Creating a partnership where the horse loves to be ridden is one of the joys of owning and training a horse. Even if you are starting a youngster, re-breaking an older horse, or trying to correct bad habits, knowing how to desensitize your horse to the saddle is very important. Desensitizing to the saddle pad and saddle may also be known as "sacking out" or gentling.http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_training/sacking_out.htm

Needless to say you don't just wake up one morning and decide to ride an unbroken horse just because he happens to be of age.http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/inthesaddle.shtml Make sure you have done your ground work ahead of time. This includes ensuring the horse leads, and ties, lunges, and understands words such as "whoa" and "walk on". Be sure your horse is comfortable with you moving around him. All these things should be able to be done with your horse remaining calm and relaxed with a soft eye and a quiet attitude.http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/inthesaddle.shtml You'll want to have exposed your horse to as many experiences as possible such as loading, unloading, and hauling in a trailer, walking over bridges and puddles.

1. Saddle pad: This may be a pad purchased from a horse supply store or a feed store. You will find good deals at auctions and flea markets as well. Second hand pads are often advertised on online sale sites as well. In fact for the first few lessons it doesn't even have to be a saddle pad, a burlap sack would work just as well. For the first few times you will want a light weight pad you can manipulate rather easily and slide around the horse. You may progress to thicker pads if you want until you reach the pad that you are going to be riding with. These incremental steps are optional of course, but the light weight beginning pad is a little easier to work with.
2. Saddle: This can be a light weight saddle such as the Cordura saddles, English saddle, or any saddle you can move around easily. For the first few lessons leave the cinch off. You may also want to tie the stirrups up.
3. Halter: Your horse's regular work halter is fine as long as it fits correctly.
4. Lead rope: Cotton is best for training type of work.
5. Work area: A round pen is ideal but if this is not available to you an enclosed pen or paddock will work. Be sure it is big enough that the horse can move without pinning you to the sides. A stall would most likely be too small.

Take your horse to your chosen work place and go somewhere near the center. Do not tie your horse or set him free, drape (do not wrap) the rope over the crook of your left arm. This way if the horse moves you can pull him back towards you.http://www.mountainrosetraining.com/library/leadline14.php Show the saddle pad to your horse, let him sniff it. Don't shove the saddle pad directly underneath the horses nose where he cannot see it, come from the near side that you lead from. Gently take the pad and rub the horse with the pad starting at the neck, head, back and croup.http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_training/sacking_out.htm Rub the horses legs, belly, and girth area.http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/inthesaddle.shtml Reward the horse for stillness and tolerance by stopping your movements when he does and by praising and patting.http://www.mountainrosetraining.com/library/leadline14.php Repeat this on BOTH sides of the horse. Do not assume that you will only need to do the side that you will be saddling from. If the horse is quiet with this step, put him away and continue the lesson the next day or a little later.

Progress to tossing the saddle pad over the back of the horse and letting it plop a little. Remember to only move onto each step if the horse is quiet and relaxed with the first.

For the next step let a helper hold the horse while the trainer walks in a large circle around the horse waving the pad, gradually decreasing the circle as the horse remains relaxed.http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_training/sacking_out.htm Do not hit the horse with the blanket or it may cause distrust of you and that object.http://www.horsekeeping.com/horse_training/sacking_out.htm After each step reward and stop, let the horse rest some and come back to the lesson. Don't overload your horse with too much in one day.

When your horse is totally inured to the saddle pad from all directions, both sides, and all over the body, it is time to move onto the saddle. Take the same approach you did with the saddle pad. Allow your horse to look at the object and smell it, gently slide it over his shoulders and across his back. Take the saddle on and off many times, both sides. After a while, if you have tied up the stirrups, let them down and let the horse get used to the stirrups flopping around. Do not throw the saddle on one time and cinch it up. A little time with this step will be well rewarded in the future. If your horse accepts the saddle the first day give your horse some down time and start on the next step on the next day.

When the horse has become accustomed to the saddle coming on and off, let the cinch down and gently cinch your horse up. Do not over tighten the cinch. Take care not to pinch him. You just want the saddle to stay in place while your horse moves around.

At this point you may want to lunge your horse a while.http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/inthesaddle.shtml This will let him get used to the saddle on his back while giving you plenty of room. The young horse may want to buck a bit, but let him work it out on his own.http://www.naturalhorsesupply.com/inthesaddle.shtml

Taking several days with each step ensures that you are going slowly enough for the horse to absorb what you want him to learn. Do not corner your horse or push him into a frightened or aggressive response. Remember, a bad habit learned at the early stages may last the rest of his life.