thoughts on horse tack for hunting

[aladatrot]

Hog hunting is fun on many different levels. For the first time ever, I am purchasing a new saddle and assorted tack items with no regard to what other people will think and no show ring restraints. I have really let my "wild and wooly" imagination go nuts. Ordered my wade style saddle today, and have been doing some thinking on hunter friendly tack...

The last time I was horseback in the woods, I didn't ride all the way to the bay. Having forgotten to leave a halter on my gelding (I hate the idea of riding with a halter underneath), I was forced to tie my horse by looping my reins over a sapling. I don't like tying a horse with his reins, but I also don't want to just leave my horse loose. Last time I left cooper loose, he came traipsing through the woods looking for me. Anyway, i have been looking online for a solution, and have found a traditional piece of tack that would allow me to tie my horse safely without a bulky halter beneath my headstall.

A bosalito or pencil bosal goes beneath your bridle and has a horse hair mecate aka get down rope attached to it. The tail of the get down rope is coiled and tied to the front saddle strings. Seems like a nifty little rig for hunting, but I am a little confused about how to hang that bosalito. The photos I have seen show it hanging from some leathers which are attached to the throat latch on the bridle. I have never seen this set up, and can't locate a bridle like the one I saw. Do any of you horse folks have any experience with a bosalito and get down rope? Do you have a special bridle?

Cheers
M

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

Mandi, you can use a regular bosal hanger. I use saddle string latigo and make my own. Remember to tie your get down with a bow-line around your horses neck so it will not pull down and chock your horse if he pulls some while tied. Also while riding don't run the get down through the bosalita, just run it through when you get down to tie, the slack will tend to hang in brush or on tree limbs. I prefer a get down rope made of something other than horsehair, I like mohair or small yacht line. A hair rope is hard to tie.

mcarty reins are also great while hunting, can be used with slober leathers on a ring snaffle or on a bosal. Hobbles don't forget them.

What kind of wade did you order?

If I get a horse saddled tomorrow I will take some pics for you to look at.

[Etxcntryboy]

Silverton has the right strategy.  just a normal bosal hanger will suffice.  I prefer to "ground-tie" my horses, but they will stand there for days if needed, they have been hobbled alot.  NRS (NationalRopers Supply) in Decatur has a good selection of bosal's and hangers.

[aladatrot]

Thanks guys! It is funny how our little show ring trends do in fact have some shred of usefulness to them. We use to use a bosal on youngsters in the ring, but I never knew about using a smaller version as a tie up on a horse who goes in a bit. Pretty slick idea if you ask me. I can't stand a halter under a bridle, I can see where it would pinch right behind a snaffle bit. This just seems better. I would love to see pics of yall's rigs.

Paul, I was kind of constrained by money this time around. I kept looking at the wades made up in the great basin country, but the cheapest I could find of any quality were $2000 - $5000 used. Yikes! I opted for a corriente out of new mexico. It is probably just an entry level saddle, but I figured I could at least see if I like the wade without breaking the bank. I pretty much told myself that my budget was whatever I got from selling one of my two geldings. The owner of the saddle shop spent 30 minutes trying to talk me out of a wade and into an association saddle. He said that a wade is too wide for a lady to ride. Anyway, I'm enough of a lady to know what I want and not be swayed... so my saddle will be here soon. I will take photos as soon as it gets here. I ride a 17 inch cutter lately because I like all the room. I got a 16" wade, but don't know if I should have gone smaller. I'm assuming that a fair amount of that 16 inch seat will go unused on account of the wade having a pocket you set down in.

The photo o the saddle is at corriente saddle co. Com

Cheers!
M

[aladatrot]

I can't see where I would need it in my daily riding, but I thought a night latch may be useful if things ever got real western in the woods. Do y'all use these too?
Cheers
M

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

Yes I have a "Night Latch" BUT I NEVER USE IT ...Thats what I allways say in public Mandi.....yea get one.

And some colorful bucking rolls would be nice.

[aladatrot]

I did get bucking rolls and rough out seat and fenders. I will have to buy a night latch because that was an afterthought.

Cheers!
M

[sbrooks]

Mandi it is funny you asked that question because i was just looking into this same thing last night and actually found a video that showed a good way to tie up using the mecate reins.  I dont know if this is something you were asking about but here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmOf56xNcpo

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

That is the propper way to tie with Mcarty reins. Works with snaffle or bosal. You do not need a clove hitch just a half hitch under the jaw.

