Does This Saddle Make Me Look Sporty?

Training Journal

 

Yes, Milton you look very sporty in a saddle that costs more than you did.

Saddle trials courtesy of Mo Fitts, Decoucoux Technical Advisor [Facebook] at Falcon Hill Farm. What follows is my best understand from what was said & my notes. Errors mine.

Saddles
First saddle: 17 1/2. Open tree. 00 (zero zero). S. Straight flaps. Too low over withers. Don’t remember which leather. Buffalo maybe?

Response. As we walked to the ring, Milton seemed happy. A bystander even commented on same. I found the seat uncomfortable but I was able to get my entire leg on the horse. Apparently my upper leg has been MIA due to a wide saddle. Who knew. The walk and trot were moderately uncomfortable. The canter was divine. Coach Molly liked my position. I agreed.

Second saddle: Regular tree. Forward flaps. Gullet clearance much better. Back half of saddle too wide for Milton. Warmblood style. Did not ride in.

Third saddle: 17 1/2. Regular tree. 00. O (letter). Wider, deeper seat. Classic grain. Don’t remember saddle & knee roll leather.

Response. Fit Milton. Super comfy. I can see why people like to sit in them. I hated it. From the moment I sat down. Rode in anyway to be sure. Made it hard to ride well. Felt the saddle rather than the horse. Made me lean forward at canter, something I have also been doing in the saddle I have now. I’m buying a piece of athletic equipment, not a place to rest my butt.

Choices
Hunt seat: if I ever go to a regular dressage show, I will do so in a hunt seat saddle. It will be so obvious that I am an escapee from another ring that the style of saddle will be the least of it.

Panels: 00. Ms. Fitts says Milton is neither uphill not downhill. Balanced. Makes him easy to fit? Does this mean it would be easier to find a used saddle and to resell it later?

Tree: regular. Milton is wide. We tried an “open tree” which has been slighted widened. Sat too low.

Twist: S. narrow twist. Love this. The O (letter) is a wider and deeper in the seat. Super comfy. Tough. If I want comfy I’ll buy a couch. Give me what fits the horse. Give me a saddle that maximizes my feel. Much like the the skinny, finicky, racing bikes in the Tour De France, give me what works. I’ll learn to ride it.

Flaps: Straight. Would run out of flap if the stirrups went way up. That’s okay. The forward flap saddle (#2) look like something one find at a show in the tack stall of a Grand Prix jumper rider. If I am ever jumping high enough to need the forward flaps, I will happily trade up. This will do me for now and for a long while to come. Coach Molly felt I could go through Novice and Training in this style saddle. Yes, please.

Flaps: 2. Short flaps, Was able to put leg on horse rather than on leather.

Leather, flaps, three choices: Grade – classic, lasts forever. Buffalo – cowhide that has been tanned (? treated?) differently, grippy but wears out. Calfskin – super soft, immediate break-in, also wears out, good for the professional who is showing twelve horses at a big show next weekend and doesn’t have time to break-in a saddle. I did not ask if the calfskin was actual calf or a name for the tanning method. The full buffalo has stitching on flap. Bleh. Yeah, I’m old school. What’s your point?

Leather, knee roll & seat, two choices: Calfskin or buffalo.

General Comments
In both saddles, Milton went more freely forward. Has saddle fit been holding us back? Maybe a little. We all go better in well-fitted clothing/equipment. Not really. He shows many of the same behaviors on the long lines & while driving.

What are we going to do? Milton needs a saddle. Right now we are borrowing one (Thank you!). However, the Devoucoux saddles, even used, are insanely expensive. But I’m in for sticker shock no matter what. The last leather saddle I bought was for $300 in 1980. I still have it, although I retired it when it didn’t fit Rodney or Milton.

Right now the are two used options. One saddle is 18″ instead of 17 1/2, the other is a 2a (slightly forward) flap in full calf. Unless the saddle fairies are feeling generous, used saddles aren’t going to give you every detail you would order off the menu.

Now that we have more data, I have gone back to dithering pondering [Saddle Shopping].

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Get On and Go, Easy to Say, Hard To Do

Training Journal

 

Admin note: this took place and was written up before the show on Saturday [Someday]. I was feeling more charitable toward the Gray Wonder then.

The show was not the biggest news lately. The big news was the saddle fitting session earlier in the week.

The Thursday before the show, I took Milton over to Falcon Hill Farm for a saddle fitting with the Devoucoux rep. The big news was not trying fancy saddles, although that was fun. The big news was that *I* took Milton over, and rode in him new tack, all by myself. No village.

Last time I fiddled with the tack. Milton tried to buck me off [Hops]. Granted it was also cold & we were walking around the field. Could have been any of the above reasons. Didn’t help with the pre-saddle fitting nerves. What if we tried a saddle and it didn’t fit and he didn’t like it and … and …

Plus, Greg was at work. On a practical level, he wasn’t there to lunge Milton before I rode. I don’t lunge. It’s a patience thing. Groundwork, yes; lunging, no. Thursday was not the day to change that. Nor would he be there as a header when I mounted. Given the way Milton and I started [Universe], I think that first step will always be the hardest. On a mental level, he would not be there as moral support. I had to to hold my own paw.

