Currently, I am working on moving him off my seat, transitions off my seat, turns versus loops, and not coming to a halt when I ask for a downward transition.
Things that are hard for us: right bend, counter canter, and me not using my hands.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Practice, Practice, Practice
Ashke has so much try and we are slowly figuring things out . . .
Currently, I am working on moving him off my seat, transitions off my seat, turns versus loops, and not coming to a halt when I ask for a downward transition.
Things that are hard for us: right bend, counter canter, and me not using my hands.
Currently, I am working on moving him off my seat, transitions off my seat, turns versus loops, and not coming to a halt when I ask for a downward transition.
Things that are hard for us: right bend, counter canter, and me not using my hands.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Seriously
I think if I could go back in time and stop myself from thinking "I'm very happy my horse doesn't seem to hurt himself" way back in January, I would. That was the last thought right before he swung his face into a post and smashed up his face (which still isn't completely back to normal yet - his right cheekbone is still larger than the left). Then he desleeved the back of his left hind and although that is healing and I am back to riding, it still isn't completely healed yet. And now he has figured out a new way to cause me distress.
This is his foot from Memorial day on our ride. That flat spot along the side of his hoof is from him dragging his hoof along something sharp enough to wear away hoof wall.
Not the best picture because of the shadow, with the outside edge of his hoof has been worn into a flat edge.
I talked to the BM about how in the world he might be abraiding his hoof in such a manner that he would be loosing hoof. It really looked like a rough rasp had been taken to his foot. I looked at everything in his stall, but we really couldn't find a definitive answer. We decided he must be banging it at the bottom of a run, on an edge there, when he was in turn out. His GF (Cha Cha) was in the run right next door and then would stand at the bottom of her run and snuggle. When she went inside to attend to mare things, he would go next door and try to undo the latch on Maggie's run so he could go inside with Cha Cha. The first time, he actually got into her run and into her stall, so he could be inside with his love. After that, the BM fixed the chain so he couldn't get it undone, which he retaliated to by pawing the bottom of the gate. The BM agreed to move his turn out to a different field where he didn't have access to either mare. That did not fix the issue.
Last Friday, when I went out to the barn to remove the bandage from his leg, I saw that Ashke had continued to strike his left front against something (which by elimination, had to be something in his stall) and had taken more hoof off. There wasn't anything I could do on Friday night, since it was very late, so I when we went out on Saturday morning, I talked to the BM about it again.
We were baffled. There did not seem to be any place in his stall where Ashke might be rubbing his hoof that made any sense to either of us. I told the BM I would be back out on Sunday and would be chalk to cover his hoof to see if we could figure out where he was rasping his hoof. On Sunday, after our ride, I covered his hoof with blue chalkline chalk and hoped it would tell us where the issue was.
Monday the BM told me the only place she had seen blue chalk the night before was on the bottom of the swing door to his stall. In closer inspection, there was a slight lip between the metal of the door and the bottom trim, plus several screw heads sticking out from the trim. It was possible he was striking the bottom of his stall and dragging his hoof across those things out of boredom.
Seriously.
I think this started when he was on stall rest and has just continued once he was let out into his run again. The crazy thing is he has to stand outside, parallel to the doorway in order to get his hoof into a correct position to paw at the edge of the door. He has no real reason to do so except for compulsive behavior, bad habit, or sheer boredom. I think he needs to be worked more. Stupid injury.
This is his foot from Memorial day on our ride. That flat spot along the side of his hoof is from him dragging his hoof along something sharp enough to wear away hoof wall.
Not the best picture because of the shadow, with the outside edge of his hoof has been worn into a flat edge.
I talked to the BM about how in the world he might be abraiding his hoof in such a manner that he would be loosing hoof. It really looked like a rough rasp had been taken to his foot. I looked at everything in his stall, but we really couldn't find a definitive answer. We decided he must be banging it at the bottom of a run, on an edge there, when he was in turn out. His GF (Cha Cha) was in the run right next door and then would stand at the bottom of her run and snuggle. When she went inside to attend to mare things, he would go next door and try to undo the latch on Maggie's run so he could go inside with Cha Cha. The first time, he actually got into her run and into her stall, so he could be inside with his love. After that, the BM fixed the chain so he couldn't get it undone, which he retaliated to by pawing the bottom of the gate. The BM agreed to move his turn out to a different field where he didn't have access to either mare. That did not fix the issue.
