Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

A horse typically needs a breast collar to prevent the saddle from slipping
backward while going up steep hills but going down hill is not a problem.
The saddle doesn't slip forward on the typical horse because the withers
act as a stop.

A mule is just the opposite, they really don't need a breast collar to
prevent the saddle from slipping backward while going up steep hills
because the barrel shape behind their girth prevents slippage.  On the
other hand going down hill is a problem because the withers are usually
poorly defined.

A crupper or a britchen works equally well although a britchen can handle
more weight.  Mule saddles can have been know to be heavy.  People who
think britchens are used instead of cruppers because the mule won't
tolerate a crupper either are guessing or haven't trained their mule
properly.

Currently, the trend is to not use either a britchen or crupper but to
instead use a front and rear cinch.  Think of the barrel shape again, the
front cinch goes on one end of the barrel and the rear cinch on the other
end.  The saddle can't slip either forward or back.  I've had good luck
with this method.

Bob



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=