SAVORING the SADDLE

Yea...the time is finally Nye- to pick up the "KONKLUSION" saddle I ordered back in February2011!
Driving up to Washington on this first of several gorgeous "SPRUMMER" days (spring/summer together) was so perfect!

It was a gorgeous day for driving with the view of the White capped Mount Hood in front of me, and the Columbia River off to the side of the freeway. What special people the Weidners (creators of the ANSUR saddle) are...they are so busy making saddles for everyone, but took the time to talk and sit with me. I inspected my saddle in the break room...it is beautiful !

Carole, the creator of "ANSUR", made room for me to sit in the saddle.

I could have taken the tour of the place...but they prefer to do those at the ends of the work day, as they can be so disruptive for the saddle worker bees. I totally understand and will go back later, when my stablemate Julie, is in the house during her apprenticeship.I WANTED TO RIDE anyway- so the tour is better put off for another time! Plans had been made for meeting a friend on the Oregon Fishing Club lands she rides frequently...those are the lands below our stable.
She had to cancel right at the last minute...but...that is okay with me....SAVORING THE NEW SADDLE is what I really wanted to do~ I know I used a seemingly food related word...but it is almost food like getting and having a saddle again...sustenance for the rider is the tack that fits and works well for the equine athlete, and themselves!!!  Looked it up...Among the descriptions are :" To Appreciate Fully; Relish".

In the break room, there is a huge wall of photos of happy horses and mules and folks! This was a quarter of them....Carole pointed to one of the horses...the dejected Chestnut in the center photo- he scheduled to be Euthanized...because of his terrible ,dangerous ways...it was the saddle fit that troubled him...that is him alive and under saddle below, middle. You can't see the white hairs on his withers..but I did, standing there.

Below, is how I did that  Saddle Savoring. To beginning to end result, to me finally riding last Friday,  took over an hour and a half to be ready to go. I loved it...took my time.
The mare was NOT dirty in the least.
 I just wanted it to be such a positive experience for her. Tacking up the saddle, over the years, has gotten worse and worse...so if this New Saddle, and all it does represent to me  being made without a wood tree and with a NASA material that is fully flexible/shock absorbing for my mare's ultimate comfort and performance-if it was  truly  going to be different for us...the beginning needed to be!
If there is ONE THING I have learned from being a TB mare's girl..it is that "remembered pain,  is sometimes as real as the actual thing."

The mare,  was interested to sniff, lick  and inspect it...and just hang out with her new "Special ordered", hand crafted saddle. I will add, she totally appreciated the lax mood of- maybe we'll tack up and maybe not. Yea, Although I wanted to ride really badly, I did not want her to react to me tacking up with the new saddle.  I had decided that this  had to go smoothly and with out ears pensively coming back, or her pawing.


I also was inspecting the saddle slowly myself...it has quite a few "removable" leg blocks. 2 under the front panel and one behind the calf.
( a little forward on that calf  triangle looking block..i was riding aloing and felt such a bad buring feeling in oine of my claves..I thought.."dang, been without stirrups so long I've a charlie horse!" NOPE...it was the block bruisiung me! I took both off and shoved them into my pockets.

In all the tacking up and delays of putting special things on the saddle-the sheepskin seat saver, the grab strap, adjusting the breast collar... the mare just dosed in the warmer temps. It was NOT- TOO- HOT though...there was this heavenly breeze blowing through the stable.

NOTHING made her tense up (save the one time I shoved my hand under the front panel-oops)  I was so pleased with this outcome, but felt badly to cause her to remember something of the past. I had to apologise...and give her another treat, for her patience!

I wonder if she remembers, through smell, this longer girth as positive...'cause she never flicked and ear while I put it on the leather billets, and adjusted the billet guard.  They had the billets put into it incorrectly, so It was alot of push/pulling to change it...the mare seemed to be unaffected with this stuff!

I have to say, I love a longer girth and if I were to order a Dressage saddle made-I will be making it a "special order" to have the girth placed right into the hollow of where my knee is bent, under the saddle's panel, instead of using a short girth. My "Professional Choice" girth is one that was a good addition to the tack arsenal. Easy to clean..elastic on both ends that are split. I have learned to not over tighten an elastic girth too..thanks to Carole's video  on the ANSUR web site.

So, as I took my sweet time the mare dosed on and seemed totally comfortable with all that I did. That was so reassuring.

The "KONKLUSION" all purpose saddle also has a "gullet pillow". It Velcros into place, like all the blocks.

I tried  the saddle WITH the "GULLET PILLOW" the first time I rode out, then took photos of the mare's sweat patterns....

See how the HAF pas creates it's own channel  under the saddle.

As we left the stable to go on our solo -trial ride of the saddle...I liked what I saw in the mare..willingness to go and also no restraint in movement...the first test was to halt and back up, then immediately trot off the halt.

(I had  lunged her for 2 minutes before..just to warm her up some)

She did all fluidly so, and when I asked for the trot..I stood slightly, in half seat...she was great....off she trotted without hesitation..no pinning of the ears or hollowing!!

It was soo nice to have stirrups again!!!

Our first ride was walking, with  just  that first little trot at the start. I wanted to feel with her, the new motions and actions of the saddle...she was WONDERFUL and forward..snorting her little snorts as she and I rode down the long hill to the rest of the trails below. I am glad I did ride it and not dismount...As I mentioned, hills could always turn our rides into unpleasant experiences.  She hesitated not..I was elated! And as she saw the Oregon Trail XC course I had made,  for the first time, she was too cute to want to get closer...sniff it all out and keep going!

I have funny videos..maybe blogger will allow me to actually load them for you. I was a bit..um...happy-go-silly!

I'll put them in thier own post...as if I loose this one..it'll make me mad!

Sweat patterns fisrt day....it would have been even on the right side, but her mane was between the pad and her skin. The spine dry and all else mostly wet...

What does it say to you??

 And I must add..the mare twists to the right...usually throwing me over to the left. I ask her to do bends around my lf leg and give me an left eyeball through out any ride.

After such a positive ride I made sure the mare had a cooling, gentle shower with a Horse Wash product I found years ago...it really has lasted!! It has all knids of neat herbs in it!

 You attach the hose to the actual bottle, and it has setting for Off/Rinse/Wash so you don't even have to turn off the water after you suds up.

So, even though this seat is extra cushy..my tushy was sore- sore!

WEAR MARKS...my first of so many more to come!

POSITIVE, ENCOURAGING...is  how I do sum up the first ride!!

More to come so please bear with me, while I savor the memories now of my newest tack edition!