MULE CROSSING: Correct Saddle Placement & Related Issues

By Meredith Hodges

My equines taught me that in order to make an educated decision about which tack and equipment to use, one needs to take into account the anatomy of the equine and the effect it will have on his body movement during different activities. Good conformation is important in allowing the equine to perform to the best of his ability, but so is developing core strength elements (muscles, ligaments, tendons, soft tissue and cartilage) such that the skeleton is ideally symmetrically supported. The equine’s body can then move freely and using his joints properly in good equine posture. This will add longevity to his use life and will minimize arthritis and other problems during his life. Lower vet bills are always a bonus! 

Feeding: When developing the equine’s body, it is important to know what feeds are the healthiest for him. There are lots of different ways to feed your equines today, but I have found a regimen that works best. I did this through constant and continual research using a field study for more than 50 years with 32 equines of varying breeds, types and sizes.

1. Most feeds are tested in laboratories.
2. Dehydrated feeds take fluids from the digestive tract and can cause choking (researched with my vet). You cannot add enough water to replace the fluids that are naturally in the digestive tract.
3. The oats, Sho Glo, Mazola corn oil and grass hay produce ideal body shape and conditioning, even with minimal exercise.
4. Sho Glo gives the body the nutrients it needs for daily maintenance.
5. Supplements should not be fed without first getting a base line of what the animal is lacking.
6. Salt and other minerals should be free fed in a trace mineral salt block. White salt alone, or minerals measured and put in the feed, can often be the wrong amounts.
7. The equine will use the trace mineral salt block when and how often they need to. It is their “Natural instinct.”
8. Mazola corn oil (no other) keeps the hair coat healthy, the feet ideally lubricated and hard, and maintains the ideal conditioning of the digestive tract regularity.
9. We feed a Brome/Orchard Grass mix that we harvest ourselves. We feed the hay three times a day and the oats mix once a day in the evenings. Never feed broad leaf hay like Alfalfa, Clover or Fescue Grass Hay.
10. Fescue Grass Hay has been proven to cause spontaneous abortions. Since it has this toxic effect, it would probably not be good for any equine, pregnant or not.
11. Our equines are kept in dry lots, or stalls and runs. We limit their turnout to five hours a day to prevent obesity and other problems like allergies, prolonged exposure to flies and other insects that live in the grassy pastures.
12. Use no types of rewards or “treats” besides crimped oats (or any other kind that is broken open). They cannot digest whole oats, and other “treats” can cause gas or other irregularities in the digestive tract that can lead to colic, twists, founder and even allergies.
13. Our equines are wormed with Ivermectin every other month with the cycle broken in November with Strongid. This regimen prevents the cycle of worms (No fecal tests are needed because the larvae never have a chance to mature and show up in the manure).
14. This regular and frequent use of Ivermectin helps to repel flies along with a weekly spray of Farnam Tri-Tech 14 (sometimes twice a week if the flies are inordinately thick). Ivermectin is a totally safe drug and their bodies do not build up a resistance to it.

Most equines on other kinds of feeding programs develop bodies with a protruding spine and a “hay belly” hanging from it. The shape is quite different from a balanced body with core strength. They have an indentation along both sides of the spine instead of having a spine that “melds” into the torso with uniform conformity. My feeding program produces an ideal body shape with ALL my equines with minimal exercise. The SHAPE of the animal’s body is important for the correct fit of the tack and equipment.

Tack and equipment should fit YOU and YOUR EQUINE like a glove. This will minimize resistive movement that can interfere with your equine’s posture and ability to travel smoothly. When tack and equipment is stabilized, it is easier for you to stabilize your balance seat and improve your riding ability. There are so many saddles and tack to choose from these days that it can be quite daunting. Choices can be difficult for both riding and driving.

The tack and equipment we use has an effect on the equine’s movement in spite of his shape. In order to obtain freedom of movement, the elements of the equine’s anatomy must be considered so he is allowed to move freely through every joint of his body.

Mule Bars are not necessary if you have a well-made saddle and have a professional saddle maker shave the saddle tree flat at the gullet. My 1972 Circle Y Stock, Equitation and Longhorn saddles have worked on all my mules for more than fifty years with that minor adjustment.

