Water bottles

[matryoshka]

I LOVE saving money by finding alternate ideas for horse gear. Thanks for sharing this stuff.

I don’t put a water bottle on the horse, because he is so bouncy that so far all of them have come off on the ride. However, these solutions, especially with velcro, might work for us.

[Shadow14]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;3191274]
Norval, did you even try a “camel back” type water carrier?

My son did a year in Iraq and swears by them. They don’t flop about, are comfortable to wear, and easily accessible without using your hands.

I’ve never tried one astride but intend to later this spring.

G.[/QUOTE]

No but I don’t drink alot of water on trail either. I just makes me have to pee. I do carry it for a sip every now and then but I find one good bottle lasts the entire trip and I usually dump in on the horse anyway. My method works, doesn’t bounce one little bit, doesn’t pop the bottle out and doesn’t interfer with anything, leg or reins.
I want nothing on my person.

[Shadow14]

[QUOTE=Jess!;3191376]
I’ve had my Abetta for three years now, and it’s about beat up, but it’s still going strong, but I do notice the fenders are pretty stiff about moving back and forth. Going down a hill they get stuck in the forward position, and I have to really push down on my heels and move my legs backwards to get into the proper position. Uphills, they get pushed back really far and don’t move back where they’re supposed to be without effort. Only thing that bothers me about them.[/QUOTE]

I can’t stand if the fenders are stiff, stick or resist back and forth motion. While loping I sit well back, feet slightly out front to keep as much weight as possible on the back and off the front and I want my fenders to move effortless.
Lift a stirup up high over the saddle and look at that little strap on the big ring right in the middle between the heavy rigging. It is a safety catch but I don’t feel it is necessary. Look at it and you will see it creased from the stirrup/fender pushing on it. Take an knife and cut this strap in two at the ring and then reach up a few inches and cut it right out. It frees the stirrup. Both my saddles now have this removed.
I wonder if I can buy new fenders?? My saddle is really good, new rigging this past week but fenders could do with replacement.

[jeano]

yes, indeed, http://www.horsetack.com/products/saddle1/saddle1.htm Abetta leathers and fenders. Fabtrons fenders are nicer imo, but the buckles on the Abetta leathers are the greatest. Hate blevins buckles.

[Shadow14]

[QUOTE=jeano;3192286]
yes, indeed, http://www.horsetack.com/products/saddle1/saddle1.htm Abetta leathers and fenders. Fabtrons fenders are nicer imo, but the buckles on the Abetta leathers are the greatest. Hate blevins buckles.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the link. I am going to order a new pair.
Thanks
Norval

[Auventera_Two]

@Shadow14;3191203

To the tune of 2500 miles?? That is roughly what I put on per year and anything that rubs wears out. I nearly wore through the rigging on my Abetta in one year and one fender is just about wore through. I really like leather for wear but it is far heavier and with me every pound counts.
Vickey your ride this past weekend is almost my daily run so equipment must be at it’s best and NO rubbing allowed. Even a heavy girth billeting wears through quickly. If the swing of your leg in the stirrup is not smooth and friction free it wears through and that includes the stirrup leathers, not really leather here but fairly heavy fabric, but it wears through within a year.

Well - then you do what you gotta do to make the tack work for you.

And everybody else does what works for them. I have no need or desire to rack up 2500 miles on my horse per year. The amount of riding I do is perfect for her and I. The tack I have works. That’s the beauty of this sport is that there are very few hard and fast rules about tack, training regimes, or anything else. Basic horsemanship and attention to the horse’s health and happiness are about the only absolutes that I know of.

I plan to try a camelback this year for summer riding. I drink a lot of gatorade during the heat. My bottles don’t bounce, but the camelback looks more appealing to me than individual bottles.

[Jess1]

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3192524]

I plan to try a camelback this year for summer riding. I drink a lot of gatorade during the heat. My bottles don’t bounce, but the camelback looks more appealing to me than individual bottles.[/QUOTE]

Just don’t leave gatorade in it for a long time. :eek: my husband did that once, and oh my…the mold and gross stuff in it was disgusting. Needless to say…he’s a man and didn’t think about rinsing it out. :lol:

[matryoshka]

I ride with a camel back in the heat. It works great, because I can drink while we are moving donw the trail. The line does occasionally annoy me, but I put up with it in preference to taking a sip when needed. No point in getting dehydrated. I stick to water on the trail, though, and can eat something salty if desired. I don’t like the sugar in Gatorade and other drinks–I’m very sensitive to sugar and don’t need to get light headed out on the trail on my bucky horse.

[gypsymare]

[QUOTE=jeano;3192286]
yes, indeed, http://www.horsetack.com/products/saddle1/saddle1.htm Abetta leathers and fenders. Fabtrons fenders are nicer imo, but the buckles on the Abetta leathers are the greatest. Hate blevins buckles.[/QUOTE]

Whoa!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I have been dying to find a set of fenders I can fit to my Freeform saddle since I hate the blevins buckles and I’d love to be able to ride without my half chaps all the time. Those Abetta fenders should be perfect!

[jeano]

Gypsymare, you and Shadow14 are more than welcome. I was totally clueless that you could even buy replacement fenders until about a year ago, when my riding buddy who works in a feed/tack store let me know I could replace the godawful fenders on the Wintec western I used to own with some fabtron ones. I will add that the Australian stock saddle company has overstocked cordura fenders as well for 29 bucks–cant tell from the pics on their site just what the buckle arrangement is, and the color is turd brown, near as I can tell. http://www.aussiesaddle.com, look for specials on the left hand side of the screen, then scroll down that page and you’ll see em.

[gypsymare]

Oooh even better since my saddle is nearly the same shade of turd brown!

[jeano]

Best of all if you email them and bombard them with questions they actually respond! I had questions about these very same fenders when I was fendershopping and they got back to me promptly. Of course, if I ever asked about the buckles I have forgotten what they told me, being decrepit in mind as well as body. I am glad somebody besides me doesnt flinch at the thought of mixing and matching saddle parts. I actually used the black Fabtron fenders that ended up on the Wintec with a brown leather Aussie saddle for a while. It’d knock your eyes out at fifty paces.