January 20- Ride #52 & padding

Saturday first day of saddle experiments. Very windy. Rode 1 hour in indoor walking, small amount trot and working on remembering what to do. Whoa a bit rusty, backing very crooked but improved, lateral work good. Stiff transitioning up into trot, "poppy" front end trying hard. Walk over poles good, wouldn't try them at trot. Steering NICE when I remember to look where I want to go. Mounting needs work.
Rode in Western saddle with new Gel pad, he did well in it once I realized the pad had compressed quite a lot, leaving the cinch very loose.
Also tried E's Stubben just like the one for sale. Seemed a decent fit.

Monday back for more experiments. Sherlock was for the most part grumpy and unwilling, weather changing often makes him a bit colicky. Really, he handled being cinched up 3 times pretty well, but did stop outright today when asked to trot so I had to get down and free-longe until he settled down.
Rode in the sale Stubben with a baby pad and these experiments:
1. Homemade cutback half pad by E. slippery, not long enough to pad the full length of bars of saddle. Saddle stayed VERY high, little compression but not much contact.
2. Memory-foam bath mat pad with cutout for withers- still not long enough, compressed maybe too much, saddle very close to withers. Sherlock quit with this pad on.
3. Gel shoe pads along bars. Not enough padding, Sherlock was uncomfortable and I stopped immediately.

I didn't like the sale saddle. Both of them seemed too big for me- I've been riding the same saddle so long I may just have to learn to deal with the difference. But it looked like it was heading for the same split at the cantle that I already have on my old saddle, and the billets were very weak and dry.
I'm going to have to get a back tracing made and start driving around to tack shops. There are a lot of consignment saddle places locally, and a good one in Colorado Springs, so I should be able to find something nice enough to do local shows for a few years.

Jan 17- Back in the saddle ride #50

Another super-busy month, December always is.
Tons of work for Ziji and Serenity Tibet and Sounds True. Which means $ for gifts and travel
(2 weddings in LA in 2015) and horse stuff.

SO- TIP classes in Colorado this year! Thoroughbred Incentive Program holds special TB-only classes for TB-only year-end awards, and we finally have 2 in Colorado in 2015. One in March, probably too soon unless I just do walk/trot. And one in August, which could be quite doable.

SO- new saddle or repairs for old saddle. L has a Stubben Siegfried just like my old one for cheap, going to try it today I hope. Decent breeches, a show shirt. Find helmet cover, gloves, boots, hairnets. Rejoin CHJA. Am I sure I want to do this?

Post-canter

In the meantime, in December I rode pretty minimally but we did canter, twice to the left, didn't manage it to the right this first time. Sherlock was a little confused at first but tried really hard. He was excellent for the farrier and his feet continue to improve.

When I got back from vacation I rode a little in the indoor, just walking and remembering steering, whoa, back. Practiced my emergency dismounts (since we are cantering now I'd better), asking him to come back to me while I'm sitting or lying down.

 I'm trying new padding theories to get my saddles fitting right while his back fills in. It is actually quite a bit better, muscles starting to build. I bought a super-fancy gel Western pad (used on eBay!) that I hope to try today.

Sherlock "I made my own blanket out of mud and hay."