In the Arena # 112 - Guess what we did today...

 

 

:D  :D  :D

In the Arena # 111 - We have tested our new rig, and we pronounce it - good...

Finally, we tack up with the new saddle + Thinline saddle fitter pad.

First, about the pad. It is quilted on top, and lined + edged with fleece. The channel sits up from the underneath of the pad, and has no fleece. There are four very well made velcro-ed pockets that hold nice flat shims, which stay put. The pad came with two sets of shims, different thicknesses. I figured that gives me three options: either one of the shims alone, or both together, which is what I tried today.

Our preparation for riding gave me pause. Val was acting super squirrely. Wouldn't stay still, tried numerous times to walk off, head tossing, acted like a far away troupe of crows was certainly death dealing. Then right on cue, my noisy neighbor cranked up the volume and rode various vehicles up and down the property while his dogs barked maniacally. Luckily - his week on of work starts tomorrow. The week will be peaceful. I had a moment of thinking well maybe today isn't the best day to ride... then I thought - screw that. ;)

We warmed up on a loose rein, and from the beginning I was getting halts off my seat. It felt like all I had to do was tip my pelvis back ever so slightly and "fill the sail". (draw my front line forward) Once we picked up some contact, we worked on serpentines and getting a big walk. I did on half of one serpentine and Val was onto me, eagerly anticipating our exercise, which made me laugh out loud.

My ask for the trot was answered immediately, every time, off my leg only. There was much less lugging in the corners,  and I barely touched my whip the whole time. We worked on transitions, figure eights and fifteen meter circles. Smooth like buttah. Cooled off working without reins - stopping and going was simple, but turning needs some practice.

It was a great ride.

I'm satisfied that the saddle change was a good decision, and the pad will tide us over until Val is more muscley. We're back on track - no excuses now!

At the Barn #56 - (She's giving me) good vibrations...

The new saddle fitter pad has arrived from Thinline, but I haven't put it to the test yet. It came contained in a super cool reusable shopping bag. (Note to equine products companies - sending your expensive products with a free gift is smart marketing.)

Frustratingly, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were not fit to ride - rain and then major winds. The coming stretch of weather looks fabulous though - I should get plenty of saddle time in this week.

Yesterday I spent overhauling Val's stall, and doing spa treatments instead - deep grooming + clipping. All this was done while ground tied btw. In howling 30 mph winds. Lets just say my guy is pretty fond of the clippers - especially on his muzzle.  I wasn't planning on clipping anything but his bridal path. I think Val's whiskers are cute, not to mention beneficial. He was like - "Hey! Forget about up there and bring that thing hummy thing back down this way pleeeeeazzzzzz!"

 

Feels goooood... maybe tastes good too?!

Today was gorgeous, but I wore myself slam out shoveling ten tons of composted manure into the new garden bed. It took about four hours, and afterwords I didn't have the energy to ride. The borrowed Kubota went back home long ago, so a shovel and wheelbarrow were my coworkers. Oh Kubota - I hardly knew ye...

Lots of good things are on the horizon. I'm looking forward to planning and planting the gardens. Doing everything from seed this year, because I'm tired of bringing pathogens into my garden from nurseries. Overall - my experience has been when (purchased) plants reseed - the new generation seems to be hardier than it's nursery stock parents anyhow. And who knows what critters ride along in the little pots of dirt...

Also, I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be working in my studio by next week. My electrician friend who offered so long ago to come wire my studio up may make an appearance this weekend. This is good, because while waiting for my friend to follow through, as a plan b, I attempted to get quotes from two local contractors. One quote took over two months, and when I finally got it, it was super gigantic, despite the fact that I had offered to dig the trench. The other electrician came by twice in the last year to look at the job, but could not be bothered to call me back with a price. Tiresome...

Finally - we just hit 100 followers! Thank you x 1,000,000 to everyone who reads and comments. I so appreciate the feedback, and the virtual company. :) Hoping to have a ride to write about tomorrow!

Congratulations Zenyatta - ♡ It's a boy!! ♡

Photo by Ann Moss

Zenyatta delivered a healthy colt at 10:10 pm last night. Mom and foal are doing great. :)

photo by Ann Moss

From Zenyatta's blog...

"My adorable foal weighed in at 130 pounds, has a white star on his forehead, and some white on his feet. As Ann commented when she saw him, 'he has polka dots on his feet, Zennie, just like YOU.'"

In the Arena # 110 - Afternoon Delight...

The weekend's weather was more traditional for this time of year. Very windy, very rainy and cold. I had to put off messing with the new saddle until today. I had to be patient. (wahhhhhh)

After grooming, I tacked Val up with a flat pad, and my *extra special* shim arrangement. That would be folded up towel squares. I played with placement, but especially with the girth. The rear billet is a sliding / swing billet. When I tighten the girth, there is more play in the front billet if I adjust them both to the same hole. I'm assuming that the rear billet tightness would be more critical to get right. Tightening the front billet another notch pulls the pommel down. Not good. Val has a big heart girth so his shape is probably playing into it as well. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. :)

With the saddle level and secure, I hopped on for a quick ride. It was so nice. Turns weren't even an issue, Val reached into the bridle immediately and was halting off of a whisper from my seat. We're both comfortable finally. Val is much more responsive and willing now. My position feels natural and easy to keep correct - on my triangle in the deepest part of the saddle with a happy hip angle.

