I’ve been looking at cruppers lately and I am beginning to wonder if the rock hard feel of the tail loop is simply the norm. I did find a flat, upholstery type leather one that was soft, but couldn’t imagine it actually lying comfortably flat around a horse’s tail.
I also found a pencil thin, hard loop crupper - for ponies, but still! How could that possibly be comfortable?
Educate me please! :winkgrin:
Mine are hard in the loop but soft and flexible on the sides. Mine are a better quality for comparison.
I have two styles for single horse
one is fairly uniform in thickness and double buckle to the backband and YES I would say that it is stuffed to a hard, firm loop
the second was from a superior quality harness. It was originally stitched in to the backband (no buckles) I have since added buckles and use it with one harness for one horse
It is stuffed very firm but the shape is quite thick at the center under the tail - at least 3x thicker than at the ends (widest is about 2 inches). I use it now for a horse with minor melanoma to make him keep his tail a bit lifted so the melanoma does not rub.
IN GENERAL the crupper should not fit tight under the tail.
Its purpose is really just to keep the backband in place and a minor secondary effect is to keep the saddle from sliding forward.
The backband holds the hipstrap and secondarily keeps the saddle in place
I have seen some custom very large and gushy soft cruppers that were used for a horse who was sensitive to “stuff” under the tail
The large cruppers also are used to force the tail to be carried high / up / out.
Look at Draft harness, though, and many do not have a crupper even though they have both backband and hipstrap. Just a bit of different construction
If it bothers you like it did me, you can buy a crupper from Comfy Fit. They are soft leather and are much smoother than other cruppers. You can buy JUST the crupper from the website. Very nice.
I don’t drive, but I do use a crupper with both a riding saddle and my training surcingle. I agree that some cruppers are hard as rocks.
I have bought mine to be buckled into the back strap so I can easily change them and attach them under the tail. I also have a backstrap/crupper piece custom-built for a fancy saddle. I like the buckle system better.
I buy my cruppers from Bartville harness, soak them in Tanners Oil (well, I used to, since one can’t get Tanner’s Oil anymore) then manipulated them to soften the leather and break them in before using. You can get Hydrophane Leather Dressing (English) and do something similar.
Above all else the crupper should be smooth - a properly sized/fitted one shouldn’t bother the horse who will naturally elevate his tail when he moves, but it should not be rough so it could rub or irritate the skin at the tail head.
And always remember to make sure the hairs aren’t pinched.
I believe that cruppers were originally made hard, firm, to prevent soring of the horse. Wrinkles, folds touching the bare underside of tail bone, would easily rub and sore a horse. So it was best to make the crupper of smooth leather, stuffed full of linseed for keeping it smooth, to prevent problems. Yes, the leather still needed cleaning, but horse did better with the full rounded shapes of stuffed cruppers over the long run.
Modern material was not available, nor were the light demands on horses now, part of the thinking in harness makers. Most figured if horse was harnessed, he probably would be wearing harness and crupper for some hours before being unharnessed again. So they used what materials were available, information shared from other harness makers, in construction of harness for working horses.
We have used hard cruppers on horses for long times, not an issue to the horse. Properly fitted in backstrap length, crupper ends being wide enough when shaped in the shop, horse doesn’t get pinches or rubs from hard, smooth material. We do have some modern synthetic harness with plastic type, hard cruppers, which are constructed so they stay wide, no rubbing horses with them either.
I believe that with cleanliness, correct fitting back strap and making sure there is no hair caught under the crupper of the right width, horse doesn’t care if crupper is hard or not in most cases. More of a “people thing” in the person doesn’t think they would like to have hard harness on themselves.
Always are exceptions, so do check the horse for rubs often, clean off the underside of tailbone itself of dirt before harnessing, keep the crupper (leather or synthetic) cleaned after each use with a wipe off of wet rag.
Thank you all!
I like a slightly “fatter” crupper on most horses. Seems like the really thin ones goose them more often.
I use this one: http://www.sstack.com/Billy-Royal-Training-Tack/Billy-Royal-Leather-Crupper/
It has a tiny bit of give to it but it’s not cushy.
[QUOTE=goodhors;8187182
I believe that with cleanliness, correct fitting back strap and making sure there is no hair caught under the crupper of the right width, horse doesn’t care if crupper is hard or not in most cases. More of a “people thing” in the person doesn’t think they would like to have hard harness on themselves.
Always are exceptions, so do check the horse for rubs often, clean off the underside of tailbone itself of dirt before harnessing, keep the crupper (leather or synthetic) cleaned after each use with a wipe off of wet rag.[/QUOTE]
This and taking your time putting on the harness and getting horse used to this this getting put on is really important . This is something I never rush and don’t want to get a horse sour to.
Pretty easy to feel if horse is tense , I just take my time and get them to relax.
I handle tons of horses getting an arm for the first time weather it be for breeding or a gelding that is colicing so slow and easy. Not really a material thing IMHO.
Take your time and be gentle and patient .
Getting your tail lifted is not really a natural thing, so slow and easy.
Forgot to mention to WARM UP the crupper if it is a cool-to-cold day! Horses do NOT LIKE cold cruppers and may react poorly to give you a surprise!!
On our horses, they go from being about 17H to about 13H as they tuck their tails and drop their rear ends down when feeling that cold crupper. A bit of a nasty surprise if I forget to warm up the crupper! Kind of ugly to see and they don’t stand still doing that squatting down either!
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