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| Once the horse is completely comfortable with the feel of the saddle pad on his back, it is time to move on. Again, Trent allows the horse to inspect the saddle before he places it in the horse's back. |  |
| Slowly, Trent places a saddle on the horse's back, after allowing him to sniff the foreign object to alleviate any extreme fears. The first time, Trent places the saddle on the horse slowly and gently. After the horse is used to the saddle, Trent is not as gentle when putting it on the horse. |  |
He tightens the cinch enough so that the saddle will stay in place but not so tight that the horse is unduly scared by the strange feeling. At this point, the horse goes to great lengths to get the strange object off his back. Trent allows the horse to try to shake off the saddle and learn that he cannot; this is a very difficult time for the horse, and Trent is very patient.
At this point, Trent uses a lunge whip to encourage the horse to move forward. He does not actually hit the horse; rather, he taps the whip on the ground behind the horse and clucks to him. He also uses the voice command "walk" to teach the horse to associate that word with walking. It is very important to keep the horse moving forward so that he learns what is expected when being ridden. Moving also provides a distraction for the horse; he concentrates on moving forward instead of thinking about the saddle on its back.
Trent allows the horse to get used to the feel of a saddle on his back. The most important thing is to always keep the horse moving in a forward direction. Trent constantly urges the horse forward, not allowing him to stop.
Continue on and read about putting weight in the saddle.