Until riding in this saddle, I didn't even realize how much we had been struggling. Val was very uncomfortable from the points poking into his shoulders when we turned and when I posted. I had trouble relaxing down into my seat and letting my leg hang. I guess I got used to it. Don't think Val did though. Bless his heart.

My saddle fitter pad arrives tomorrow. After today, I'm confident that some slight shimming will do the trick.

All through this process, deep down, I knew something had to be wrong. My limited experience (plus some erroneous feedback) led me to believe that rider error was the main problem. The occasional decent rides I had, where I apparently had found a way to contort myself just right + Val's good nature, confused the issue even more. 

I've learned a lot in the past few months. About saddle fit for horse and rider, saddle brands and saddle shopping. And most importantly, about trusting your gut.

I'm lickin' and I'm likin' ...

... now where's my COOKIE!!!

In the Arena # 109 - New Neidersuss = ♡+ !!! x 1000

Yesterday was full of ups and downs.

Fedex says my Neidersuss is on truck for delivery!

Fedex man has to deliver the saddle to my Dad's house because my address doesn't exist in Fedex-land.

Heck. Someone has to be there to sign for the saddle. Dad needs to run out for a bit. I rush to take my recycling to the dump so I can cover the gap...

As I leave the dump, and turn on to the main highway in front of the school, I spy Fedex man! I run Fedex man down... (not literally)

Fedex man puts the box in the back of my truck... a box not even remotely saddle shaped. (unless you squash it!) As I head for home, obeying the speed limit of course, I ponder what condition the saddle will be in.

Wouldn't have shipped it quite like this, but saddle appears to be intact. Of course I document the package opening ceremony - just in case.

The saddle looks as advertised, excepting more wear than I thought on the billets. Worst case scenario I get them repaired after a while.

Now to the moment of truth... At this point I've got serious butterflies. Buying this saddle was a total crap shoot. What if Val hates it? What if I hate it? I've only just come to grips with the fact that I hated my last saddle.

I grabbed Val, led him up to the tack room, and slipped it on. It very politely sank into the sweet spot. No bridging. Lots of gullet clearance - high and wide. Naturally sits away from his shoulders.

Edited to add this picture without the pad...

I put my sheepskin half pad on and girth it up. So far so good. Off we go to the mounting block. No helmet, no proper footwear, no dressage whip... breaking all the rules. I got on and Val seemed happy with everything, so we did a little test drive.

Does this saddle make my butt look big?

Oh - it felt sooooo good to be in the right part of the saddle without fighting my tack. My dad checked for me. My heels were below my hips, my hips were below my shoulders. I asked for a left handed turn on the forehand, perfect, first ask. I asked for the trot, we moved right on out. Immediately - no hesitating or head tossing. Success.

Every silver lining has a cloud... it is a tad wide. It tips forward slightly on his back, and I felt a bit tipped forward onto my crotch while we rode. Definite difference from the chair seat I was thrown into with the Natura, but I did expect this.

My thinking was, without consulting a saddle fitter, I'm super unlikely to get a custom fit on Val. He's just not the easiest to fit. He's got pretty good withers, big ol' shoulders, wide overall, but lacking topline. Going a little on the wide side seemed the best choice. A - because he can't handle pinchy feelings or crowding his shoulders, and B, because with more and more work, he should fill in with muscle. In the meantime, I've got a thinline saddle fitter pad with shims coming to prop up the front.

What makes me a little sad, is how long Val had to put up with discomfort, and how long he tried to tell me about it. And... how long I kept thinking that the problem was that I sucked at riding. I doubted I be able to "do anything" with my horse, dressage-wise, when the simplest things seemed so freaking hard sometimes.

I'm letting it go, but hoping to absorb the lessons I'm supposed to learn from this saddle adventure - mainly - always listen to your horse, and try not to be so hardheaded.

I'm looking forward to our future rides. (and we're not quitting bareback!)

In the Arena # 108 - Oh happy day....

The weather was too beautiful not to ride today. Sunny, 75, a nice breeze. Lest some of you think it unfair that we're having such a warm (wonderful) winter - never fear. The conversation in the post office and around the grocery store aisles these days goes something like,

"Yeah, it's been pretty - but you know March is the worst month. It'll blow non-stop."

"Well, we're gonna pay for it - always do. Remember that mini hurricane we had in May a couple of years ago?"

Sad that everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Anyway - we might be paying for it already. I've used fly spray on Val's legs most every ride this winter. And I'm trying not to scratch numerous mosquito bites as I type this.

✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴✴

Today was likely our last saddle-less session for a while. (delivery scheduled for tomorrow afternoon!) I couldn't have asked for a better ride.

