Some times the best saddle, bridle or head collar are not the cheapest but sometimes the cheapest can be very good to. For instant I don't like the cub saddle very much but they are comfortable, strong, long lasting and for beginners or small children practical.
There are two main types of western saddle they are The western saddle and the western endurance saddle. But in England there are three main types which are The hunt seat saddle, the dressage saddle and the show saddle.
The bits. The Pelham and Kimberwick bits are not the most comfortable looking bits but they are very practical when it comes to being in control. They both have metal chin chains, which help when trying to bringing your horse to a halt, stop or stand.
This is for all you who ride western. If you and your horse are beginners than it is wise to start with a fairly soft bit until your skills kick in. Once they have you can move on to a harder and more sufficient bit such as a snaffle curb. !WARNING! only move to a harder bit if you are sure your horse is ready this means your horse must be used to the bit, had at least a year of proper training with a soft bit and had been introduced to the bit a couple of times before. When you start using it if the horse does not respond to it or is showing any singnes of pain go straight back to the soft bit and try again in a week or so.
It is very important to have the right bridle for the area in which you chose to ride. For example if you chose dressage then you want a bridle specially made for dressage. But if you chose to hunt then you would have a choice There are three main hunt bridles. They are the: Hunt seat snaffle bridle with drop nose, Hunt seat english snaffle bridle with flash noseband and the hunt seat standard snaffle bridle. For those who ride western there are also three main bridles there is the western bosal the western mechanical hackamore and the wester traditional.
Stirrups, some stirrups have releases and if you are racing it is important to have releases on your stirrups incase your foot gets stuck and your horse keeps going. If you do have a release stirrup then you need to check they will do their job and release properly, it is also important to check they are not to loose so they don't come undone before you want them to. Most people would say there are only three types of stirrup so i will go with them. They are the standard English stirrup, The English release stirrup and the western stirrup. Most English stirrups are made of metal although many are just solid metal you can buy rubber grips which fit in the bottom of the stirrup and helps with your grip. Western stirrups are normally made of leather the same as the saddle although i don't know much about riding western I !Think! you can also buy metal ones to. English stirrups have to be attached to stirrup leathers which are usually made of leather or synthetic leather. But Western stirrups are normally already attached when purchased.