[craig]

Mandi
 i always use a cowboy halter (one made of smaller rope)under my bridle and i tie the lead with strings on front of saddle my lead is just long enough so there is not a coil , if i ever get in a bind the tail of the rope will slide thru the strings.   i have been in as bad a places a person can go and never had a problem getting hung up.

i like to ride with 5/8 leather split reins. if a limb goes thru your reins you are not hung up just slip it right thru.   and absolutly no tie down in the brush or steep stuff.

you will want those bucking rolls on a wade for shure feel like you are driving a car with no dash .

i have all of my saddles made with a slick seat and fenders. dosent take near as long to breakin.

rough out chaps my a$$ if i ride it 8 to 10 hrs,  the only rough out seat i have ever liked was on an old wore out saddle i had a few years ago. it was just about wore slick.

my shoulder hurts everyday and right now hearing the word night latch, i like to tore my arm off breaking(i should say trying too break) a bucking colt ,i didnt get hung up , i just had it in my mind i was gona ride that dude , the stress on my shoulder got the better of me .i think i would just as soon get bucked off after that deal. ( yeh he won ,,  uncle )

 i have gone to saddles with a little more swell on them and a nice snug seat with a good pocket since i broke the 40 mark.

[aladatrot]

Well hopefully with the exception of one more arab filly, I am done starting colts. Of course, I did say that a few years ago and then cooper happened.  . Sooo, the night latch would probably only see any action if I got in a real live pickle in the woods. Unless by chance a color me smart x dual rey colt showed up in a basket looking for a home. Craig, was the colt that won doc quixote bred, or colonel freckles? Funny how some lines are known for being a little hard to start. I'm guessing he became a good horse though.

I too ride a heavy set of 5/8 leather split reins, and I am dead set on using those in the woods. None of my horses wear tie downs, so we are good there too. I am afraid I would tear up an expensive mecate out there in the brush, so the only thing that would be fiber would be that get down rope. With no coil to keep it from slipping, do you just tie the strings tight enough to hold the tail? I have never had a saddle with strings before, this will be a new experience.

I have changed my bitting configuration too for when I go into the woods. I still ride my 2 lb snaffle at home sometimes, but I decided that it really isn't practical in the woods. I nabbed one of my half cheek driving bits from my english rack. Do you guys still ride one ear headstalls far far into the woods or canyons, or are you using browband style with a throatlatch?

Next subject.... slickers and pack horses  .  You guys have created a monster here.

Cheers and thanks for all the advice. I am still trying to get that mecate video to load right on my phone. I hope it works today. Maybe I can tie chris up with a mecate and a fiador knot rather than just snapping his beltloop to the trailer with a dog lead when he is bad. Getting fancy now!

M

[craig]

mandi
 i tryed that colt really hard, he was a 2 yr old that i raised  he was out of a granddaughter of King P234 and my Grandson of Poco Bueno.  i had rode colts out of that same cross and it had worked good up till then.  he started out really good , then he bucked me off out in the pasture on day and he went from there, he figured out he could buck and it was on.  i rode him 8 circles(while he was bucking) around my round pen and he just got a little more western each time he hit the ground. when i hit the ground i still had one rein and i went back toward him, my dad was watching and he said your not going to get back on him are you. 
well being hard headed as i am i didnt say a thing i crawled back on and when i hit the set i sucked down in the saddle nightlatch in hand, thats when stuff started to hurt i made it 5 or 6 rounds and he slammed me straight over his head .
i quit for the day out of necessity (aka  pain), i left him tied.  next mornig i started were we had left of the day before  .

after a couple go arounds i gave up on him,i had plenty of other colts going and i didnt have time for one like him, took him to a horse sale that same week ,i led him in the ring and told everyone in there "this horse can and will buck you off"  some old man in the front row bought him and i told him to not get on that horse.  he said i have a boy that can ride him.

i wished him good luck and never seen either of them again.


make shure and get extra long stings on that new saddle , you can always cut them off.    i have all kinda stuff tyed on my saddle i look like a gypsy.

i ride a browband and throat latch on everything.

yes get you a good slicker.

we will have to start a new topic on pack hores 

[ROCKIN ROO HOG DOGS]

I have seen a couple of the corriente brand saddles in my travels and they are made extremely well for the money,i think they now advertise in the back of the western horseman magazine.A handy thing to have on your hunting saddle is a good sharp machette for the briars,the mexican cowboys mount them in a nice scabbard running down the back cinch leathers(at least the few i have seen).

[craig]

ive got a machatte i made a leather scabard for i carry it hanging from the saddle horn.  although i havent used it in a few years.
shure is nice to have in those cane breaks.

thats a good idea to mount it on the off bilet.

mandi
make shure and order a pulling collar with that new saddle 

[aladatrot]

A pulling collar or a tripping collar?

Cheers
M

[craig]

a pulling collar  ,  one that ties on to the swells of your saddle on each side of the saddle horn.

gives your horse alot more freedom when pulling hills ,fits a horse really well and wont cut off their air if you are pulling from the horn.

[aladatrot]

Will a pulling collar also help keep the saddle in the middle of the horse? I fight the saddle because it always tries to get wrong side up on cooper. Modern cutting bred is syonymous with no withers I guess.

Cheers
M

[craig]

you get a hog hanging off each side of the saddle horn , it will stay in the middle of him. 

[aladatrot]

HA! We will need to start catching hogs in matched pairs then. Not a bad concept at all.

Cheers!
M

[craig]

mandi here is a picture of my pulling collar, i made this one about 5 yrs ago.