Many people enjoy horseback riding, however tack is expensive and it's important to buy tack that fits correctly, and that you and your horse will enjoy. However, if you do happen to be in the category of those that enjoy your equine friends more than your human friends, it is a given that you are going to be looking for the best horse tack available.

Here are some basic but essential horse tack products and accessories, which you would want to look at, if you love your horse. It does not matter whether you are a professional rider or if you just manage to play around on your horse on the weekends.

People spend hours just rubbing their horses, and combing out the tails. A horse with a shiny coat definitely shows that his owner cares for him. That is the reason why, apart from lots of clean water, high quality grain and hay for your horse and regular exercising and grooming, you would need proper grooming equipment to keep your horse happy and feeling cherished.

Basic Care and Grooming

Proper grooming and horse care essentials are going to include sponges, brushes, mane brushes, a good hoof pick to clean the hoof and a shedding blade (for removing extra hair during the spring and fall). If you cannot curry it every single day, you must take some time out to clean out its hooves and get rid of all the debris to avoid thrush. You might also want to apply some products for hoof care, to prevent any sort of injuries, and infections. Washing your horse regularly with a quality shampoo, and then getting rid of the excess water with a scraper is going to keep your horse clean and happy.

Protect your horse with leg wraps and bell boots. You might need to cover your horse with a warm blanket during the winter. If there are troubling flies, you can try using fly masks to prevent the flies from settling on your horse's nostrils, eyes, mouth and ears. Even a full fly blanket may be useful when the flies are quite bad.

Training tack

The basic tack used for training horses would include a good lead line, a saddle appropriate to your discipline, halter, bridle, carrot stick and saddle blanket or pad. If you want to show your horse in dressage competitions, you would want more specialty gear in the form of leathers, stirrups, reins, a dressage bridle, girths and an English saddle for yourself. You would also need wraps and boots.

This horse tack can be found online, and once you have invested in the essential horse tack, it is necessary that you oil and clean it regularly. A thorough inspection and repair of this tack should also be done at regular intervals.

Always remember to have replacement horse tack in the form of stirrups, girth, reins and stirrups straps. What you need to do is pamper your horse as well as its equipment to get the most out of both!