I have a hard to fit horse.  You would think that as many horses as we see and help fit through the store that fitting our personal mounts would be easy, but that did not prove to be the case with my mare, Lolly.  She has a fairly narrow back and all of my saddles were just a little too wide for her.  I tried maybe 6 different saddles before finding one (A Martin Saddlery All-Around with adjustable rigging) that was a great fit for her without a pad, but I still got some dry spots after I rode her.  The fit was not bad enough to cause her problems on short rides and training sessions, but I wanted to trail ride some this past summer and the last thing I wanted was a sore backed horse halfway through a five hour ride.  In the meantime, I had acquired another horse and a new Alpine contoured pad for her.  I'm usually not a fan of swapping pads from horse to horse, but I decided to give the new pad a try on Lolly. 

The weather is getting cooler and the roping season is winding down. Some of you are about to hang up your rope bag for the winter and start winterizing your trailers, barn, etc... Why not winterize your ropes?

Winter is fast approaching.  Today it's speed appears to be 28 straight line or gusting 42.  Yuck.  It's a good day to be in the barn, and there are two in-the-barn projects that I like to do before it gets too cold. 

Read more to learn about getting your winter blankets and leather tack ready for winter's harsh conditions.

Here are step by step directions on how to put on your Rattler Magic Loop ...

First you must take the rope you intend on using for break away purposes and cut off either the honda or the knot on the opposite end depending on your preference. Second you thread the rope through the new break away honda and tie a knot, preferably a crown knot, in the rope preventing the honda from coming off. Finally you may wrap the end of the rope used for the break away honda and wrap it with tape to prevent the honda from spinning. This puts pressure between the rope and the honda. Now you're done! 

Happy trails,
Abby B.