Page 37 - The Pocket Guide to Equine Knots

adequately, and while galloping I realized that my right foot was fixed in the too-small
stirrup. I rode relatively well, so there was no real danger, but the mere thought of

becoming hung up was enough to spoil my pleasure. At the first rest stop I was able to
swap stirrups with a woman whose own were excessively large.
Tapaderos can help prevent that horrid scenario by blocking one’s foot from slipping all
the way through the stirrup. Proper footwear helps, too; a good heel on one’s boot can
prevent the foot from slipping too far forward. I avoid boots with an excessively aggressive

traction tread, because they’re more likely to become caught as you dismount. And, of
course, a gentle, well-trained horse always increases one’s odds of survival!
But there are many other possible pitfalls, things that could “glue” you to the horse, and

they usually involve ropes or straps. Years ago, saddling up with my father-in-law, I noted
that the latigo on my cinch was unnecessarily long, and I asked Elmer whether it should be
trimmed off, because it hung nearly to the ground. “It’s okay,” Elmer said, “because it
doesn’t make a loop.”
It took a while for that to sink in. The strap hanging straight down wasn’t a hazard, in his

opinion, because it wouldn’t likely catch on anything. But if I’d tied it up in some haphazard
fashion I might have created a loop that, in a “wreck,” could catch my leg or my arm. That
conversation has stuck with me. Any rope or strap that creates a loop is a potential hazard.

These things include a lariat or lead rope too loosely coiled as it attaches to the saddle; a
mecate stuck into your belt (a current fad pushed by some clinicians that is dangerous for
the average trail rider); even one-piece (loop) reins, as opposed to split reins; all have
potential to catch a leg or arm should your horse “blow up” because he meets a bear on the
trail or a bicycle hurdling silently toward him down a mountain trail at thirty miles per hour.

Pack Weight and Placement
Another potential hazard I see frequently are saddle packs behind the cantle piled high,

bags that are too big, both to the detriment of the horse and to the possible chagrin of the
rider should he or she catch a leg on the gear when dismounting. Huge-capacity saddle
packs are pushed by some manufacturers to transport a full complement of camping gear
on one’s saddle horse along with the rider. The problem with these large packs is that

people tend to find ways to fill them.
Besides the element of risk, we must consider the welfare of the horse. Horses carry
weight most efficiently if it’s near their center of gravity, which on most horses is fairly far
forward, just back from the “elbow” of the front leg, and about a third of the way up their

body. A heavy person rides with much of his or her weight behind that point. Add heavy
packs behind the cantle of the saddle and you’re probably stressing the horse’s back and
also interfering with his balance. That’s a safety issue.
Another unwise trend I see today, especially among hunters, is that of a rider in the

saddle carrying a heavy backpack on his back. The idea is for the rider to have all his
essential gear with him when he steps off the horse and ties up to go look for a deer or elk.
But such a pack creates several problems. Again, it puts weight too far back on the horse,
and it raises the center of gravity on the horse’s back. Should the horse need to go up an

extremely steep incline, weight this high could conceivably pull him over backwards, a