The saddle that was made for trotting

I still don't know how to fit my new saddle to my horse, but I couldn't resist a test ride, just a short loop. My man helped me get started, I'm still not confident alone down that hill. He had to grab the leadrope when suddenly there were newly-shorn sheep lying right on the fence next to us.

 
Finally I said he could go home, I can try to continue on my own. He reluctantly left us out there.

Going downhill, it was just as before, with my Wintec Endurance Pro saddle. I felt like I was tipping forward onto her neck, and I was fighting to stay upright. That's no good.

And that's after I spent a lot of time on the SS forum this morning reading about how to adjust the saddle for downhill-built horses. Perhaps I didn't adjust it enough. I don't know, but I wasn't very secure going down that scary hill.

At the bottom, I was finally on flat land for the first time, for a few strides, and I realized that my saddle was placing me in the center of the horse, with no need to constanly lug it back, right, left, whatever. I was so sick of lurching the saddle back into place as I rode. This was great. I was naturally centered.

With the stirrups in the furthest back setting, my ankles were having trouble, because I was bracing my legs forwards in my "safety-first" position, due to my anxious, flighty mare. She spooked quite a bit out there today, and since I was already tipping forward, having my stirrups so far back was not helpful. However, when we were comfortably ascending a hill, they were great.

Finally I was in a place where I felt safe to trot and I asked her to jog, for maximum workout to help dissipate her nervous energy. She was, as always, all over the place, weaving back and forth, she cannot simply go down the trail. She is always wandering, sometimes even off the trail. I have no idea, execpt that she's just green and lacking trail smarts.

The first thing I noticed at the jog/trot with my new saddle - I wanted to sit the trot. That is interesting because I thought it was a particular horse who was easy to sit the trot, and not a particular saddle. But I'd never felt the urge to sit her trot before. I just sat there, enjoying the ride, and then decided to try posting.

Oh my goodness. This saddle was made for trotting. I could discern no differnce in diagonals. That is to say, I could switch diagonals without any change in effort. My Wintec would torque my back of I tried trotting on the left diagonal, so I rarely did it. That's after years of having Princess Buttercup "force" me to ride her right diagonal, by bouncing me back there if I changed. That saddle was irreparably warped.

This saddle is not warped, and my new, lime green horse, has no diagonal preference, so I could go 3 strides left-d, 3 strides right-d, over and over and over, it was great fun! I wonder if I can always do this - count a number - 10, maybe 20 strides, and then switch again, so that no preference will build.

Let me be an example for you - don't let your horse tell you to stay on one diagonal over the miles. It destroys your saddle, and tweaks the horse too. Stupidly I forgot to try to mount in my new saddle without help, cuz I had J there when I got on. I will try it next time.

Mara was very anxious the entire ride, not much fun to ride really, in her hurry. We practiced stopping - at which time I'd give her a treat, if she'd just hold still for a moment. I didn't have any balking out there, cuz really she only balks at the start of the trail systems. I had some serious spooking though, cuz some ferns were bent down in an unnatural fashion, terrifying her, sending her back legs off the trail in her effort to escape.

She tossed her head repeatedly, the entire ride, in cycles of unrest (when she wasn't staring at something scary).  (UPDATE: The next day she did not toss her head at all, the entire ride. Hm, I have no idea.)

She did her power walk the entire time, which was very uncomfortable going downhills. But a power walk is preferable to a jig, so I am OK with that. I just did a bunch of half halts with her over rough terrain, which she responded to.

The whole time, I thought, Gee, I want to really ride today, to go far....this horse needs miles, but she was so fretful, so tense, I felt a simple loop would be enough. I was not tense at all, in case you were wondering. Out there, I love it, and I enjoy myself and look at nature and talk to her, and tell her how brave she is, but she's frantic. It's just so stimulating for her still.

I RODE BY THE SHEPHERD'S HOME - ALONE - FOR THE FIRST TIME! Eryn would be proud. I so wanted to get off, but I told myself, "You've done it three times now, with Eryn. You can do it alone now." Mara did NOT go thru the barbed wire, and did not bolt. She was very nervous, but so was I. We made it by there! Last challenge of the day...no wait.

I saw the two calves then and wanted her to see them again. They're almost grown now. I was leading her at this point, near home, and she didn't seem to mind the cows at all. Hm.

I took photos of her back when I got home. I don't like the sweat pattern at all - it shows a disturbance in the hair pattern by her shoulders. I have still little idea how to fit this saddle myself. We'll see what happens.