After you ride, take the horse back into the barn to the station where you prepared the horse to ride.

UNTACK - ALL INFORMATION
* Lay the reins over the hitch rail if you are at it.
* If you are in the ground tie corner either hand the reins to the person accompanying you, lay them carefully over the
horse’s neck or hold on to the middle of the reins as you reach for your halter and lead rope.
IF YOU NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, DO IT RIGHT NOW
-- Whip Special
•        If you carried the whip into the barn in your hand (bareback rider) immediately hang it on your hook to put away
later.
•        If you hung the whip over your saddle horn or tucked it in between horse and saddle (English) immediately take it
from the saddle and hang it on the hook at your tack up station.
-- Pony Special - If you used the over check untie it from the saddle horn so it is ready to slide off with the bridle.
PUTTING ON THE HALTER
Put the halter on the horse’s neck
-- Take the halter off the hook
-- Make sure it is unbuckled.
-- Put the lead rope over the horse’s neck and crisscross it.
-- Put the halter strap in your left hand.
-- Hold your left hand under the horse's neck pushing the strap away from you.
-- Put your right arm over the horse's neck.
-- Flip the strap up with your left hand and catch the end with your right hand.
-- Let go of strap with your left hand and put left hand at buckle.
-- Pull buckle and strap together and buckle. Do not tuck end of strap into buckle.
INFORMATION: When you have finished, the halter will be around the neck like a necklace.
Take the bridle off the horse’s head
-- If there is a throat latch on the bridle, unbuckle it first and make sure the two pieces come apart. Let it hang.
-- Grip the bit with your left hand. Place your right hand behind the ear and make sure you are holding the strap (or
straps if it has a throat latch – the bridles for Shag, Goober, Golly and Bart all have 2 straps).
-- Push the straps forward over the ear while holding the bit in the horse’s mouth.
-- Slide hand to right ear and push straps forward over the ear.
BE SURE TO HOLD THE STRAP OR STRAPS AS THE BRIDLE COMES OFF.
-- Gently let the bridle slide down the face and, holding the bit, ease it out of the horse’s mouth. We don’t want to hear
teeth banging.
-- After the bridle is off the horse’s head, put the reins over the headstall and hang it on your hook. If you can work
with it on your shoulder at this time (put the halter on) without it getting in your way you may put it on your shoulder and
hang it after the halter is in place on your horse’s face.
Put the halter on the horse’s head Do this the same way if you catch the horse or you are in the barn.
-- Unbuckle the halter. Hold the strap with your right hand and buckle with the left.
-- Move your left hand down to the second ring on the halter – the one by the nose piece.
-- Place the opening below the horse’s mouth so he can put his nose into it.
-- After the horse puts his nose into the halter pull the strap up then over his neck with the right hand as you slide your
left hand to the nose piece.
-- Help the nose piece onto the face with your left hand while you are pulling on the strap with your right hand.
-- Keep the left hand on the face strap in the middle and move your hand on it to ease it up on the horse’s face. At the
same time, pull up with your right hand and keep the strap pulled down on your side. When the strap is in the middle of
the face where it belongs, slide your hand up to the buckle while holding the strap in place.  As you buckle, keep your
fingers out of the horse's ear. He will pull the head away if fingers are touching or in the ear
-- Buckle the pieces together. Be sure to tuck the end of the strap into the buckle when the halter is on the horse’s face.
INFORMATION: If the end of the strap is left untucked and the horse rubs his head against something, the buckle can
come apart and turn your horse loose.
--Take the lead line off the horse's neck; as directed on the horse tip sheet either tie high or loop the lead line on the
hitch rail.
TAKING OFF SADDLES AND OTHER TACK
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT – IF YOU HAVE USED THE FOLLOWING TAKE IT OFF NEXT. Remember this simple saying
"Last on first off'.
Martingale - Unsnap the snap that is attached to the cinch ring. Next unbuckle the strap around the neck and hold onto
the martingale. Hang it on the hook at your tack up station.
Side straps - Lift your stirrup out of the way if you like (can hook it over the saddle horn) and unbuckle the side strap.
Take it completely off the horse and hang it on your hook at your tack up station.
IMPORTANT you have a side strap on the horse's right side and it must come off at this time. Go around your horse and
take it off and hang it up.
Whip - If you rode with a whip you will need to take it off the saddle horn (western). Do this carefully so the whip does
not become a threat to the horse. Hang it up on your hook at your tack up station. If you rode the English saddle and put
the whip under the saddle, get it out carefully and hang it up on the hook in your tack up station.
Western Saddle
- Take end of latigo out of keeper or pull from saddle dee ring.
- Unhook latigo from cinch ring. Push the hook down.
- Take the tail of the latigo and push it through the cinch ring toward the front of the horse; pull it all
the way through; pull it up the side to the top ring; it should loosen the next leather that needs to be pulled - pull that
leather out by the strap; repeat until latigo totally unwrapped; do not let it drop.
- Hold the loose end with the point of the latigo; lower it toward the ground; when your hands are at the very end gently
let the latigo drop onto the dirt; put your hand onto the other piece of latigo and gently shake the leather out of the
ring so the ring doesn't bang against the horse's leg while you pull it toward you.
