Got to ride again finaly!

Well both Lucas and I were sound, and good to go today so we managed to squeeze in a bit of a ride. Now that the 'season' has started (training horses start arriving next week) its going to be harder and harder to get privet time in the arena on the weekends. Today we rode with one of the kids and her gelding, Lucas made faces at him once but nothing too bad. Having him being out with the other horse's is good and bad, good because he doesn't get so concerned if they bump into them but he does try to intimidate them with his ears/face if he meets them head on.

We rode in our new correction bit and had a decent ride. We split the arena in two which meant I only had about a 20 meter circle to work in (and in the 'scary' end of the arena). We did have a good work out, and worked on some accuracy with transitions and turns on the forehand/haunches and kept to a walk/trot. He was a little 'up' with the snow sliding off the roof but nothing excessive.

The cattle penning saddle seem to be doing the trick for us right now. Its got such a deep seat in it, I feel like I'm riding in a dressage saddle. But it sits off of his withers and has clearance for both of his shoulders so we're going to keep riding in it for now.

The cattle penning saddle it is.

Well we had a ride in the Bighorn Cattle Penning saddle last night and had a good one! I need to figure out my seat in it (its a lot deeper than the pleasure saddles I'm used to) Lucas really liked it though!

Once we did some warm up walk and trot (with some 2 tracking and side passing tossed in to keep it int interesting) I got him to trot out and he went right into his 'happy trot'. His floaty, use his whole body but make it look effortless, trot.

It was easy.

Why did I fight with him so much last year?

I'm keeping the 'voice' in my head quiet and trying to trust in my ability and in Lucas. I'm still having my moments but were having more and more moments when we 'click'.

Were still working in the western version of his English show bit but were off to the trade show on the weekend to look for a horsemanship bit for next year. Hopefully were working on having him in a snaffle next week to take the contole that I now have over his hind end and start putting the package together and start suppling his body a bit more.

Well crap.

So I went out to the barn to ride on Thursday and it didn't go exactly as planned. Lucas was hyped up due to the storm moving in. By the time I got him lunged and got on it had started snowing which meant that I needed to get off and put him away so I could get home before it really got to snowing. I only managed to do some walking and side passing before I got off and headed home. Even so it was a rough drive home in a tone of snow.

Today I went out and finished the barn chores (C and D had a meeting a few hours away that they had to go to). Because I was alone at the barn I decided lunge Lucas for a bit, then let him play in the indoor. He had a blast! The weather hasnt been good for them to have a good run outside so it gave him a chance to blow off some steam.

I also went and tried every western saddle we have in the barn on Lucas (well, every different brand we have as we do have a couple of the same type of saddle). Out of 5 saddles the only two the fit were the Penning saddle that I rode Lucy in (big horn), and one of the kids 15" billy cook barrel saddle. NONE of the pleasure saddles really fit him so I'm going to have C have a look at them tomorrow and see if I can ride in the penning saddle for a while. I know of a barrel saddle like the kids for sale but the person who owns it isnt answering back....

Anyways for now, here is a cute video of Lucas and his LOVE Tanker. And this is the 'omg your back!' ritual that goes on every time they are seperated!

Saddles and why I'm always fighting with them

Along with all of my other issues that I have, my right hip is set higher than my left. It usually means that Im riding with stirrups that are different lengths, or Im slightly off center. It almost always shows up in the horses I ride sooner rather than latter. When you now combine that with my right ankle only working at 50% my right side is always at a disadvantage. Most of the time I muddle though it, but I have a HUGE problem with some saddles. Unfortunately I found another when I rode on the weekend. Im ok, and I have an appointment with the chiropractor next week to fix it but its not exactly fun right now! I did manage a short little ride again last night, but it was a good confidence booster which I needed. So back to my saddle issues:

Ten years ago I had my first run-in with a saddle that did NOT fit me. It was a lovely semi-custom Antares saddles that was made for the pro rider I was working for. Now Im sure all of you are thinking, well its semi-custom of course it wouldn't fit her! Nope I rode in all of his saddles (in the end I ended up riding in his stirrup length because it worked!) and this was the only one that bothered me. It was so bad I had to leave work the next day, crawl into the truck and drive around town until I found a chiropractor that could fit me in.

