or so slack.

I don't mean to say the saddle is "suspended" between the breast plate and
crupper, but you don't want the crupper too loose either. For my horse, I'd
have the breast plate looser -- like the few inches you mentioned. With his
shape, if the saddle moved back on a stiff climb his own body shape would
move it forward again at the end of the climb until the crupper stopped it.
(BTW... without the crupper the saddle will walk right up his shoulders,
even with a properly fitting saddle. With the Peruvian's long, sloping
shoulder angles, it's really uncomfortable for him to have saddle pressure
on the shoulder blades, so the crupper really is "holding" the saddle much
of the time. Many Peruvians wear cruppers under hard riding all their lives
with no ill effects.)

Terry B/Salem