Last Friday, when I went out to the barn to remove the bandage from his leg, I saw that Ashke had continued to strike his left front against something (which by elimination, had to be something in his stall) and had taken more hoof off. There wasn't anything I could do on Friday night, since it was very late, so I when we went out on Saturday morning, I talked to the BM about it again.
More hoof impacted and a longer straight edge.
From the side you can see that the wall is up off the ground, exposing what I think is the sole.
We were baffled. There did not seem to be any place in his stall where Ashke might be rubbing his hoof that made any sense to either of us. I told the BM I would be back out on Sunday and would be chalk to cover his hoof to see if we could figure out where he was rasping his hoof. On Sunday, after our ride, I covered his hoof with blue chalkline chalk and hoped it would tell us where the issue was.
Monday the BM told me the only place she had seen blue chalk the night before was on the bottom of the swing door to his stall. In closer inspection, there was a slight lip between the metal of the door and the bottom trim, plus several screw heads sticking out from the trim. It was possible he was striking the bottom of his stall and dragging his hoof across those things out of boredom.
Seriously.
I think this started when he was on stall rest and has just continued once he was let out into his run again. The crazy thing is he has to stand outside, parallel to the doorway in order to get his hoof into a correct position to paw at the edge of the door. He has no real reason to do so except for compulsive behavior, bad habit, or sheer boredom. I think he needs to be worked more. Stupid injury.
I'm so done with the rain.
On Tuesday night, J came out with me and chalked the bottom of the door with silicone chalking (good for windows and doors) while I rinsed the thick mud from my horse's body. One of these days he will stay clean for longer than two hours, I swear.
Chalked the bottom edge and the screw heads
She does good work.
In an effort to alleviate boredom, I repurposed some of the dog toys my dogs aren't really interested in and brought them to the barn.
Ashke seemed very surprised when he first made it squeek.
I also hung up a couple of toys made of firehose with fuzzy parts for sensory play.
After the silicone set, we covered the bottom of the door with gorilla tape, which I really hope is gorilla strength so that my stupid horse can no longer grind away pieces of his hooves.
On another note, he seemed very sad last night, that I was there but we weren't riding. I thought he might want a break after being ridden three nights in a row, but perhaps I was mistaken.
Sunday, June 5, 2016
Bucket List
I completed an item on my bucket list yesterday. Ever since I rode at Indian Creek (my fav trail ever), and recognized that the trail was too much in terms of technical ability and shear altitude gains and losses, I wanted to ride from Indian Creek to Waterton Canyon.
Yesterday we made that happen.
I spent several hours looking at maps and calculating distances. I decided we needed to take the shorter route on trail (4.5 miles) to the Colorado trail to the dam at Waterton Canyon. I think K wanted to do the longer trail, but I didn't think we would have time. The longer trail is 9.5 miles and I didn't expect to be able to travel faster than about 3 mph. The trail is all singletrack and winds through the forest similar to the Colorado Trail. I figured if we took the shorter route it would be a 6.5 mile ride to the top of Waterton Canyon and take about two hours. I calculated that J could drive the truck around and park, then ride up the canyon in two hours. If all the things worked, we would come together by the Saratosa Dam at the top of Waterton, then ride down the canyon to the trailer. Total would be about 12 miles.
When we got to the barn I discovered that my stupid horse is continuing to paw his front left foot against something (we have looked and looked and can't figure it out) and rasping away the side of his left hoof. He's taken enough hoof wall off that there is a hole through the side of his hoof and you can see the sole. We noticed the issue about a week ago and thought he was doing it in turn-out, so we changed his turn-out location. When I went out to change his bandage on Friday night, the hoof was worse. I talked with the barn manager on Saturday morning and we are both at a loss. He is going to completely lame himself if he continues on. I am going to get some line chalk (use it to mark a straightline for construction - it's bright blue) and put it on his hoof, to see if we can figure out what he is doing.
