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Happy
Trails by Shirley Sepulveda Now you own a Horse - What's Next? Once you have purchased your horse there is a vast array of
equipment and tack to pick from. The above is just a very basic list as you will see when you enter your local feed and tack store. As mentioned above we get our hoofpicks from our farrier. We never use mane and tail combs because they break the hair. Instead we use our old hairbrushes from the house. Both my daughter and I have a healthy respect for the pain from the combination of snarls and combs--we both have long hair. We use Rubbermaid rectangular storage bins with lids to store our grooming stuff in the tack room. When we show or trailer out for a ride we use a caddie or bucket for each horse. The first aid supply list is compiled from 30 years of at
least 20 head of horses in the backyard, being called out to transport horses that have
been injured in car or trailer wrecks, ridden through downed barb wire fences, ridden
through submerged barbed wire fences, run through wire fences, or just a new horse owner
that has discovered that horses can injure themselves in a padded million dollar barn. We
use Melaluca products on cuts, scrapes, injuries that have had sutures removed, pulled
tendons, pulled ligaments, sore backs, etc. because we have discovered that Melaluca
minimizes scarring and to reduces scar tissue in leg injuries. My vet used to call me the
'voodoo queen', but now she hollers out instead ready for the Melaluca now. The sanitary pads are excellent for soaking up blood over a gauze pad on an injury that needs pressure to make the bleeding stop. We have used large ace bandages on hocks and leg injuries on full grown horses and the narrower ace wrap on smaller injuries or injuries on smaller horses. A piece of duct tape keeps those clips in. The feed stores carry all kinds of wound treatments, linaments, and bandaging materials. Choose to fit your pocketbook! Insect control definitely calls for citronella somewhere in the list of ingredients. Citronella is what repels those pesky mosquitoes. You can also find fly catchers that are traps or electric bug zappers which fry anything and everything. That cuts down on the insects that are hanging out. Definitely keep your horse sprayed on a daily basis.
You also will need one leather or nylon halter per horse and of course one extra in case one breaks. The same thing for the lead ropes; one per horse and one extra. If you ever had to evacuate because of a fire or flood it would be pretty darned hard to take four when you only had halters for two. Now about your saddle-------most people (including some experienced horse people) buy a saddle because it's pretty, they like the silver, they like the tooling. etc. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT YOUR SADDLE IS THAT IT MUST FIT YOUR HORSE! Horses that were nice and easy going before can turn into raving lunatics with a saddle that pinches,pokes or prods them! You need to have a saddle that fits over the withers without riding down and pinching the withers. It has to be large enough too so that it doesn't ride on the shoulder blades. It must be long enough not to have the skirt end right in the middle of their kidneys. We use thick pads with a blanket to protect and cushion when we ride. Once again designer colors do not necessarily mean padding. Full body size blankets for the winter must also fit your horse so they do not get rubbed on the shoulders, withers, or chest. If your horse is outside then the blanket should be waterproof or you can scotch guard it yourself. We prefer the kind with two leg straps and a single girth strap. The girth straps that criss cross always seem to have a problem staying centered on the horse. However let it be known that we do not blanket all our horses even though we live where it snows. We let Mother Nature do that with a thick heavy, healthy coat. If someone gets sick or injured we may blanket them. We are believers in shelters, vitamins, and plenty of good hay! Once you start to blanket in the winter, you should keep a blanket on that horse until spring because you have interfered with Mother Nature! We do not use hoods because of the risk of strangulation. Other equipment which you may have to purchase down the road may be bell boots and splint boots. They protect the heels and the cannon bones from injuries that would occur from their own shoes. We boot up any mount who will be working in deep footing, our round pen, on a lunge line or at speed.
HAPPY TRAILS
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For at least six months out
of the year you will have to practice some kind of insect control. We use
a spray on their bodies and a sprayed washcloth for their faces,ears, and bellies. This is
to repel flies and mosquitoes which can travel a distance and spread diseases from ranch
to ranch and horse to horse. Flies and mosquitoes can carry diseases such as encephalitis,
distemper, pigeon breast fever (dryland distemper), colds, and coughs. 
Your tack needs to consist of a bridle that has a bit that your
horse will work in ---check with the previous owner or your trainer. We use round reins,
split reins, and rommel reins. Headstalls can be the type with a throat latch, split ear,
or formed ear depending on which style turns your key and your pocketbook. We use flat
chain curbs or leather curb straps. We work all of our show horses in flat nosed leather
mechanical hackamores in between shows to keep their mouths soft and light. 