I’ve trailered Milton on my own. Not often, but enough that I don’t worry about it, at least any more than one worries about hauling horses in general. FHF is not far, maybe 15 minutes on country roads. Easy drive.

In the past, when Milton and I have gone out à deux, it has been to Stepping Stone Farm. This was my first time to FHF. I don’t think Coach Molly has a grasp of the amount of baggage Milton and I bring to each ride. That’s good. It’s also bad.

Coach Molly has never seen Milton turn into Mr. Hyde. I would not be surprised if she thinks we are elaborating for effect. After all, horse people are as bad as fisherfolk in embroidering their tales. Never believe the height of a jump or the length of fish unless you measure it yourself. Also, she has never witnessed the extent to which I can fall apart. Not sure she appreciates the depth of hot mess that lurks beneath my suave demeanor. As far as she was concerned, I brought my horse over, tacked up, and got on. No big deal.

To me, it was a big deal. I did it. Very proud of self.

Oh yeah, the fancy saddles. Tune in tomorrow.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

Someday This Will Be Amusing To Look Back On, Show Report, Falcon Hill Farm, July 2019

Return to Hunter/Jumperland

 

 
Falcon Hill Jumper Show
Alabama Hunter Jumper Association
Falcon Hill Farm
Wilsonville, AL, USA
Saturday July 13, 2019

1 Academy Caveletti I – R
2 Academy Cavaletti II – 2nd of 4.
3 Academy Beginning Hunter I – 2nd of 5.
4 Academy Beginning Hunter II – 5th of 5.
Class descriptions from previous show [A Huntering We Will Go]


 
Results
Objectively. When he didn’t screw up, he was 2nd. Yes, I said when HE screwed up. Although it is never the horse’s fault, this one is on him. Or at least on the way he sees the world. My error was to not adapt sufficiently.

Subjectively. It should not be this hard to do such tiny classes. This is not my call to make.

Entries
I had been hoping to do the .65 meter (2’1″) jumpers at this show [Aspirational Events]. Not even close. The highest we jumped before the show was 1’9″. In theory, I felt bad. It would have been nice. Practically, Milton has been doing good work lately. It takes the time it takes. As it turned out, it was a good thing we hadn’t tried for anything higher than cross rails.

Schooling
Got on. Stood about. Practiced in the warm-up ring. FHF had put new footing in their lower ring for the show. Milton did not like the bright, white sand. Still, we walked, trotted, and cantered. In the second canter, I felt him starting to build and was able to keep him settled. Was pleased with that.

He is going to need the opportunity to adjust to each new facility. Fortunately, modern showing is all about return to the same venues over and over. Not exciting, but will work in our favor.

Break
Milton dislikes being in the dragon den (parking lot) with the dragons (trailers).

Classes
Trot Poles I
As the jumpers ended and the Academy classes began, the sky darkened. The rain broke just as we went in the ring. No problem. We were back in the main ring which he knows well. We were trotting over (poles!). Milton doesn’t mind rain if the footing is good [Where In The World]. Piece of cake, right? HA!

I went charging in. Event horse in the rain!

He tried to run out at the first set of trot poles. POLES! I was so taken by surprise that he almost got away with it. I sent him over. He gave the next rainy set of poles an equally hard look. Around the top of the ring, I tried to settle him. Too late. The mental pressure had begun to build.

When I felt the gears grind, I wrestled him to a halt, which took several strides. I got off. Yup, right in the middle of the ring, I know a losing fight when I feel it. Better to exit stage left, regroup, & try again. Just like MidSouth [Wannabe Saddlebred], I came in too hot. He felt my attitude was too cavalier for a such a scary situation.

Trot Poles II
Also like Mid-South [Back Into The Fray], I dialed it way back for the next class. I reassured him. I told him how tough it was, how brave he was being. Milton has no confidence in himself. Nil. Zip. Nada.

Crossrails I
Trotted all four. A bit of cantering in the first line. Trantored the last crossrail.

Crossrails II
Half great, half awful. Asked for a canter on our opening circle. Go me! Cantered the first two. Go us! He was on the wrong lead around the top, but the ring is so big, I figured he had plenty of space. He dropped back into a trot. Took the first of the second line. Spooked at the judge. Objected to the same fence he hadn’t liked in the first class. Swung to the side. Humped his shoulder at me. I yelled at him. I was tempted to stuff him over crossrail from where we were. Instead, circled around. Asked for a canter. Didn’t get it. (Didn’t ask too hard.) Trotted the last. Done.

Around the top of the ring, I had let him chose his gait. In hindsight, I should have come back to an organized trot, then either asked for the canter again or simply trot the second line. I need to help him feel prepared. OTOH, let him pick his own gait in the preceding class & that worked fine. So, I dunno.

Side note. Interesting that the bad classes take more telling than the good classes.

Whither Barry
After dire weather predictions for us all week [Monday], Barry swung west. Mostly, we got occasional rain. The only tropical weather all weekend was the five-minute squall during our first class.
 