He's still sound for now, so we headed out. We picked up K and headed south (over an hour drive) to get to the trailhead. When we got there we found a dozen horse trailers lined up in the parking lot and along the road. There was a local riding group (Backcountry horsemen?) doing trail maintenance on Indian Creek and the Colorado trail in preparation for riding season. They remove downed timber, cut back low hanging branches and rebuild trail where needed. We rode behind them by several hours and were the beneficiary of a lot of removed tree trunks. We were able to squeeze the trailer into the lot and unload. I tried to get boots on Ashke's front hooves, but it was a no go. His feet are really flared out on the inside and I think his feet are bigger than they were a year ago. I know there are spots that are rocky on the trail, but I also knew we would be going slow, so we rode anyway. Additionally, the park ranger gleefully told us three bears had been sighted on the trail but couldn't tell us the location. And I had forgotten by Bear bells at the tack box at the barn. I spent most of the ride chanting "3 bears, 2 bears, 1 bear, no bear" in my head as we rode. No bears. Thankfully.
K and I got ready, put pelleted feed in our stowaways for mid day meal for the horses, then climbed aboard and I kissed J goodbye. I think she acts like a safety blanket for both myself and Ashke, because he did not want to leave without her. He spent the first mile and a half looking back over his shoulder for her. After that mile and a half, he got a lot more forward. Although still pretty wary of shadows and downed timber.
Yesterday we made that happen.
I spent several hours looking at maps and calculating distances. I decided we needed to take the shorter route on trail (4.5 miles) to the Colorado trail to the dam at Waterton Canyon. I think K wanted to do the longer trail, but I didn't think we would have time. The longer trail is 9.5 miles and I didn't expect to be able to travel faster than about 3 mph. The trail is all singletrack and winds through the forest similar to the Colorado Trail. I figured if we took the shorter route it would be a 6.5 mile ride to the top of Waterton Canyon and take about two hours. I calculated that J could drive the truck around and park, then ride up the canyon in two hours. If all the things worked, we would come together by the Saratosa Dam at the top of Waterton, then ride down the canyon to the trailer. Total would be about 12 miles.
When we got to the barn I discovered that my stupid horse is continuing to paw his front left foot against something (we have looked and looked and can't figure it out) and rasping away the side of his left hoof. He's taken enough hoof wall off that there is a hole through the side of his hoof and you can see the sole. We noticed the issue about a week ago and thought he was doing it in turn-out, so we changed his turn-out location. When I went out to change his bandage on Friday night, the hoof was worse. I talked with the barn manager on Saturday morning and we are both at a loss. He is going to completely lame himself if he continues on. I am going to get some line chalk (use it to mark a straightline for construction - it's bright blue) and put it on his hoof, to see if we can figure out what he is doing.
He's still sound for now, so we headed out. We picked up K and headed south (over an hour drive) to get to the trailhead. When we got there we found a dozen horse trailers lined up in the parking lot and along the road. There was a local riding group (Backcountry horsemen?) doing trail maintenance on Indian Creek and the Colorado trail in preparation for riding season. They remove downed timber, cut back low hanging branches and rebuild trail where needed. We rode behind them by several hours and were the beneficiary of a lot of removed tree trunks. We were able to squeeze the trailer into the lot and unload. I tried to get boots on Ashke's front hooves, but it was a no go. His feet are really flared out on the inside and I think his feet are bigger than they were a year ago. I know there are spots that are rocky on the trail, but I also knew we would be going slow, so we rode anyway. Additionally, the park ranger gleefully told us three bears had been sighted on the trail but couldn't tell us the location. And I had forgotten by Bear bells at the tack box at the barn. I spent most of the ride chanting "3 bears, 2 bears, 1 bear, no bear" in my head as we rode. No bears. Thankfully.
