Cutting off Horn!?!

[SmokenMirrors]

I can totally understand taking the horn off your western saddle because the saddle fits and you don’t want the horn there but I don’t understand how anyone complains they get caught up on it. I have been riding western all my life and at no time have I EVER gotten my shirt or coat or anything else on it. I have hit myself on it when my mare decided to do a bucking bronco routine on me and hit it as I was coming off but no other time.

Maybe your not dismounting or your leaning too far forward in the seat? I know that leaning forward is a common mistake when riding in a western saddle, when you need to be sitting straight up so your shoulder, elbow, hip and heel are in alignment.

[Gestalt]

My husband has a Big Horn saddle and boy does it have a big horn. I hate riding his horse in it. If I was strickly a pleasure rider I wouldn’t be in positions that push me into the horn. But if you trail ride in and through rough country, you’re under trees and going up steep slopes. Difficult to maintain a straight shoulders, hip and heel alignment.

When dismounting in the BH, I have to remember to ‘step off’ rather than do the english dismount which is likely to cause you to get your bra strap snapped. :lol:

Glad to hear you cut the sucker off, if you’re not roping, why would you need a horn?

[Fancy]

@Gestalt;3109888

My husband has a Big Horn saddle and boy does it have a big horn. I hate riding his horse in it. If I was strickly a pleasure rider I wouldn’t be in positions that push me into the horn. But if you trail ride in and through rough country, you’re under trees and going up steep slopes.

I’ve always ridden western. I find it easier to dodge stuff in the western saddle. Just hold onto the horn with one hand and bend down BESIDE it, onto your horse’s shoulder. You can get MUCH lower that way than you can laying flat out on an English saddle.

[Gestalt]

I don’t see it because you still have the pommel to contend with. And if you’re leaning that far over to “clear” the front part of the saddle you’re really out of balance. With my english saddles I can negociate any terrain.

But to each their own!

[mustangtrailrider]

Horn is in my way!

Where I ride, I duck, dodge, & hide. I hate having a horn in my way. It really gets in my way. I ride in balance with my horse. I don’t have a problem there, neither does he. Just a darn horn. Like western, ok in english. Hate western horn. really in the way.

As far as the comments go about never getting caught in the horn or sitting up in proper alignment, I agree with all of that. My concern is the darn horn. It gets in the way. Always hitting on it. It is just in the way.

Who cares about sitting up straight when I need to get forward to go under branches. I lean forward and to the side. I never use the horn. I hate worrying about being impaled. Sometimes, I have to get off english style, lean forward, slide off the side. Horn in way.

Simple solution, take it off! As easy as that.

[Auventera_Two]

That’s why I bought the endurance saddles. I don’t want to do distance trail in an english saddle, and I felt my western saddle was dangerous. I decided to get an enduance saddle the day my horse lunged up a really steep, muddy hill and I hit my ribs on the horn. If you love your saddle, definitely keep it but ditch the horn.

[matryoshka]

My saddle is a 15", and the horn was quite close to my guts. I’ve had lots of horses where the horn wouldn’t have been as big an issue, but my OTTB is athletic with a big, bouncy stride, and I’ve got to feel comfortable leaning forward at speed if we’re going under trees or if he takes some lunges going up hills. Also, he’s a bucker and doesn’t care whether we’re going on the flat, up hills, or down. If I’m not expecting the buck, I get thrown forward in the vicinity of the horn. If my coat gets caught and I can’t sit back for the next buck, I’m a goner.

And no, I’m not worrying about the bucking. He does it when he sees other horses and gets excited. I can’t predict whether we’ll come out of the trees to see some race horses hand-galloping by or other horses going at a trot. That’s when he bucks. It’s a fact of life for me, and removing the horn added to my peace of mind. :yes:

I’ll also add that I’m a long-time English rider but had to switch to western trees/seats to support a bad hip. I like the feel of the seat, just not the horn. I also used dog-collars to turn the stirrups so they don’t pull on my knees. It’s quite a comfortable set up now. Now I’ve got to add a crupper ring to keep the saddle back on steep descents…

The horn on my Abetta had metal tongs that went well into the pommel, which is why I needed a hack saw. I still think wrapping with bicycle handle-bar tape is a decent option for covering the hole.

[ReSomething]

@Belplosh;3109714

I can totally understand taking the horn off your western saddle because the saddle fits and you don’t want the horn there but I don’t understand how anyone complains they get caught up on it. I have been riding western all my life and at no time have I EVER gotten my shirt or coat or anything else on it. I have hit myself on it . . . . . .

They used to have these puffy down jackets in the 70’s with slash pockets; well I had the Monkey Wards knockoff and I leaned way over and a little forward to open a gate, she sidestepped just a little the wrong way with me still hanging on to the gate with my right hand and the reins with my left and that slash pocket got caught and turned into a gash pocket. My fault for not being correctly positioned, but. The filling was showing and everything, and I was for once glad my Mom was thrifty or I’d have been leaving a feather trail for miles. So I can say I’ve had my clothing caught on a horn.
It’s your saddle and you can alter it however you want as long as it doesn’t compromise the structural integrity.

[Sithly]

[QUOTE=ReSomething;3111028]
that slash pocket got caught and turned into a gash pocket. [/QUOTE]

:lol::lol::lol: