The saddle at the bottom of the page is an exact replica of a pony saddle but although cute, it is not really suitable
for rocking horses. The panel ( the padded under side of a real saddle ) makes the whole thing stand up too high on
the back of a rocking horse.
Also the saddle gullet is not wanted on a rocking horse. On a real horse, the panel and gullet lift the saddle up from
the horses' backbone; essential if it is to carry a rider and not get a sore back.
This is the opposite of what is needed on a rocking horse. It helps to have the maximum contact area between the
wooden back and the underside of a removable saddle to stop it slipping, spread the load on the horse and increase the
life of the saddle.
For these reasons, rocking horse saddles are adapted from the real thing to give a good fit on a rocking horse.
ATTACHMENT OF REMOVABLE SADDLES is very important as a wooden rocking horse can not be girthed up like a real horse - the
wood does not give like a horse's belly and so the girth tends to be loose.
This is can be dangerous when a child loses balance and puts weight in one stirrup as the saddle and child will
slip round and maybe fall off. Elastic girths can help but for safety,
removable rocking
horse saddles should be secured by a girth AND a second system. Some people use dowels in the saddle base to locate
the saddle,
others use various fixings under the girth.
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