K and I got ready, put pelleted feed in our stowaways for mid day meal for the horses, then climbed aboard and I kissed J goodbye. I think she acts like a safety blanket for both myself and Ashke, because he did not want to leave without her. He spent the first mile and a half looking back over his shoulder for her. After that mile and a half, he got a lot more forward. Although still pretty wary of shadows and downed timber.
I took pictures of everything but the watercrossings.
The trail was so incredibly beautiful.
We went down for the first two miles
A year ago, we purchased a Garmin Viveo for T to use when running. I decided that I was going to try it for the ride, since my phone loses gps signal in the mountains. I really needed a way to track both distance and time if we were going to meet J when I expected to. It worked great!
Lots of green
From 2.3 miles to 2.7 miles, we climbed.
There was some pretty technical rock we had to maneuver through.
We came to a ridgeline that extended for about a mile.
For some reason, Ashke would suddenly shift gears and trot or canter a slope.
Mostly canter on the up and trot on the down.
There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, but since I was letting him set the pace, we went with it.
Most of the trail was sand or soft packed dirt.
There were stretches of rock though.
This was the highest elevation point of the ride.
The views were spectacular
I dismounted to fix Ashke's front leg guard and then we pressed on.
There was more climbing, but not as steep or as rocky.
There was one place in the trail at 3.5 miles in where there was a slab of rock that needed to be ridden down. We opted to step off and let the horses figure it out on their own without being on their backs. Ashke walked down the face without a single slip. Eddy followed. We found a rock and remounted.
So very serene.
About four miles in K asked about lunch, but I had planned on eating when we met J. She was pretty famished so I pulled a bag of trailmix from a pouch I could reach. We each had a handful (not sure why not more - I tend to not feel hungry when I ride) which held us over until we got to the meeting place.
After a final climb, we hit the Colorado trail at exactly 4.5 miles and about an hour and a half of riding. We were averaging 3 mph and running just a little behind if my distance calculation was incorrect.
The most southern end of Waterton.
We reached Sarasota dam about three minutes after Tia and J got there.
The timing could not have been better.
We ate lunch at the dam (it was pushing two in the afternoon and we were hungry) with J and Tia, then headed back out. Ashke refused to leave without J. He was dragging his feet and looking back over his shoulder until J got out in front of us. Then he lined out into his running walk and just ate up the terrain. He has a 4.3 mph walk when he gets going.
We did some trot but mostly walked the canyon. I was worried about his feet and his sore leg and didn't want to push.
One of the only pieces of ground safe for me to canter on.
Eddy took a side trail, since K was working on getting him to go away from Ashke.
Ashke got very nervous and up. We did leg yields across the road until he decided walking was okay.
Grass area filled with holes. Eddy and Ashke reunion after a full five minutes apart.
J had parked at Waterton Canyon parking lot instead of Chatfield, which made the ride 12.25 miles. I was a little disappointed when she first told me, but pretty happy I didn't have to ride an additional 3.5 miles when we got to the trailer. Riding up and down hills is much more demanding, even at the walk, than walking on the flat. I need to get back into shape.
Thursday, June 2, 2016
One Month
May 1st
June 1st
I am very pleased with how it is looking and very excited to ride Indian Creek to Waterton Canyon on Saturday!!!
Monday, May 30, 2016
Chatfield
Saturday we decided to do Chatfield, since Ashke wasn't bleeding from having to have proud flesh cut off of his leg. We got K and Eddy and headed south. It kind of sucks that all of our favorite riding places are at least an hour away now.
When we reached Chatfield, the sun was shining brightly. By the time we were ready to ride, it was sprinkling. We headed south along the east side of the South Platte, a trail we haven't ridden in almost a year.
When we reached Chatfield, the sun was shining brightly. By the time we were ready to ride, it was sprinkling. We headed south along the east side of the South Platte, a trail we haven't ridden in almost a year.
It was so very green.
Eddy channeling his happy place.
J in her subtle, quiet colors.
The front range in spring colors.
