Riding is an exciting exercise. It requires an additional safety and comfort gear of the rider. Horse-riding gear selection is quite essential. It will make your experience enjoyable even as a professional or novice. This book will examine the important equipment you should wear when riding horses. It will be concentrating on the things that can significantly influence your safety and comfort in the ride.
The Must-have Horse Riding Gear
Each item in a horse riding gear is very important; top to toes. It also aids in prevention of accidents and comfort during riding. Depending on the type of riding you do, the items that you require may vary a bit but there are things that are essential to all the riders.
These are such things as protective gear such as helmets. Head safety is mandatory through wearing of a helmet. You should also have riding boots. They cover your feet and offer you a good footing on the stirrups. A man also should have comfortable riding clothes like breeches and gloves. They allow free movement of the body and prohibit body rubbing.
1. Helmet: An Essential Protection of the Head
The most important item of horse riding is a helmet. It provides much needed cover to your head should you fall. Wearing it is compulsory to each and every person including amateurs and technicians.
Be alert to safe standards and certifications when choosing a helmet. This will assist in ensuring that it is able to resist impact. you should pick one that is tight yet comfortable but does not block your vision. The helmet must lay level on your head and it must cover your forehead and be fastened under your chin.
Also, the helmets form the important segments of equipment in riding a horse as it provides safety to the rider in doing his business with fun. It is important to remember that a helmet does not remain protective with time and mostly after a rigorous collision. You should replace your helmet with every large impact or every 5 years, although it may still appear okay.
2. Riding Boots: Safety of the Feet and Good Traction
The riding boots are designed to ride on horses. They assist in protection of your feet and provide a firm grip in the stirrups. The riding boots feature an exclusive heel unlike ordinary shoes. This heel helps to prevent your foot slipping through the stirrup, which is quite unsafe.
Comfort and fitting are highly considered when choosing the riding boots. The boots must fit tightly but not very tightly. This will make your ankles move easily. The level of the boot will be individual and it will depend on your riding style.
Make sure that the boot has a preferably non-slippery sole. This makes you have a firm hold of the stirrup. Women will tend to take long-lasting leather boots in their choice since they are nice looking. Man-made ones are also good because they are lighter and in most cases cheaper.
3. Gloves
Even when a person forgets about gloves, they remain an important constituent of the horse riding gear. They make your hands safe and comfortable. Having reins in a prolonged period of time will cause you to get blisters and sore spots. The gloves also guard against nasty weather and jolts.
Motorcycle gloves are manufactured under various materials. The grip, strength and the weather resistance is unique to each type. Leather gloves are durable and are classically styled. Artificial fabric, such as fleece or spandex on the other hand, keeps your hands cozy and you are able to move a bit.
Ensure that you select gloves that are snug yet not tight. By doing that you will be able to feel good on the reins. You also should consider the weather conditions and the conditions you ride under to get your gloves made of the appropriate material and thickness.
4. Riding Breeches
The riding breeches are specifically produced to be used only in equestrian. They are more comfortable and have free mobility beyond regular pants. Breeches have good fit, and the strong seams give you the freedom to move around and minimal rubbing. This assists to make long-distance riding very easy.
Riding breeches change in the style depending on the riding mode. Full-seat breeches are mostly chosen by the dressage riders. These provide additional traction and make them steady on the saddle. Knee-patch are enjoyed by those who do jumping or eventing. And these provide improved mobility.
When you choose the riding breeches, be concentrate on comfort. They have to be well-fitted but not too snug. In this way, you will be able to move with ease. Seek out breathing moisture-wicking material. This prevents you to be itchy and to be soaked in the heat when you are outdoors.
5. Body Protector
Body protector is a valuable safety equipment of horse riders. It cushions the torso on fall. The equipment reduces shock and prevents back injuries, ribs, and other important body organs. This is what makes it an ideal decision among all level riders.
Body protectors certified to safety standards should be sought to be used by the riders. This will make it possible to deal with the impact safely. Select a body protector which is tight yet does not restrict. By so doing, you will be able to move freely even during the ride.
Very important when choosing a body protector is comfort. When it does not fit you, it might be distracting you when you are riding. Put it in such a fit that it is not tight or difficult to breathe. The guardian must place his or herself near the body. That way you will have the maximum from the protection without losing mobility.
6. Bridle
An important horse tack equipment is the bridle. It is the gear that plays the role of controlling and guiding the horse. The bridle unites the rider and the horse head. This helps them speak and guide the horse with the help of the reins attached to the bit. The correct choice of the bridle should be serious; it is necessary not only that the communication comes out but to make the horse feel confortable.
