SHF Blog April 19, 2010

Good Stuff

Learning How to Ride Again - Lesson 2 & 3

The second lesson with Jenna was a reinforcement of things learned in lesson 1. However, Jenna observed that the saddle I was using was causing problems, in that I was having a hard time sitting deep in the saddle and keeping my posture erect. The best part of lesson 2 was that Jenna taught me more about the different kinds of western saddles and which one is better suited for diffent activities.

There is an excellent link that explains the difference in Western Saddle construction and the different activies for which they are designed.

Click here to view an excellent article by Beth Stafani. She explains the general differences in western saddles.

For more detail, take a look at the Western Saddle Guide to see a great article and pictures showing the different types of western saddles.

Jenna also mentioned that my horse was ready to graduate to a premanent bit, graduating from her O-ring snaffle. One thing the world is not short of is too many styles of bits. Knowing which one to use for certain activities is one of the HUGE benefits of having a knowledgeable trainer.

Jenna recommended a "grazing" bit as shown in the picture below:

The adventure for a new saddle and bit started last Saturday. Jenna, me and 2 other boarders bravely headed off in heavy rains for a trip to Weatherford. Tesky's and Horsemans are the two best places to wheel and deal on saddles if you're from the Fort Worth area. Out of the two places, Horseman's had two pleasure saddles that were reasonably priced and very well made. Tesky's had very little inventory and not in the price range I was looking for. The Tesky's helper said good western pleasure saddles don't stay in stock very long, and are harder to find in this area.

The saddle we got has a higher front to keep you sitting in the "back" of the saddle. It naturally makes you rotate your hips back to sit on your tailbone. It was 17" long. The saddle skirt needed to be shorter to fit Nekotesh's smaller back. I needed a fairly light saddle because again, Nekotesh is a small horse (14.2 hands), and I didn't want to weigh her down more than necessary. The back is not so high, so you have room to move around in the saddle. The color is light natural with a black seat and trim, as well as a few silver ornaments. The cinch holes are reinforced with extra leather around the holes so that they do not stretch out. The seat is well-padded with smooth calf leather to make the ride more comfortable.

A unique design about this saddle is that it has side by side rings to tie off the cinch. The top of the leather strap is tied to one ring, but you wrap and tighten the strap around the ring next to it when you're cinching up the saddle. It eliminates the bulky knot that often happens when you have to wrap the strap several times to fit the saddle correctly.

We made it back to the barn after 9 hours of shopping and driving around in what turned out to be a 6" rain (what we call a "gulley-washer.")

Sunday was the day we tried the new tack on Nekotesh.The saddle fit her much better. You could fit your hand under the saddle when it was cinched up. There was plenty of room for her withers. The skirt was not to long on her back or her sides. The weight did not seem to distress her.

Nekotesh was more relaxed with the grazing bit. She responded well in a snaffle bit, but she is twice as responsive in a grazing bit.

Speaking of better response, now that my posture is better in the new saddle, Nekotesh is much more responsive on leg queues and changes in the saddle position. Wow. She planted and stopped yesterday by me just "sucking in" my stomach ever so slightly. It was amazing, except for the part where I nearly came up over the horn because she stopped so quickly (my bad).

The most amazing part of all this is that I was about to give up riding on Nekotesh. It wasn't the horse. It was the wrong tack and because I needed a few basic riding lessons. Nekotesh is a lot happier, more affectionate and more willing to give me her all because she is not in pain. By taking the lessons and learning correct posture, my weight is evenly distributed so that makes it easier for her to move and easier for me to ride.

Chalk up another success story, thanks to Jenna. The next lesson is this Thursday. More later....