She is trotting sound finally (and tearing up her pasture dreadfully while racing top speed, doing flying lead changes - I can't believe she can run that fast out there and not fall down, I have trouble walking out there it's so slick). I tested it a few more times and when she felt pressure on both reins, she threw her head straight up. I took the chain off. She was able to stretch down to the ground while trotting, and give to the pressure just like with the snaffles, but every so often she'd fling her head up.
I'm interested in trying it undersaddle - I rarely pull both reins at the same time so I'm curious what will happen.
I tried to get a picture but ground driving takes both hands, so I stopped her to take a photo, and she chewed and chewed on the bit and glanced over at me from time to time, "Why are you pointing that thing at me? Can't we go on? What? What?" (So cute!)
It was raining a soothing comfortable rain.
I must have had three hands momentarily.
The audience in their Winter paddock.
Then I drove her through the neighborhood and was strict with her - if she started to look/creep away from something scary in someone's yard, I'd keep her right up close to whatever it was and insist she continue. She had to stay on the side of the street she would have preferred to avoid.
She was pretty good, not much to say about that outing. She wanted to rush home so we did an ultra slow walk all the way. I love how much control I have with the two lines.
When I got home I was excited to try her new turnout blanket on. I tried, I really tried not to let it fall in the poopy mud, but it was so slick it slid out of my hands and both belly straps hit the ground and turned greenish brown. As soon as I had it on her I was dismayed - it's huge. It hangs over her butt a good foot, and that means a poopy blanket. I truly hate blankets that are too large on a horse - everytime they raise their tails to poop, it slides down both sides of the blanket, coating it.
Here are some photos of my regular-neck Amigo, as you can see it is absolutely perfect in length and drop, it's simply too tight around fatty's middle and chest lately.
And here's the Amigo Bravo Wug, with the extended neck that is really lovely and eliminates any pressure at all on the withers:
As with all Horseware Amigo blankets, they are not adjustable at the front closure, so I couldn't do anything about this. It was really nice but I'll have to return it.
The thing is, and I read about this online, Horseware Ireland has sizing inconsistencies between their product lines. So my red Amigo blanket at 125cm (68"?) is too tight on Mara while the next size up in the Amigo Wug, a 130cm (72"?) is massive. WTH.
The poop catcher.
Luckily I was able to get the stained straps clean with Germany's "Spray&Wash" and pack the thing up to return it. I simply have no idea what size to order, and without advice from Horseware Ireland I'm not going to guess.
***
Did I mention I'd sent a template of my Specialized Saddle to my favorite lambskin saddle pad company - to get a custom made pad for my saddle? Well it came in the mail and I thought, "No way."
Not only is it not white as ordered, they made the saddle pad exactly to the template specifications *of my saddle* - in other words, the pad is the exact same size as my saddle, with not a centimeter to spare on any edge. I had feared this would happen, but I thought, they make so many saddle pads, they have to know this. A pad needs to have a bit of clearance around the edge of a saddle. I realize they're wool experts and not horse people, but I had hoped I wouldn't have to state this obvious fact.
So it's going back too. Wish I could show you a picture, but my camera finally died from being stuck in a pocket with horse cookies too often: (
All my Christmas gifts to myself, all packed and ready for return: (
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7 comments:
What a bummer about the blanket and the pad! :( I'm so sorry. Engel is pretty good about trying to fix what they do wrong though, right? It seemed like your first experience with them was pretty wonderful in that they fixed your first pad to your specifications without an extra charge. I hope they do the same for you with this pad!
Regarding the bit, this is the exact same bit that Lily is happiest in: a non-Myler low port kimberwick. She would lean or brace against snaffles of any sort so we switched to ported bits, but she would throw her head up like Mara does with this one when I had her in shanked ported bits. So I tried shorter and shorter shanks until we ended up with no shank at all with this kimberwick. :) She loves it and doesn't seem to mind the chain. Her dressage work in it is lovely and on the trail she goes on a loopy rein. For Mara, if you later find that no chain is too mild, you can get a curb chain guard like this one: http://www.victorycanter.com/Rubber-Curb-Chain-Guard-457537.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAqrqkBRCep-rKnt_r_lkSJAArVUBc28h3aiufDJOkkPidv5EEGHUtazgcyeecLsXVABgEJxoCC3Tw_wcB Or like Irish Horse said in your bit post, an other option is to try a biothane curb strap with no chain. :)
Saiph, tonight my husband spent a long time on the phone with the saddle blanket company, and the owner said he wanted "to kill" his employee who was responsible for the color mixup - and my husband said, "Well, let him live through Christmas." He is being very generous again, saying I can choose whether to test it out and get it dirty and then decide if I want to keep it and order another at a discount for the proper color, or if I want to return it and get a new one for free. Yah, I love this company: ) And I love my husband for doing all the high-German-language negotiations for me. (High German is a way of speaking that earns respect.)
Then we took a bunch of photos of the new Amigo Wug blanket laid on the floor adjacent to the old Amigo blanket, so we could show the measuring tapes laid across them both, showing the various discrepancies. My husband then composed a very long very detailed email to the ebay seller, including the math calculations of pi for horse circumference. (He's a math teacher.) It was such a great email I am going to sent it to Horseware Ireland as well: ) Hope they know German.
A chain guard is something I have in mind for Mara, I like that idea and saw one in my local catalog. But I want to be sure she actually likes an unbroken bit and I want to ride in it and have a lesson in it (Thursday).
Hey, I'm interested in your interpretation of that video of her chewing on it.
When Ashke throws his head up like that it means he's getting poked in the soft palette with the bit. Just as an FYI.
Her expression seems to me to be a little worried/tense in the video. She does a lot of rapid blinking. It's great that she's chewing and swallowing the way she is though. Maybe the worry is because it's a different feeling in her mouth? Her whole carriage looks more relaxed in the photo of her working on the long lines so I'm guessing she settled mentally afterwards. How was her chewing later in the session? The same or slightly reduced?
And it is AWESOME that they're going to make the saddle pad situation better!! :D
Let her get used to the bit before you decide it's not working. Some of her reaction may be coming from what she *expects* to happen, rather than from what she is actually experiencing. Yeah?
The blanket and pad thing, sigh. How frustrating!
Wow that sucks that all your gifts have to be returned... I hope they will work with you to get it sorted out. That blanket is definitely too big!!
I love Mara's expressions. So cute!! I hope she decides she likes the bit. :)
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