Last night I told TC that I wanted to get up early before it got hot, so to please not let me sleep late. He is always up early with the dogs, no later than 6am, usually closer to 5am. I woke up at 7, he had closed the door again so no one would disturb me. ARGH!
Yes I know it is very sweet, but damn! If I don't get up till 7, it takes me till 7:15 or so to get my first cup of coffee in me, then I get the horses fed, and usually like to give them an hour to finish most of their food before I saddle up. It was 9 am before I got Melody saddled.
Note to TC: When I say I want to get up early, that means wake me up when you get up! I can always sleep when it is hot outside. I think he understands now. Tomorrow will tell for sure.
Anywho.....Since my Circle Y Flex tree only fits Killian, I did a little temporary trade with a gal I know up in Northern AZ. She has a ranch style saddle that she is selling, and so we agreed to do a trade to let each other try them out.
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| Princess Mellypalouza modeling the new saddle. |
At first I was not sure if I was going to like it, and I am still not sure if I love it, but I don't hate it either. The stirrup leathers sit back a little further than I wanted, but once I let them down a notch it was not bad at all. I definitely need to lengthen the strap that holds the rear cinch in place, it is pretty far forward. It does fit her pretty nice.
Today as we rode I payed attention to whether or not I felt like my feet were falling out of the stirrups, and I don't think it was near as bad as it was last time, so that is good also. It is a very comfortable seat, however I do think that when it comes to sitting my stops better, my stirrups need to be a bit further forward. I suspect that I am going to need to find a reining or cutting saddle, so that I can really get down into that pocket.
What I figured out today is that I have been riding the same horse for 3 years now. I am so used to the way Trax moves, what every single subtle shift means, his gaits, and his foot falls, that other horses feel awkward to me. So is the case with Melody.
She feels awkward to me, so today I really focused my attention on just getting a good feel for how she feels when she is moving. She, on the other hand is still trying to figure out what is I want from her. We did some loping today and I really wanted to just lope the fence but she tends to want to make the circles smaller and after two circles one direction then she is ready for the lead change and circling to the other direction. If nothing else she knows her job! But we still got it done the way I wanted after a little discussion on who was leading this dance, and it was a lot of fun.
I did some imaginary flag work and I love how she gets right into it. She can sure move her feet with a purpose when you ask her too!
We also did lots of long trotting to help get her back into shape. She really is out of shape pretty bad, and me only riding her once a week is not helping that any either.
During our ride I asked her to ride between the poles and the fence often. She always looked at them funny but managed to handle it without bolting.
After our ride I put the halter on her and we worked on walking through the poles. We have a ton of work to do here. If her foot touches one pole OMG you'd think she got bit on the leg. We had to start from the beginning several times. Asking her to step over the poles is not happening so I am going to have to change my tactic on this.
First we will have a couple of lessons on "I can move your feet where ever I want them to go." Then I will put one pole in the round pen and just move her around so that she has to step over it. She will balk at first but if she knows that I can move her feet, then eventually she will have no choice. From there, it should get easier.
A trail horse she ain't! Luckily I've still got the old paint for trail stuff. However, if I plan on using her for stock horse shows, she is going to have to learn how to do trail obstacles.
I was going to try to ride Trax today too, but just didn't have enough time before it got too hot, so tomorrow will be his turn.
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| I am a Princess! |
She's such a pretty girl!!
ReplyDeleteI got a buffalo saddlery roping saddle because I was having issues with my stirrups and other things, best saddle I have ever used and I've sworn off any other kind, haha! LOVE my roping saddle!!
Thanks....funny story- I just sold all my roping saddles right before I got her. Go figure!
DeleteShe looks like a sweetie. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks Merideth, she is a good good girl, I am really enjoying her.
DeleteYou might want to try a Bob's All Round or Versatility saddle, might suit your needs.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been riding much lately either. It was much more fun going riding when Shayla was here!
I've heard those are good. I will keep an eye out for one.
DeleteWhy to you think you need to put your feet forward when you stop? What are you bracing for? What are you preparing to brace against?