I've ridden mostly in Collegiate close contacts and German made saddles since then (Passier and Stubbens) and haven't had a problem until Sunday. I rode in C's cattle penning saddle (think almost a barrel saddle). Ive ridden almost exclusively in Billy Cooks', Hubbard's, and Wengers and I've never had one bother me. But it does give me something to think about when I do go to buy another western saddle, I really need to go with a pleasure seat, and I should seriously try to ride in it before I buy.

I think alot of it has to do with the restriction of my hips and could be why I'm always happier in a flatter seat on a saddle...

June 26, 2010 8:42 PM

Another video that i finaly downloaded off my phone. Just some trot work of the same session last summer. I just got back from the barn, Lucas got his back fixed so he should be ready to go next week. He had a bunch of stuff wrong but the chyropractor thought that it would be from my saddle mis-fitting, and him having a lack of good quality work.

Saying goodbye

Well I sold my saddle tonight. The owners of the place where I keep Lucas bought it. Today was our one year anniversary of having Lucas in the barn, so I brought gingerbread cake to the barn this afternoon. So we were all having a piece when Lucas started dancing in the cross ties. Normally he doesn't like anything people related. Candy, cookies, mints he doesn't like. Well we gave him some crumbs which he ate up. Well then we gave him 1/2 a square. He loved it! And then he licked his lips and stretched on the cross ties towards us trying to get more. Hes so funny. Although he loves carrots and apples and horse cookies He's never been interested in anything else. So another new thing conquered!

But hes not spoiled!!! :)

I actually managed to do some serious riding this afternoon, did some transition work, figure 8's and some 2 tracking. No cantering yet, our indoor is small and we are in the process of fixing the footing so were playing it safe. I'm half thinking that I should be riding in my rowel spurs. Hes getting off my leg but not as well as I think he should be. Some of this is me, and both of us being out of shape. Also just rode him in the twisted wire this time, I wish that who ever ruined his mouth would never ride another horse. Hopefully I'll show it just it next summer after the first show or so. Hes still getting 'stuck' for the first couple of circles, I'm not sure if its me or him....

So mad I could spit!!!

So when I bought the english saddle, last Feb, I was told it had a med gullet installed. When I bought the full gullet kit this winter it was missing the med gullet (as they are usually pre-installed in the saddles)

Ive checked the fit of Lucas saddle several times with the guide several times, even when I thought it was sitting a bit funny on him I left it because the guide was always saying that he should be fitting into the med gullet, untill recently when it went into the med-wide and that leads to the rest of the story.

So I opened it up tonight to put the Med-wide gullet in due to his weight gain.

But the gullet inside the saddle was white... but the med was suposed to be black.....

Guess what color the white gullet is...?


EXTRA-WIDE

No friggen wonder his back has been sore!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG I feel so bad for my poor pony!! And Im so mad at me and the store that sold me the saddle :( Well we'll try it on him on Saturday and see how it looks.

Saddle fit issues

Well I have a Billy Cook trainer (O.K. version) and it has fit every horse its ever been on. The horse cryropractor loves it. Lucas does not!So I gave him a week off with light lunging and lots of turn out and his back was normal on thursday.

I went to a trade show today and bought a sports medicin pad to help, and my friend has lent me her Wanger trainer to ride in for a week untill the cryropractor comes on the 6th of Feb to assess Lucas and my saddles.

My friend broke her leg on Tuesday when she was line driving her two year old. The line was too long and got wraped around her leg. It sucks, somthing your always told to watch and just a stupid accident. She's got to wait for 2 weeks before she goes back into see the orthopedic specialist. Shes in a huge brace and is on crutches but other than being bored and worring about if she'll get to show her horse under saddle this year.