- When all the latigo is free of the ring make a bend/fold in it and make sure the tail of the latigo is hanging down next
to you.
- Take the bend/fold; put it into the saddle dee ring from the top of the ring; pull so all the latigo ends are even; get
the keeper off the saddle horn; slip it up onto the folded latigo and leave it in the middle.
- Go to the other side of the horse.
If you are using a stool, take it with you.
TALK TO THE HORSE AS YOU GO AROUND. YOU CAN GO AROUND EITHER THE FRONT OR BACK.
If you are using the stool, position it correctly before using it.
- Take the cinch ring and put it into the keeper or over the saddle horn.
- Take the cinch and put it into the saddle seat.
- Take the stirrup and put it over the saddle horn; if it is little saddle, turn the stirrup so the narrower end goes over
the horn - it seems to hold it on better.
- Go back to the horse's left side (remember stool) and take the saddle off; lift it up a little so the blankets don't slide
off into the dirt. Place the saddle on the saddle rack. Be sure to center it so it doesn’t fall off into the dirt.
INFORMATION - If you have the front (swells/pommel) of the saddle in your left hand and the cantle in your right, you
know you are taking the saddle off the correct side.
- Take the saddle pad off and place it on top of the saddle. Be sure not to pull the blanket off.
- Take the thin blanket off and place it on top of the saddle pad.
English Saddle
- Unbuckle the girth.
TALK TO THE HORSE AS YOU GO AROUND. YOU CAN GO AROUND EITHER THE FRONT OR BACK.
- Go to horse's right side and unbuckle girth; put it across saddle and tuck ends into stirrups. If you are using a stool,
take it with you.
- Go to horse's left side (remember stool), tuck girth end into stirrup, lift saddle and pad off horse at the same time.
INFORMATION - If you have the front (swells/pommel) of the saddle in your left hand and the cantle in your right, you
know you are taking the saddle off the correct side.
- Place saddle and pad on saddle rack.
Bareback Pad if you used one
Unbuckle cinch. Let it go gently so it doesn’t bang the horse’s right front leg.
Go to the horse’s right side and put cinch up over the back of the horse.
Go back to left side and buckle cinch into cinch strap.
Lift pad off the horse and put onto saddle rack.
Take thin blanket off horse’s back and put it on top of the bareback pad on the saddle rack.
FINAL FOR THE HORSE
* Brush the horse at least where the saddle and blankets were.
* Give treats located in tack room. Take only what you can carry without spilling in one hand and use the other hand to
feed the horse two treats at a time.
ALWAYS KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE HORSE'S MOUTH AND YOUR HAND SO YOU DON'T GET NIPPED.
* Put two treats onto the feeding hand; make the feeding hand flat; move it under the horse's   mouth then up to the
mouth. If you do it just this way there is no chance of the horse biting you.
* After treats, get into your leading position and take the horse back to its pen.
*
As you come back, buckle the halter, hold by buckled strap, put lead line over the strap, hang with others
PUT AWAY TACK AND ANYTHING USED
Special tack
- Pony reins snap the snaps together, fold reins in half and put onto their black horse shoe.
- Pony bridle put onto its black horse shoe.
- Pony over check put onto black horse shoe with the bridle.
- Pony cinch make sure you have taken it off the saddle; hang back in store room on proper hook. Put regular cinch back
onto saddle you used.
- Side straps are hung on black horse shoe on end by English saddles. There is a label by the horse shoe.
- Martingale - hang it and the reins back on the black horse shoe. Put Shag's bridle there too.
- Whip - put back onto hook with rest of whips

PUT AWAY - TACK
* Thin blanket - onto RED RAIL in big room; single blanket spread out and put on rail; double blanket spread out so it is
square and hang on red rail. They dry out here. INFORMATION: Double fold blanket never gets any bigger than the
single blanket.
* Pad - put back onto green rail. Rubber pad here too.
GREEN RAIL INFORMATION – THE RAILS ARE PAINTED BLACK AND GREEN. IF YOU PUT YOUR PAD ON THE
RAIL PAINTED GREEN THEY WILL ALL FIT AND ARE REASONABLY EASY TO GET ON AND OFF.
* Western saddle - back where you got it.
Make sure stirrup and cinch hang down correctly.
Put cover over it.
* English saddle with pad - make sure both stirrups are in park position. Put back where you got them.
Put cover on saddle.
* Bridle and reins
While it is hanging on the hook, unsnap the reins.
Snap the rein snaps to each other.
Unless tip sheet says otherwise, take both and put bridle onto green horse shoe.
Put reins onto black horse shoe with other reins. Be sure to hang so it is not on the floor.
Put grooming equipment back into pockets. Set tote on floor - do not stack them.
Put any special equipment back where you got it.
* Horse Tip Sheet - put back into holder.
* HELMET - make sure your box is open. Take off your head and immediately place into box. Close box and put back onto
helmet shelf with big letter facing you.
* Boots - take off and put plastic back into them. Put them up on the shelf they came off.
UNTACK & PUT AWAY
© Wendy Toombs 2013