There are varied materials of bridles. These are the leather, nylon and synthetic assemblage. Bridles made of leather are also very trendy due to their vintage look and strength. Synthetic, on the other hand, is less expensive and are attractive to maintain. Pay some attention to the style, the material and the fit of the bridle when you select one to use on your horse.
A bridle must have the right fit very importantly. A well-fitting bridle must be comfortable on the head of the horse. It must also not pinch or rub the horse. Ensure that it is fitting and tight enough that it does not impede the breathing of the horse or feel discomfort.
7. Saddle
One of the very significant items of horse riding equipment is the saddle. It places a rider in a comfortable sitting position and allows even distribution of body weight across the back of a horse. Dissimilar riding styles require distinct kinds of saddles. All of them are designed to match a particular riding style and movements in it.
The variety of materials that are used in making saddles is very numerous, and still the traditional saddles are made of leather. Artificial items such as nylon or microfiber are utilized in saddles nowadays. The alternatives are normally lighter, longer lasting and sometimes cheap.
To avoid discomfort to the rider and the horse one should find a saddle that will fit. It is supposed to follow the Line of the back of the horse and distribute the weight of the rider steadily and should allow the horse to move freely. The rider should also find support at the saddle and therefore be able to communicate to the horse.
8. Stirrups
Part of a saddle is stirrups. They assist and balance the feet of the rider. Stirrups assist the rider to maintain a rightful and stable posture when riding. They additionally take pressure and assist in communicating with the horse.
Safety: In the process of stirrups it is highly essential. The variations are made to stay safer such as wider footbeds to provide better balance and safety cages to keep feet out of reach to be stuck in a fall. Choosing the right stirrups depends on the kind of riding style and the size of your feet.
The width of the footbed and its grip, weight and material, and safety features that could be of assistance are the aspects that one should consider when selecting the stirrups. Choose appropriate length of your stirrups in regard to the length of your legs as an inappropriate size may alter the ease of balancing and being comfortable during riding.
9. Chaps
Chaps are guards over legs worn principally by riders to Western riding. When riding through bushes or working with cattle they guard against chafing, against thorns, and other evils.
The chaps were traditionally made of leather but currently there are many other materials they can be made, such as, suede, nylon or synthetic blend. What you buy relates to preference, type of riding and budget. Leather chaps are durable, and they also have an old-fashioned appearance, whereas synthetic ones are less heavy and simpler to maintain.
When you select chaps consider the size which match you best in riding, material and length. Chaps are supposed to be fitted properly on your riding pants and permit you to move freely. They must provide a nice protection and they should not prevent you to ride well.
10. Whip
Whip is an instrument that assists a rider to provide some cues and prompt a horse to go or maintain energy. It is to be used safely and in a friendly manner, as supplement to the leg of the rider, and not as means of chastising the horse.
Riding whips differ according to the kinds of the ride in terms of size and pattern. This may be done as with an example of the dressage whips being longer than the whips used during general riding or jumping. Considering selecting a whip, one should take into consideration the type of handle, material, and design.
Whipping must be carried out to encourage and support. It must be done lightly and less frequently and the health of the horse and their knowledge of the riders cues is paramount.
Conclusion
To sum up, appropriate horse-riding gear is quite essential to your health and comfort. These are such items as helmets, boots, gloves, and body protectors. All the gear works to keep safety on the road. One should make sure the equipment is good and comfortable. Being an amateur or rather serious rider, appropriate equipment can improve your experience in terms of riding. Never forget, that safety is the paramount issue in the question of horseback riding. Ride safely and ride wisely!
FAQS
Which equipping system is the most crucial during horse riding?
The most handy gears in horse riding are the helmet. It prevents you mostly on your head when you fall. This is why it is an absolute necessity as a safety gear that must be used by all the riders regardless of the level of their competence.
What is the best way of selecting a horse riding helment?
Selecting a good riding helmet is much important to follow safety. The first one is to see whether the helmet has attained the safety standards approved. It must be comfortable and it cannot obstruct your vision. Preferably, ensure that it has the ability to breathe well keeping you cool.
Will I be able to ride on a horse with no boots?
It is not good to ride a horse without appropriate boots. On the feet, riding boots maintain their safety. They also place you in a stronger hold on the stirrups. Normal footwear fails to offer this type of protection.