My focus today was hands - position and how they affect contact. We began with a relaxing on the buckle warm-up. The transition to contact was smooth, and there were minimal steering issues. (!) I set out a cone course to help me visualize and keep the ride interesting.

Also, I used a suggestion from SchoolingYourHorse and thought about pointing my firmly on top of the rein thumbs - down towards the bit. As far as I can tell, this helped me to keep the line from the bit to my elbow straight, but here's the thing. It keeps the line straight on both planes, related to my wrist. Perpendicular to the ground - wrist not broken up or down viewed from the side - and parallel to the ground - not broken towards or away from the withers.

It worked. Val appreciated the quality of contact, steadier than usual. He rewarded me by working over his back for much of the ride. I celebrated by sitting the trot. He seemed to prefer my sitting today. I find that I can migrate forward on his back with my fledgling bareback posting technique, which results in head tossing.

The most exciting part of the ride was when Cowboy came barreling down the fence line behind us out of nowhere, squealing. Val lunged forward giving me a few strides of unsolicited, twisty bareback canter. Being the mostly sensible fellow he is, his reaction was short lived. I happily stuck right with him! We capped off the ride with some following the bit down stretchy trot... :)

After our ride, Val got a minty fresh liniment rinse. Then we did some trailer loading practice. I love my horse. He self loads beautifully now. I attribute this to two things. He thought "Oh hai - maybe we are going to do something interesting finally!" and gingersnaps. My attempt to video this was a giant fail though. Because most times I'm too spastic to manage a video camera, and because Val discovered the stash of cookies I set aside in the trailer and hoovered them up instantly.

Back to the paddock for a buck and fart race with Cowboy. A-nother video fail. But I did get this picture. Can I say, uphill + suspension?! Hey Val, let's do that together!!

Yum - sexy neck! ♡

In the Arena # 107 - The wa-ai-ting is the hardest part...

We have achieved tracking info. The Neidersuss is on it's way. Fed-Ex says eta is Friday. *jumping up and down clapping*

Val says, "Saddle - schmaddle. If you really want me to be happy, just keep putting things in my mouth - NOW! (I mean please...)"

In the Arena # 106 - Bareback dressage - it was fun while it lasted + chores get done...

Amidst all of the saddle shopping excitement, we managed to fit a couple more rides in this week.

Wednesday, we worked on building up our fitness with more trot work. I am finding leg aids tricky to apply effectively and consistently (half halts especially) without stirrups. This resulted in petering out / unbalanced corners. I also suffered (worse than usual) from inside rein-itis, which skewed our steering. My big clue was how I kept swinging Val's rump almost into the electric fence. I guess admitting you have a problem is half the battle...  almost getting shocked helps too. Yes - I forgot to turn the fence off before our ride. As per usual, once we got some forward action, the other issues were easier to resolve. We ended the ride on a good note with a series of crisp transitions.

On Thursday I set up a cone course. Time for remedial steering class. Let me tell you, steering works waaaay better when you keep the outside rein contact steady. Being a classic over compensator, when I get rattled and have to think about handling the reins, I tend to abdicate inside rein contact entirely, before (eventually) finding balance. Once I got it together, Val appreciated my efforts and rewarded me by reaching for the bit and smoothly motoring around the cones. For a few minutes there,  I would think and Val would do. Sublime. Then we commenced to do an excellent imitation of a barrel pattern - extreme slow motion style.

Theoretically, we only have one more week of mandatory bareback rides. I'm awaiting, dare I say anxiously, the tracking number of my new Sattermeister saddle. Yes - Sattermeister. Haven't you heard of them? Ummm - me neither. While compulsively checking each and every dressage saddle available on ebay one night, I ran across a pretty saddle with an unrecognizable name. I emailed for extra pictures and asked if there might be another name stamped on the flap. Could Sattermeister actually be Sattlermeister - master saddler in Austrian -  maybe? Email came back with happy gullet pix, and the words Karl Neidersuss 17 W Symphonie. After mulling over it for a day or two, I emailed back offering something between the starting bid, and the buy it now price. They said yes. Who knew you could do that? I'm just not cut out for the stress of ebay auctions.

❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋❋

Other goings on... I began unpacking and organizing my jewelry studio - finally. And, the seemingly endless search (over a year) for an electrician to run power to my tack room, studio and light pole may be over. Cool - next winter I won't have to shine my car headlights on the paddock to pick poop in the morning. Equally as stressful as the saddle search, and oddly enough equally expensive.

one side hay barn...

one side studio...

piled high...

oh - it exploded!

Made me tired just watching..

us too...

zzzzzzzzzzz...

In the Arena #105 - Saddle search update mini post, (squeeeeee!)

My saddle search may be over. Will post the full story later...

I have made an offer that has been accepted on this saddle - a nearly new Neidersuss Symphonie. Nice saddle at a great price. Should have all the details sewn up this evening. This was my number two saddle choice, but I hadn't run across a properly sized + priced specimen. These saddles hold their value. SO happy. :)

Hello Neidersuss Symphonie

(fat enough for Val, flat enough for me)