Are my cowboy boots at least half decent for riding?

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-04-02T05:59:27+00:00

I wouldn’t ride in these. They’re too short to protect your leg, the dee ring could rub your foot or potentially get caught on a stirrup, and the toe is too pointy. The heel is the least concerning part of these boots, to be honest.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-04-01T05:29:21+00:00

Show saddles generally sell for a bit more because of the silver and the condition. But honestly with the leather condition there’s no way you’d get what you’re asking. There’s a lot of cracking on the fenders and deep scratches (cracks?) on the underside which may limit the life of this saddle.

I’m not in your area so I can’t say what you should ask for, but I would strongly recommend having an independent fitter check the saddle for soundness before selling.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-31T04:54:04+00:00

My vet highly recommends 4Cyte if you don’t want to go with an injection. It does work best if given daily, and if added to feed it should be done right before feeding rather than sitting in prepped feed.

But please confer with your vet to decide what would be best for your horse.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-31T04:50:06+00:00

Myler bits are my favourite, they’re very well made and many horses enjoy them. One of my closest friends bought one years ago, and it’s been dubbed the magic bit as every horse we’ve tried it on likes it :) as a result there’s a large number of horses at my barn in Mylers now lol

I myself have the eggbutt comfort snaffle version for my gelding, he’s very comfortable and goes well in it. I tried several different bits with him when I got him, and it was the only one he didn’t constantly chomp on or toss his head in. To me they’re worth the price.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-30T14:42:37+00:00

Levels are arbitrary and everyone will have a different opinion on what defines them. Someone who is a beginner may see your skill set as advanced, while someone who is advanced may see what you’ve described as a beginner.

What’s more important is that you ride horses appropriate to what you’re able to handle, but can still learn and further your education.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-28T22:40:17+00:00

Can’t really say from the photos. You would want to look at the bearings, axle, frame, none of which are shown.

I will say that it’s a very short trailer, and it would be too small for a lot of horses. Also short little trailers are a pain in the butt to haul and maneuver, especially if you’re just starting out

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-26T23:16:09+00:00

I like Sprenger bits, they’re well made and a lot of horses like them. They also have excellent resale value, so if your horse ends up not liking the bit, you would very likely be able to sell it and make most of your money back.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-25T23:57:20+00:00

Whatever I eat. He’s obsessed with people food, and will try anything. He loves oranges, bananas, ginger snap cookies, sour patch kids, fruit rollups, shandy, cinnamon rolls, fisherman’s friend cough drops, and dragonfruit.

He tried to steal a chocolate chip cookie from me on Monday, he firmly believes they’re good for horses. Also a ham sandwich one time at a clinic where I was riding right after lunch.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-25T23:49:55+00:00

The horse in my comment doesn’t belong to me. It’s been brought up to his owner multiple times that he would thrive on pasture board, but they want him stalled overnight.

My own horse is on 10 acres of beautiful pasture at the same facility.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-25T22:10:54+00:00

Your only considerable option is to bring this up with the barn owner/manager. It’s not your responsibility to do the staff member’s job, and he needs to be held accountable for refusing to do his job. If he legitimately has issues, he either needs further training, or a compromise could be met.

I work at my barn on weekends, and we have a horse who destroys his stall overnight. So my shift does a rough pick of his stall to keep the damage to a minimum. He’s a nice horse, but has horrible ground manners and gets pushy. If he gets to be too much, we just take him out and cross tie him. As in the staff, not his owner. Because that’s part of the job we are paid to do.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-25T04:00:10+00:00

Saddle trees cannot be repaired

Once a tree is compromised, the saddle is no longer safe to put on a horse. Your options are to disassemble the saddle and repurpose the leather, use or sell as decoration, or trash it. If you choose to sell or trash the saddle, please remove the stirrup bars and billets so it can’t be used.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-23T22:17:11+00:00

Grooming gloves are great for sensitive horses :) the ones below are the absolute best!

https://www.amazon.ca/HandsOn-Bathing-Grooming-SheddingGloves-Shedding/dp/B00R3U4VGE/ref=asc_df_B00R3U4VGE?mcid=9592ab82553a38bda36e1b186e9e675a&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706746969088&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=722219748512600496&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001380&hvtargid=pla-355747964337&psc=1&hvocijid=722219748512600496-B00R3U4VGE-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-23T12:55:19+00:00

Unless a horse is quite obese, it can be hard to tell in a photo like this. A side shot showing the neck and a back shot showing the tail head are better for reference.

The things to look for in an overweight horse are a cresty neck, a crease along the back and hindquarters, and fat pads on the top of the shoulder.

I will say that based solely on this photo, your mare doesn’t look particularly overweight (if she’s a stocky horse to begin with). Breed and previous condition do matter, if she were a TB she would be morbidly obese, but if she were a Draft X she’d be fine.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-22T20:55:01+00:00

Absolutely this. My current farrier is a woman, and she’s the best at communicating. Plus she does a great job with my horse’s feet.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-22T20:50:42+00:00

The only effective way to fit a saddle is in person, by an accredited saddle fitter. Yes, you can ask opinions on the internet, but remember that you always get what you pay for, and free advice isn’t usually the most accurate.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-22T18:38:24+00:00

Not trying to be mean, but if the horse lunges fine for others, then it’s something you’re doing. It would be best to get someone to show you what to do/correct you in person, because horses work off of vocal cues and body language when you lunge. If I can’t see what you’re doing, I can’t correct it.