ReplyDeleteCutting saddles are made for the 'cutters crouch', roping saddles made for the rider to stand up and throw. Where does that put their feet? Back up underneath them where they belong. Remember the shoulder, hip, heel line from back in the very basics of equitation... ? Trail, reining, cutters, hunters, jumpers, dressage- they all use it. It's part of developing a secure seat.
That all being said, and I hope I didn't sound as subtle as a brick thru the window as I have been known to do... The back cinch is too tight and the top of the breastcollar is too loose. If the saddle fits right, the breastcollar isn't needed. If you want to keep it for appearances, then loosen the bottom and snug up the top. It should lay on the shoulder line creating clean lines and a neater appearance. Tack that fits and is adjusted properly shows the judge, or anyone watching, that you have a good grasp on things. When in doubt, change it or leave it out.
It isn't that I want to be able to brace my feet, it is that if my legs are too far back it does two things for me.
Delete1) changes my center of gravity to where I feel like my very tall upper torso is falling forward. The leathers on this saddle are very far back and it was a little awkward for me.
2) If my legs are too far back in the saddle it makes it harder for me to sit down on my pockets and soften my own body for the stop. It actually causes me to brace more because I feel like I am falling forward.
After 3 years of receiving weekly news letters from top trainers like Larry Trocha, and Mike Majors, I have come to recognize a theme from both of them when it comes to saddles. For reining and cow work, having your legs in the proper position (In respect to choosing a saddle) is vital. It is so important to Larry Trocha that when he contracted a company to make saddles by his specifications that he would endorse with his name, when they brought him saddles that were all wrong- he sent every single one of them back and told them not to come back until they followed his direction. So although a lot of it is, like you said- good equitation (Which I do not have yet) having the proper saddle can sure help.
The rear cinch may look tight, but I can actually slide my entire hand up in there easily, which is where I was taught to keep it, rather than hanging down where it serves no purpose at all. However it is pulled too far forward which makes it look funny. You are right about the breast collar. This was taken after we rode and it was clear even to my inexperienced eyes that we have some adjustments to make.
Thanks for your input.
I agree that saddle fit for the horse is not the only consideration to be made. The saddle must also fit the rider and help them sit properly, as being off balance screws up everything. How can we expect them to balance us and move in balance themselves, if we are up there throwing it all out of whack? It just makes their job harder. I have ridden in plenty of good looking and crappy looking saddles, both categories of which had comfortable and horribly uncomfortable seats on them. Some of them put you into position and others throw you out of it with every stride, even at a walk.
DeleteHave you tried riding without your stirrups? Did the saddle pitch you forward, back or out of position? Was it comfortable that way or not so much? This is a good way to tell if riding in it is going to be easy or if it will be a battle the whole time to stay in position. You should be riding your horse, not fighting the saddle. If you're fighting the saddle to maintain your position, no matter if your equitation is good, bad or otherwise- you're not helping the horse at all.
I agree that saddle fit for the horse is not the only consideration to be made. The saddle must also fit the rider and help them sit properly, as being off balance screws up everything. How can we expect them to balance us and move in balance themselves, if we are up there throwing it all out of whack? It just makes their job harder. I have ridden in plenty of good looking and crappy looking saddles, both categories of which had comfortable and horribly uncomfortable seats on them. Some of them put you into position and others throw you out of it with every stride, even at a walk.
DeleteHave you tried riding without your stirrups? Did the saddle pitch you forward, back or out of position? Was it comfortable that way or not so much? This is a good way to tell if riding in it is going to be easy or if it will be a battle the whole time to stay in position. You should be riding your horse, not fighting the saddle. If you're fighting the saddle to maintain your position, no matter if your equitation is good, bad or otherwise- you're not helping the horse at all.
One more thing, as she shapes up and comes into herself, don't be surprised if her back changes shape and she needs a different saddle. It happens to everyone at some time or another. Not saying it is an absolute, but just keep it in mind.
ReplyDeleteTrue Dat! LOL
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