CHAPTER 3: Saddle Up!
Mother took the bridle off the fence and showed it to Sara. The metal piece was called the bit, and went into Star's mouth. A short chain, called a
curb chain, hung behind the bit. The leather straps of the headstall went around Star's head to hold the bit in place.
"These are the reins," Mother said, showing Sara the long strips of leather that were attached to the bit. "These are what you will use to guide Star
with."
"Are you going to take his halter off, first?"
"Not yet. We'll leave it on, in case I have to lead you."
Sara made a face, but watched as her mother put the bit in Star's mouth and the curb chain under his chin. Then she slid the bridle carefully over his
ears. Last, she fastened the throat-latch under his neck.
"I may have to help you put the bridle on him for a while," Mother said. "You're a little too short to reach his head."
Sara handed her mother the new red blanket, and her mother put it on Star's back.
"Be sure there are no wrinkles or burrs on the blanket," Mrs. Jordan said. "Think how a grassburr or briar in your shoe feels! That's how it would feel
on Star's back."
"Ouch!" Sara said.
Then mother took down the saddle and gave it to Sara to hold. It was heavy, and Sara didn't know how she would ever be able to lift it by herself.
"Put it on the stump," Mother said, and Sara put the saddle down.
"This is the cinch. It's attached to the saddle by a leather strap called a billet. The cinch goes under Star and holds the saddle on," Mother said, holding
up a band made of a what looked like a long row of strings. "And this long leather strip is called the latigo." She held up the leather strap on the other
side of the saddle.
She smiled at Sara. "Some horses are smart. They take a deep breath of air before you tighten the cinch. Then, when they exhale, the cinch isn't so tight
and your saddle can slide around.. If you make your horse walk a few steps, he'll have to let the air out and then you can cinch the saddle tightly. The
latigo also stretches, so you might have to tighten it again after you ride for a while."
"I know what those are," Sara said, "Those are the stirrups. That's where you put your feet."
"Right," Mrs. Jordan said. "They are attached to the saddle by the fenders. Can you name any other parts of the saddle?"
"The horn," Sara said. "That's what you hold on to."
"Not for long," her mother laughed. "Good riders don't need to hold onto the horn very much. They rely on balance to keep their seats." She touched
the front of the saddle. "We call the front of a saddle the fork or the swell. Some people call it the pommel. The cantle is the back of the saddle."
"What's this flap over the top of the stirrup fenders?"
"That's the jockey. The rings at the front are where you could attach a breast collar, and the ones at the back are where you would attach the back
girth, if you needed one."
"Whew, there's a lot to learn," Sara said.
Then Mrs. Jordan folded the right stirrup and the cinch over the saddle's seat and carefully placed the saddle on top of the blanket on Star's back.
"I'll saddle him up for you for a while," Mrs. Jordan said. "But you need to learn to do it yourself."
"I didn't know it would take all this work just getting ready to ride," Sara sighed.
Questions:
1. What is the metal bar attached to the headstall called?
2. What are reins for?
3. What holds the saddle onto the horse?
4. What trick do some horses use to prevent the saddle from being cinched tightly?
5. Is the cantle the front or the back of a saddle?