09/28/07 Saddle up

Most ranch kids don't think much about the procedure of saddling a horse - it just kind of evolves with time. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back after this break to explain. A few months ago I was glancing through one of the horse publications and found a how to and why to saddling step by stepper that caught my attention. This horse trainer/competitor/speaker did a thorough job of explaining each step of the saddling and bridling process and even if you have saddled horses for years there is always something to learn. I was pretty jealous of the clean stable and nice equipment in all the pictures. I'm more used to a dusty barn and a saddle with worn spots and a few nicks on it. I hope that doesn't say too much about my laziness or the time I allot to saddle care. My saddling instructions when I was a kid were brush your horse, put the blanket here, the saddle there, and cinch up. The only problem I had was getting that saddle on what seemed like a giraffe to me. I would get frustrated to the point of throwing a colt fit, although not smart enough to get a box or stool. But, I did have a back up plan  call Mom. No matter what she was doing she would come to the barn and help saddle my horse. I always figured she did it out of a mother's love, but looking back she was probably glad for the chance to let my horse take care of me for a while. I really didn't care as long as I could go look at some trails, scenery or cows and pretend I was doing something worthwhile. Now, if I could just get my wife to saddle my horse. Right! I'm Jeff Keane.