Check out the parking job! My awesome driver backed up between the the trees to put the trailer in the shade.

Update
[Pix Are Always Amusing To Look Back On, Show Photos, Falcon Hill Farm, July 2019]

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

The Meaning Behind Mondays, Or At Least Behind Monday Posts

Blogging About Blogging

Have you ever wondered why Monday posts contain more generalized content &/or why show reports are on Tuesdays rather than first thing after the weekend?

When I began blogging, I wrote. I posted. Some days, posts came out early in the morning; other days, late at night. It was not consistent. Then, I heard a talk by Jennie Breeden of The Devil’s Panties. She wrote her comics ahead of time & scheduled them to be released at the same time each day. I have been doing it that way ever since.

Since I try to limit my computer time on the weekends, I need to have the posts for Saturday, Sunday & Monday ready by the preceding Friday. This means I have five days, M-F, to write seven days, M-S, worth of posts. Plus, I try to always be working on one or two extras as back ups. I am often writing a Monday post in the middle of the previous week, as now.

Then there is showing. I could bend the above rule to get breaking news out faster, well, as breaking as a horse blog gets for news. Some folks post during a show, Thoughtful Equestrian: Marshfield Day 1: Sweat is the brain’s lubricant. I don’t know how they do it. I generally need a day to recover. Sometimes more [Day 1, Day 2]. So I post ahead.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how the sausage is made.

All of which is a round-about way of saying, Show Report tomorrow.
~~~
Maybe.

As I write this on Thursday, Barry is roiling in the Gulf. Remains to be seen what effect Barry will have on the weather, and what effect the weather will have on our participation. Yes, the show must go on. Be tough. Yadda, yadda, yadda. I’ve ridden in rain. They are predicting tropical downpours. Not sure that trotting over crossrails is worth a vertical swimming pool.

We shall see.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott

A Series Of Turtle Steps

Training Journal

 

Turtle step are milestones when one is bumbling around in the intro-basement, leaping up in an attempt to catch the bottom rung of the ladder in any given discipline.

That was overly negative.

Turtle step are milestones when one is proceeding at the speed of an attack glacier.

Ahem.

Turtle steps are milestones when one is proceeding at a pace dictated by the horse’s learning speed and comfort level.

Herein, our turtle steps for the holiday travel spree [A Series of Ears].

Wednesday, July 3. Milton at Stepping Stone Farm. Lesson. Two beautiful canter transitions! One as good as we have been doing lately. The other perfect. Canter. Okay. Step off in the next stride. Leading to a terrific canter with even a bit of powering down the long side. All of this after I get done telling Coach Courtney that we have been having trouble with our transitions lately. Horses. They make liars out of us.

I wish I could take credit for the improvement. It is from the long-lining. I have become a huge fan of this training method. Allows horses to sort things out before introducing the complication of carrying a rider.

Thursday, July 4. Milton at Falcon Hill Farm. Schooling in the field. Walk and little trot in the grassy field/parking area behind the ring. Counts as out in the open for Milton. Rode at a trot over a little loglet. In the photo, Milton is avidly watching a jogger on the road, which is an excellent excuse to stand rather than work. Photo below from lunging that day.

Friday, July 5. Rodney at Stepping Stone Farm. Schooling in the covered ring. Canter! My eyes-on-the-ground said, ‘Why don’t you canter?’ I went to pick up a trot & Rodney cantered. The disadvantages of a horse who knows voice commands. A few lovely strides, then it got discombobulated and he downshifted on his own. I’ll take coming back to a trot as a response to problems.

Omitted from yesterday’s post. July 5, II. Milton. Home. Walk around field. One in hand. Two escorted. Last one by self! Photo taken during escorted lap. Milton was great, but I didn’t want to take a hand off the wheel during our solo lap. The feeling I got was ‘Ohh scary, but …. I think … I can … handle it.’

Saturday, July 6. Milton at Falcon Hill Farm. Schooling among the trees & up/down hills. More work “in the open”. Milton thinks hills are weird.

Sunday, July 7, I. Rodney at Stepping Stone Farm. Reverse ears. Never got on. Ride got rained out. Weather was clear. Got to SSF. As we tacked up, the sky darkened to a seriously nasty gray, and the radar lit up. At the moment, Rodney makes a few feints before he loads. We didn’t want to be dealing with that in heavy rain. We bailed. A branch blew down from a tree near the ring. A small branch, but enough to raise a welt if it hit one on the head. Okay. Okay. We’re leaving. A red splotch followed us home on the radar. As soon as we got home, the sky cleared and the radar settled down. The oncoming storm vanished. Well played, Rodney. Well played.

Sunday, July 7, II. Milton at Falcon Hill Farm. Lesson. Cantered an entire a 1’6″/1’9″ course!

Monday, July 8. Rodney at Stepping Stone Farm, redux. Make-up day. Schooling in the big ring. Moved up to the big ring. Walk and trot with smooth transitions. No trace of the anxiety he had the last time I rode him in this ring.

So that’s us. Making progress and getting nowhere, all at the same time.

Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott