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When I first started riding mules, I
would put the saddle on just like a horse,
high on the wither with my chinch close to
the front legs. Down the trail we went. I
always rode with a loose cinch because I
wanted my horse to have all the breathing
power possible. I know how heavy I breathe
when I go up those mountains on foot.
(Walking hurts the price of good saddle
mules.)
Guess what happened on the first down hill?
Yep, you guessed it, over the head I went.
The saddle went over the shoulders and on up
the neck. I stayed on going over grabbing
halters and ears, landing in front of the
mule but on my feet.
I decided to tighten up the cinch and down
the next hill I went. This time I turned
sideways on the trail to keep from going
over the neck.
One of my old cowboy buddies suggested I
center-fire the saddle. That worked better,
but not great. I fought that saddle the
whole trip. It was miserable. I even made
a crupper, put the saddle on and put the
crupper under the tail. That mule went
nuts! He was determined to buck me off. He
didn't like that thing rubbing on the
softest part of his body.
That night I decided to talk to a saddle
maker and get a britchen. The saddle maker
and old friend suggested I use a britchen
off one of my old harness. Now that started
my quest for what makes Mr. Mule
comfortable. I know what it's like to have
a sore back and a belt that's too tight. I
decided that's how a mule feels when he is
saddled up poorly. Horse saddles are not
made to fit mules, and it does make a
difference.
When I first started out I was not only
using a britchen but I was using a horse
saddle. The mule protested but I thought it
was the mule's fault. You know the mule has
a bad reputation so everything he does is
his fault right? Nope it's our fault.
Now first I want to say the best you can do
for your mule is to have a good fitting
tree! Notice I didn't say a good fitting
saddle. You CANNOT TELL IF A SADDLE FITS
UNTIL YOU SEE THE BARE TREE FIT. The
tree is the Skeleton.
Next in importance is the britchen, which is
what I want to talk about today. First
let’s talk about what a britchen does not
do. You do not use it to keep your saddle
or cinch back ALL THE TIME you are in the
saddle. The britchen is for stops and going
down hills. This is when the saddle moves
the most. This is what the britchen is
designed to help with. When the britchen is
tight all the time, it will rub hair off the
hip in a short time. I have seen mules
scalded in as little as half an hour. Do
not adjust your britchen straight. This may
look good but will pull hair quick because
it does not fit the hip flush.
Lets look at different ways of fitting
the britchen
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This picture shows how I see a lot
of britchens fit. See the area at
the top of the britchen strap? The
hair is pushed up. This will start
cutting hair just like a razor.
Notice the space under the bottom of
the britchen strap. This further
confirms the pushing up of the hair
at the top of britchen you see in
the picture. |
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What should a good fit
look like?
The Picture on the right
shows the angle I prefer.
Notice the angle of the strap.
The whole strap is flush with
the hip |
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Here I am pointing out the area
where it you can position the
britchen.
Where to place the britchen
depends on the size of your mule’s
hips. You may have from three to as
much as ten inches of adjustment. |
The wide strap that all the adjusting straps
attach to at the top of the hip is called
the hip safe. Set the hip safe just behind
the of the croup at the top of the hip. Placing it there will help the hip safe to
stay in place and not slide towards the
saddle.
Adjustments – I may move my britchen up and
down the hip sometimes twice in a three-hour
time frame. This will help prevent wearing
hair off the hip. Do consider the
temperature. If your mule is hot and
sweaty, hair will rub off much easier.
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As you can see in this picture,
should be able to place both of your
hands between the britchen and the
hip. The hair of the hip should
just touch the back of your hand. |
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Reasons to use a britchen rather than
a crupper
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I can ride with a loose cinch. This
will help the mule to have better lung
capacity and to be a whole lot more
comfortable. Each strap on the britchen
will do its job to help keep the saddle
in place.
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The britchen will help keep your saddle
from going forward. When adjusted
properly, it will also help limit
side-to-side movement.
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The hip has more mass to help distribute
the weight from the rider and saddle.
This is an extra bonus when getting on
and off.
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You can adjust a britchen up and down
the hip several inches where you can’t
adjust a crupper at all. A crupper will
wear the soft skin of the tail and sore
it. (You would never use a crupper along
with a packsaddle.)
I could go on and on, and
at my clinics I address lots of questions on
this subject. We hope to see you at one
sometime soon!
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