How to Tack Up a Horse for English Riding

The initial step to learning how to ride horses, is learning how to tack up your horse. You must properly tack up your horse in order to have a safe ride for yourself and your horse.

Step 1: Groom Your Horse

Grab a brush and brush every part of the horse, including the tail. Make sure to get all dirt and dried on sweat off with a metal toothed brush. Pick out the dirt from the hooves. Brush down the legs well.

Step 2: Put Saddle Pads and Saddle on Horse

Get a square pad, which is thinner, and put it on the horse, just below where the mane stops growing. Then get a puffier half pad and put it over the square pad. Next put the saddle on over top of both pads.

Step 3: Put on and Tighten Girth

Buckle the girth under the side flap of the saddle and pull it just behind the front legs to the other side of the horse under the belly. Buckle the same way on the other side. Pull it very tight so that the saddle is really locked in place. Once you get ready to ride, check the tightness of the girth.

Step 4: Put on Bridle

Feed the bit into the horse's mouth put the top piece over the ears. Now you can fasten the buckles under the cheeks and under the chin. Make sure you can fit a fist in between the cheeks and the strap. The chinstrap should be tight.