If you want to be able to balance your own body in the saddle, it not only needs to fit your equine, but it needs to fit YOUR body as well. The saddle needs to sit LEVEL across his back so you can sit up straight in a balanced position with the only deep contour directly below your seat bones. The rest of your body should be able to move freely through your hip joints You should be able to comfortably sit up straight with your legs resting relaxed below your core that is located behind your belly button. Your relaxed legs should gently “hug” your equine on both sides with your whole body perpendicular to the ground when halted. This way, cues from your legs will not be abrupt and come out of nowhere to startle the equine. Saddles that restrict your position are not really a help to balance your seat and make cues effective.

The stirrups need to hang straight down over the center of balance on the equine, in the MIDDLE of his torso. Stirrups with Tapaderos can be safer that those without, but if the toes on your boots are too pointed and too long, they can actually hinder you from keeping your feet securely in the stirrups. You should never wear tennis shoes, or shoes with no heels, when riding. Ideally, your weight should be on the ball of your foot with the heel of your boot touching the back of the stirrup to keep your feet from sliding through the stirrups.

The saddle should not simply be PERCHED on top. When you get on, you should be able to easily find the place for your seat bones over the center of gravity. Most saddles appear to be too high in the gullet with too many contours, and with insufficient body condition, it puts localized pressure that can cause chafing on both sides of the animal instead of spreading the pressure points over a wider area underneath the saddle. The saddle should fit such that it is stabilized on the equine when all girths and straps are secured. It will move WITH the animal without excess movement.

Localized pressure is particularly prevalent with sawbuck pack saddles. That is why you see so many pack mules with white spots at the withers…unbalanced loads that will shift. When the horn sits lower and the saddle pressure is spread across a wider area, the pressure is more comfortable for the animal and will not cause chafing. The saddle horn is another consideration. They are built in so many different ways, but a lot of those ways are cosmetic and often dangerous. Vaqueros that worked regularly with cattle and horses built their saddles with a thick and functional horn. The horns on a lot of saddles are built for function, but there are many that are simply cosmetically built. They are often too high and too narrow…a hazard if you happen to get thrown onto them.

When a saddle does not allow you to ride a balanced seat, it creates unnecessary restive movement that can aggravate the equine and cause them to buck, run off, fall, or worse. Moving WITH the equine’s movement is essential. When your movement is blocked with things like dysfunctional swells in the saddle’s construction, or protrusions that are designed to keep your legs from sliding forward, it prevents you from keeping your balanced seat while following the equine’s motion. I have seen lots of people that get slung over the saddle horn and onto the neck when the equine resists. A girl friend of mine landed right on the saddle horn during an altercation like this with her equine and it still causes her pain, even today, after surgery to fix the injured area. Jumping in a Western saddle with a horn is dangerous and not recommended.

Trees of the past were often fashioned after that of a McClellan saddle that naturally molds itself to the equine structure. They have an open gap across the spine and are not padded in-full the way our modern saddles are…and they can be pretty hard on your rear when you ride from your seat bones. It occurs to me that these saddles were preferred by men because they also left more room for the genitals, although I have never seen this mentioned! However, I have heard cowboys complain about riding a balanced seat because they say it hurts THERE when they do!

I like to use cotton, or Mohair, string girths in front because they will stretch slightly, allow air flow and easy breathing. Beware of nylon string girths that can cause chafing because they do not stretch as well. I like leather girths for the back girth. When leather is properly cured and kept conditioned, it pretty much holds it shape, but will stretch a bit with the warmth from the equine’s body. This is why girths should be tightened a little at a time with a final check after riding for about 10-15 minutes. It is the same for the whole saddle. Saddles that are not made from leather do not mold and stretch with the equine’s body, and will wear out quicker that leather that is well managed.

The front girth should be snug, but not too tight. The back girth should be snug, but not as tight as the front girth. The two girths should be held together underneath with a leather strap that keeps them each in their respective place perpendicular to the ground. The back girth should be perpendicular to the ground and not on an angle to the rear in front of the flanks. They were developed only to hold down the back of the saddle (invented by ropers to balance the saddle when the steer is stopped).