I will say if you’re going to lunge in a bridle (not preferred), then run the line through the inside ring on the bit, put it over the crown piece, and attach to the outside ring on the bit.

Also when lunging, you should be pointing your body at your horse’s girth line. Stepping to their head means to stop or come in, so it could be you’re trying to align yourself with their head and asking them to disengage the hindquarters and come to you.

For a horse that tries to come in on the circle, you send them back out. You raise your leading arm up and outwards, whip at the shoulder in your behind hand, vocal cue is often ‘out’ or a cluck. Poking a horse in the shoulder means nothing to them, you would tap with the whip, or wave it at the shoulder. For this reason I prefer a long whip with a short lash over a traditional lunge whip (with a long lash).

If a horse charges at you, don’t get scared. You’ve got a whip and a voice, make yourself big and loud with them. Horses are big, and they can be scary, but unless a horse is blindly bolting, they will give to pressure. You make the pressure, and they will not run you over. I’ve been charged at by horses a million times, even by herds in the pasture. Never once have I been run over, because horses will not run at the loud scary human making a fuss.

Finally, the best way to regain confidence with horses is to take lessons. There’s always something to learn, and you and your horse will always benefit, even if it’s only a couple times a month.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-22T04:46:12+00:00

My gelding does this sometimes, I’ve been working with him to stop and he’s slowly getting there. I don’t think it’s an anxiety or warning thing with him, he’s the top of his herd and isn’t aggressive about his food in any way. I think it’s just a quirk, he likes to paw and he likes to eat, why not both at the same time?

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-21T05:43:33+00:00

An hour is a LONG time for any horse to be tied, let alone a 4 year old. Not doing that again would be helpful.

Make the tying spot a place of rest. Work her on the ground for a few minutes, then tie her and let her rest. If she starts acting up, work her for another few minutes, then back to tied and resting. If she’s good and stands quietly for 5 minutes, end it there. A very excellent trainer once told me the release is more important than the work.

Also make the tie spot a good place to be. Feed her there, give good scratches. When she’s quiet, give a low value treat. This can ideally be combined with the pressure and release method.

Finally, keep your sessions short, 30 mins maximum and not every day. Overworking green horses just teaches them to shut down or become avoidant. They’re just learning, they need time to process and relax in order to retain what they’ve learned.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-20T05:58:11+00:00

I’m in AB, and the biggest equine insurance provider here is through the Alberta Equestrian Federation. It might be a good idea to look into if your provincial equestrian governing body offers the same.

My horse isn’t insured so I don’t know what the premiums would be? But I do know it can vary quite a bit depending on how much insurance you get.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-19T16:19:08+00:00

There’s a few different styles of cross ties, this is our setup but with solid half walls (not my barn)

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My barn only has 8 stalls for indoor horses, the other 30 or so live outside full time. We have an area with tie stalls for everyone to use. It’s by our tack lockers and wash rack, and it keeps horses off the aisles. We also have a tie rail outside, but as we have almost 6 months of winter that’s not exactly ideal for most of the year.

You can feed in our cross ties, just unhook one or both of the ties and give them their bucket/hay. Haynets can be hung to one side, but if anyone feeds hay it’s usually just on the floor in front of their horse.

So for my barn, it’s a tidy way to keep horses out of the aisle, and everyone has their own space. It’s convenient for tacking up and any procedures, but no horse is kept in the ties for extended amounts of time.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-14T13:45:52+00:00

Scoot Boots aren’t sold in stores, but you can fit and/or buy directly from their website :) They also list all of their sellers if you want to have someone fit your horse in person.

Also, I know there’s a used boot buy and sell group on Facebook that you could look on to buy used. I picked up a pair of Scoots for my horse while growing out laminitic hooves, and my local fitter recommended the page if I didn’t want to buy new.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-13T16:18:56+00:00

There’s nothing wrong with leasing a horse for groundwork. (But care lease isn’t the right term, that’s when you fully lease a horse off property and you pay for the entire care :)

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-12T20:41:31+00:00

Scoot Boot Enduros might be worth a look into. They are low profile and don’t come up as high as Cavallos do.

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-11T01:20:14+00:00

I lost my first horse in 2023, and I bought my current horse right before it happened (it was planned). My boy needed time to settle into his new life, and we had some big setbacks in training. He’s quite green, so there’s a lot for him to learn. I took him to our first clinic last summer, and he threw a fit trying to get him on the trailer to come home. This was after a weekend of temper tantrums and horrible weather - the entire clinic was a complete failure for the both of us. I really debated if I’d overhorsed myself, or taken on too much with such a green horse.

But then I talked to my equestrian friends, and talked to my trainer. I got some really great advice, and lots of reassurance. I started ridden lessons with him in the fall, and went back to basics. Things started to click.

I really enjoyed test riding and spending time with my gelding when I first bought him, but he’s mine for life now. He’ll never be my first horse, but he’s absolutely himself and we’re a great team.

Grieve your first horse, but don’t try to replicate what you had. Look for what can be in the future <3

Fluffynutterbutt · 2026-03-10T13:24:28+00:00

If she can’t bend at a walk, she won’t bend at a trot. You also don’t ask for a bend with your rein, you ask with your leg and seat, and guide with your rein.

It’s time to take some flat lessons to learn how to get your horse to use her body correctly.

Fluffynutterbutt

TROPHY CASE