GETTING ON WITH THE LG - we are preparing for Mustangecotours...

The revamping of tack, if one has more than one horse is always a challenge. I have reached a milestone with mine and transitioned to bitless bridles and treeless saddles. Here are my choices and why:
I have 6 mustangs without withers...they are shortbacked (except for Silhouette) and go in several different disciplines. I like dressage, jumping, also trail and endurance. Sometimes I go with minimum equipment sometimes I like to take saddle bags and supplies for the trail. I abhor heaving a "Klotz" onto my horse just to add my own weight and then completely loose all feeling for the movement. I do not use a HORN, I do not need breast color, tail-keeper, martingales or backstraps. I like to see my horse...more than just the ears. The mouth of the horse is sensitive, since I don't jog with a spoon in my mouth, I do not ask my horse to perform with a metal linkage/port in his mouth either...

I ride in a 15inch Bob Marshall treeless sports saddle with a grandeur pad (also a skito pad). The saddle is superlight and I feel the horse, It is warm and has attachments for saddlebags if so desired. It fits ALL my horses, sometimes I change the pad. The conclusion I came to is that the saddle is secondary to the pad, especially in treeless. So for spine clearance I want a 3/4 inch temperfoam buffer between the saddle and the horse, heat will compress that some, but when I take the saddle off it is still a beautiful distribution of weight.

I ride my horses in an LG-Zaum, developed by my friend and Mustang-rider Monika Lehmenkuehler in Germany. She has been advocating this bitless alternative for more than a decade now and it is the closest approximation to the Snaffle (two-point contact and three point pressure) and elegant to boot. It took me a while to work out the kinks like the clip-ons that fit best and the adjustments for the length of the headstall etc. but I thing today I got it. (Picture)

In addition I ride in a classic  "ansur" saddle and a modern "Freeform" (both treeless)
and I also like a basic sidepull and sometimes go out in a jumping hackamore.

ARAGON V WITH THE BITLESS LG-ZAUM AND THE BOB MARSHALL TREELESS SADDLE

My horses are usually barefoot and I do not overvaccinate. They are kept outside eating grass and herbs (hope less of the bad weeds) and they don't wear clothes. I wash once or twice a year, otherwise elbowgrease makes them shine and gives me a workout. I ride every day and I take them for long walks on long lines...I am not afraid to put females with males and would love to see more stallions ridden. I discourage breeding in a world of TOO MANY EVERYBODY and after my last adventure, the EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER I now look forward to encounter on my next adventure, the MUSTANGECOTOURS EXPEDITION to the SAND WASH BASIN WILD HORSES west of Craig Colorado.