Using the back girth to hold the saddle back might seem like a good idea, but it puts the pressure on the fragile undercarriage rib bones that can fracture easily. The under-carriage rib bones beneath a properly placed back girth are thicker and less likely to fracture under abrupt pressure. It can also cause too much pressure on the female genitals and small intestines, restricting optimal organ function. The rear girth should always be attached to the front girth underneath, hang perpendicular to the ground and should only be snug enough to keep the back of the saddle down.

ANY strap or girth that is too tight will irritate the equine and cause bad behaviors, chafing and saddle shifting. Any strap, or girth that is too loose, will not do its job, interfere with the equine’s ability to balance his body and will cause chafing.

As you learn to ride correctly and in balance, you also learn how to ride supportively by balancing on your seat bones with weight from your core (behind your belly button) going down through your legs and up through your torso. You can take the stress out of going uphill and downhill by staying relaxed in the saddle, rocking your weight through your core over your seat bones and by keeping your body in good posture.

Do not jam your heels down. Rather, think of keeping your toes up to stay relaxed. Lean the upper body back when going down hill, and forward when going up hill. Keep your upper and lower body in a straight line that operates from YOUR CORE, located behind your belly button. Think of the relaxed position of the Man from Snowy River as he was going over the cliff. Think of how Bronc Riders and Bull Riders balance just to stay on for eight seconds! Your SEAT is the fulcrum of a balanced, teeter-totter motion that will AID your equine in his movement and allow you to stay on board easily.

The shoulders on the equine are only attached with cartilage and need to be able to “float” freely forward with the legs through the front quarters when in motion. This means that the saddle should fit your equine like a glove and rigged so it cannot slide forward over the Shoulder Blades. When you sit on a horse bareback, your legs will find the “groove” right behind the shoulder blade.

Breast collars are generally used with horses to keep the saddle from sliding backward. Breast collars are not advised to use with mules and donkeys. They are anatomically different from horses. They do not have as prominent withers and there is a muscle that is located right where your legs fall into the “groove” on a horse. Their torso is comprised of smooth muscle and is straighter across and more compact than that of the horse that possesses more bulk muscle. The natural tendency on a mule or donkey is for the saddle to slide FORWARD, into the shoulder blades. It is advisable to use cruppers or breeching to help the saddle stay stabilized.

When in harness, the collar and traces should be fitted along the same angle as the shoulder blades and the point of draught should be at the base of the neck. The collar should be two inches larger around the neck to allow for free movement. A breast collar and traces should ride from the base of the neck. The breeching should be tight enough to enclose the equine comfortably in the harness assembly so they can easily go forward, or back up, with the immediate response of the vehicle. The tugs will carry the weight of the shafts and will aid in the movement.

People talk about allowing airflow to keep the spine depressurized and cool underneath the saddle. They use thicker therapeutic pads, or pads that are pre-shaped, stiff and sit stiffly on the equine’s back. I prefer to use Navajo blankets, and with older animals, or animals with higher withers, I will add a fleece pad underneath it. This allows for more flexibility, compression and molding of the saddle and blankets across the animal’s back…like a glove. To allow for more airflow, you just stick your arm under the blanket and across the spine before you tighten the girth. The blankets will move upward into the gullet and provide protection of the spine from any undue pressure. If the animal is in good equine posture with core strength in a solid balance, the saddle and equine will move as one with minimal abrasive movement. These can easily be kept clean by washing them in a washing machine and hang drying.

An animal with insufficient conditioning and balance will hollow his back and neck and try to compensate for his inefficiencies in muscle conditioning and movement. When the equine’s tack and equipment fit properly, the extremities have full range of motion so he can pick each step with confidence and no obstructions. When the skeletal system is adequately supported with symmetrical muscle strength and especially over the top line, the animal is better equipped to use his body efficiently.

Weight & Ability of the Rider will determine how much pressure is put against the animal and how much resistance it will cause. Even though mules can carry proportionately more weight than a horse of the same size, this doesn’t mean you can indiscriminately weight them down until their knees are shaking. Be fair and responsible and do your part in the relationship. Do not expect the animal to carry an obviously overweight body that doesn’t know how to control itself! Learn to ride a balanced seat and practice the basics EVERY TIME YOU RIDE!

