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Keeping your saddle in place while traveling - Pictures Posted

The saddle racks in my trailer are padded with vinyl which one would think would be fairly sticky and hold your saddle in place. However, several times I have arrived at my destination to find my saddle off kilter or on the floor. Any tricks to keeping a saddle secure while traveling. I have a clinic this weekend and need some ideas. Thanks.

Pommel down on the front seat, strapped in with the seatbelt.

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Laugh - I am thinking the front seat passenger might find this a little obtrusive.

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A picture would help.
Seems like some bungees in the right places could help keep saddles there?

This is what I do. Riding solo…

Where would you suggest? I tried it once and put a nice crease across the seat of my saddle. Not trying to be snarky just saying what happened.

Would adding something like foam or vetrap to the saddle rack provide enough friction? And perhaps telling the driver to take an easier approach to braking :smiley:

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That’s a great idea! I’ll try the vet wrap since I have a lot on hand (don’t we all?)

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Need pictures to see how best to tie, assuming we are talking of an English saddle?
Had in mind maybe from behind around the cantle and over the pommel, around the front of the saddle rack and back over the pommel and back to around the cantle and crossed over to the back under the saddle rack.

Not tight or where it would mark the saddle, or get tight if it tries to fall, just snug enough to keep it in place.

Trying to put some sticky to the saddle rack, like the suggested vetrap, may work well also.

Ya, English saddle. My western stays in place just fine.

I have the same problem with mine. So embarrassing when I’m with someone and their saddle is the one on the ground when we arrive at our destination! I’ve been thinking of adding a sticky drawer liner thing, but haven’t done it yet.

Nice saddle racks, are you sure your roads are not the problem, if saddles jump off them? :upside_down_face:

I would get a strap, baling twine, whatever is handy and go thru the front metal piece there, back both ways about where the saddle buttons are, crossed over to the edge back of the cantle, crossed behind it and tied down to the rack, a figure eight kind of tie, not touching the saddle except in the sides of the pommel and on the edges of the cantle.

That is if a sticky something on the rack itself doesn’t do the trick for you.

Thanks! I try to be as careful as I can but the roads being in such a sorry state, not always possible to avoid the bumps and holes.

I hear you.
We used to go to OKC for the big shows there and their roads getting there were horribly bumpy, so bad no one was going up to the speed limit.

Good luck keeping everything in place.

Thinking totally outside of the box here, but I guess the saddles fall because they don’t weigh as much as your western saddle? Can you try putting weighted items on your stirrup straps when traveling? I’m thinking something you can make at home after a trip to Home Depot. Or, sew weights into the edges of a dish towel and place the towel over your saddle? None of these things should leave marks on you saddle.

Alternatively, cover the saddle rack with neoprene? That is pretty sticky stuff.

Or, somehow make D-ring clips that’ll fasten to the bar under the pommel? Or, try putting your saddle in pommel to the back. Maybe that pommel bar will fit into the curve of the gullet under the cantle better to help keep your saddle in place?

I’m not sure if any of that will work, just tossing out ideas!

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I’d put a bungee through the loop and over the flaps on each side and hook on the support under the rack. It wouldn’t have to be super tight, and could go over the saddle pads (if you draped them over the saddle) for protection.

I am assuming the cantle would be in the corner, pommel out like that western saddle.

I would just use a bungee and hook the two ends together between that support post and the rack.

Side story - I had a stock trailer that was a box but previous owner had put a piece of plywood on hinges infront of the people door, right where it curved. It was great for storing stuff but I decided to take it a step farther - I put screwedin some plastic storage containers - a few drawers (people first aid, horse first aid, brush box, box for girth/saddle pads). A plastic container with a lid, screwed on so the bottom was on the plywood and some hooks screwed in and the bridles lived there.

I also screwed in some metal saddle racks. I bungeed my saddles on for the first trip and my saddles did stay on the rack…but the tiny screws were not sufficient to keep the racks attached to the plywood! So I used small carriage bolts and that worked great so everything was neat - buckets on the floor but everything else packed away where it wouldn’t get weather/dust on it or get tangled and I could pack well before a show and be ready. I was very proud of that set up!

I had this problem in my old trailer, a Featherlight with the shaped plastic saddle racks. I used a nylon cargo strap around the seat of the saddle. Never had a problem with it marking the saddle, which had a cover on it, but if that is a concern, you could either put down a saddle pad, or put something like a piece of pool noodle on the strap where it crosses the saddle’s seat.

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Have you tried turning the saddle backwards? Otherwise I would just use some grippy material or vet wrap.

Bungee cords could work but I would make it loose as to not leave marks on the saddle.