Participate in training activities that prepare you both, first with Groundwork and later under saddle. ALWAYS FOLLOW BASIC GROUNDWORK RULES for Leading, Lunging and Ground Driving! When Leading the equine, learn to hold the lead rope in your LEFT hand, keep his head at your shoulder, match your steps with his front legs, point in the direction of travel with your right hand and look where you are going. Walk straight lines, gradual arcs and square him up with equal weight over all four feet EVERY TIME you stop.

We are building NEW habits in their way of moving and the only way THAT can change is through routine, consistency in the routine and correctness in the execution of the exercises. Since this also requires that you be in good posture as well, you will also reap the benefits from this regimen. It is important to lead this way because if you carrying the lead rope in your hand closest to the halter, it will not promote self-body carriage in the equine. With every step you take, your hand moves (however slightly) to the right and left, and this will adversely affect his balance. Remember, that equines balance with their head and neck!

When Ground Driving, let your steps and hands follow the hind legs. Along with feeding correctly (as described), these exercises will help equines to drop fat rolls, to begin to take on a more correct shape and they will become strong in good posture. Learning to WALK in sync with your equine during Groundwork will make it easier for you to RIDE in sync with your equine.

Correct saddle placement is critical for the comfort and freedom of movement for your equine. The saddle should be placed over the center of balance, in the MIDDLE of the equine’s back, well behind the shoulder blade. Putting the saddle on a Longears is not the same as putting the saddle on a horse, or pony. Longears have a steeper angle at the shoulder and putting the saddle directly behind the withers as you do on a horse with a 45 degree angle (that sets the saddle further back), will position the saddle too close to the shoulder blade. The saddle should sit well behind the withers on a Longears and clear the shoulder blades to allow for maximum range of motion, proper balance and to prevent galling of the sensitive skin underneath and in front of the girth area just behind the forearms. It will help you know where to place the saddle if you just think about placing it in the middle of their back, then run your arm through the gullet under the saddle blanket, or pad, to allow for air flow over the spine. One way to tell if your saddle is placed correctly is to notice where your girth is hanging. Make sure that the girth is hanging 3-4 inches (about a palm’s width) behind the forearm and not right behind the forearm where the skin is thinner and more sensitive. This position is where the belly begins to swell and the skin is thicker.

The saddle can easily slip forward if not secured with a crupper snugly fit to the tail with a solid D-ring attached to your Western, English or Side Saddle. If you are using an English or Side Saddle, in order to attach the crupper, you can use a metal “T” that slides underneath the seat between the two sides of the padding. Chafing of the tail from the crupper can be prevented by making sure it is snug, but not too tight, or too loose. When you use a sparing amount of Johnson’s baby oil in the mane and tail during grooming, it will keep the skin underneath the tail from chafing. Johnson’s Baby oil will also prevent equines from chewing on each others’ tails. Mules generally have more swell to their barrels to stop a saddle from sliding backwards than horses. For this reason, Longears will not necessarily need a breast collar (but they do look prettier when the rigging is balanced for a parade!).

A breast collar can actually be counterproductive when trail riding. It will tend to pull the saddle forward and closer to the withers This would be out of alignment with the center of gravity on a Longears. Before you mount, ask your equine to stretch his front legs forward, one at a time, to clear any skin that could get creased under the girth area and to help the girth to lie flat against the skin. I prefer using string girths with all my saddles (English & Side Saddles included). They tend to lie flatter and allow for adequate air circulation and free movement to prevent excessive sweating that can cause chafing in that area.

If you have given attention to all the details necessary to make sure your equine is comfortable in his tack and equipment, and if he has been privy to all the Groundwork necessary for strong and balanced postural core strength, then mounting should never be an issue at all. He will possess the strength to hold fast to his good equine posture when standing still and your tack and equipment should not shift and make him want to move. Equines become disobedient when they experience a loss of balance. When your equine is slowly and adequately prepared to carry a rider, or pull a vehicle, you are better able to enjoy your time together!

Losses of balance can occur under a variety of circumstances. Paying attention to all the details in preparation for riding that I have described here will prevent most situations where the equine can suffer a loss of balance. Strong postural core strength can allow the equine to stand still while you mount and prevent his moving or running off when being mounted. Yes, you can teach him to sidle over to the fence or a mounting block, but that won’t help you on the trail! A strong and balanced equine with adequate core strength and good posture will be a calm and more confident companion. He will be happy to oblige your every command because he CAN do what you ask!

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.

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