A new to us trail. J and I had ridden this way one of our very first rides with N.
The creek two years ago was much narrower. This pond had grown behind a beaver dam.
Deep enough it touched the bellies of the horses.
J crossed the creek by balancing on the beaver dam. I helped with a couple of the trees we had to work past.
Pretty cool barn or old shack that looked like it was caught in a fire at some point.
From the front. I think it may have been a cabin at some point.
We found a meadow we didn't know existed.
Much giggling
So much giggling
K and Eds
Ashke just went faster and faster.
The footing was great.
Riding up the incline from the meadow to the Highline Canal
From Ashke's viewpoint.
Lunch break.
K
Mugging for the camera
Heading from the canal to the trailer.
Cut the ride a bit short to ease the strain on Ashke.
Sandy trails make for tough biking.
A final walk in the sun.
Friday Expanded
Friday was a crazy day. After the vet and saddle fitting, J and I headed south to IKEA. I promised J if she would go with me to IKEA, I would take her to REI (anniversary sale) on our way home. The IKEA trip involved exchanging picture frames, buying hangers (wood), plates (so we have a complete matching set of white tempered glass dishware), placemats (in cork, squeeee!) and some serving utensils. Less than $50 and all very needed items. On our way back, we stopped at REI and J had fun finding some things for her. One of the big ones was a mount for her phone for the front of her bike. The only drawback to using the mount is that it is more difficult for her to remove one handed in order to video or take pics. She will practice. A pile of stuff, a gift card and $6 and we were on our way north to help K look at an Aussie saddle for her and Eddy.
Like me, K thinks the Aussie saddle is cool and has always wanted one. I saw a listing for an Aussie on FB, contacted the woman and got K in touch with her. The saddle was two tone and a size that I thought would fit K, which it did. We got there a bit late, but they were still trying to find a girth that would work with the saddle and Eddy, so I got to do a bit of saddle fitting. Using the knowledge I had gained from Megan, the first thing I did was flip the saddle over and evaluate the panels.
Aussie saddles are strange creatures: their panels are made from felt or wool, but still flocked with either wool or foam. This one had wool flocking and actually felt pretty smooth and even on both sides. There did not seem to be any lumps or dips of note and I could feel the slit under the panel that would allow access to manipulate the flocking (although I do remember from my bout with trying to fit an Aussie saddle that they use a large knitting needle to penetrate through the weave on the panel to manipulate the material.) We lifted it onto Eddy's back without a pad to assess the fit.
First I tested the balance front to back, as I had seen Megan do. This was the part I was most worried about with the saddle, since the amount of rock in the saddle was the biggest issue in trying to fit Ashke. There was no rock. So I checked the shoulder fit and slid my hand under the saddle looking for bridging or uneven pressure. It felt pretty good, although I wasn't real sure about the shoulder fit. I was worried it might be a touch too tight, but we wouldn't know until the saddle was cinched on. The woman selling it brought back a girth that we got to work and with the saddle in place, we walked over to the indoor arena.
I asked Eddy to move around me without K in the saddle to see how he would do. He looked a touch off to me - either the right hind or the left front. It was faint, but there. I wasn't sure if the faint hesitation was the saddle or the fact that it is wall to wall mud in his stall. K mounted and tried the saddle.
It's funny how things change. Four years ago I knew nothing about saddle fit, rider position or movement of the horse under saddle. Now, I was immensely unpleased with the position K was in. Her feet were out in front of her, and although the saddle fit her very well, she just didn't look right. And Eddy didn't move correctly. He looked stiff and uncomfortable. When K asked for a canter, Eddy complied but then threw in a couple of bucks crossing the arena on the diagonal. He definitely looked stiff at both the trot and canter.
After a couple of times around the arena, I called K over, trying to figure out what I was seeing in the horse's movement. I was methodically moving around him checking girth, the balance of the saddle and then I went to check his shoulder and discovered that the saddle had tightened across his shoulders with K's weight in the saddle and the rolled edge of the saddle was digging into the muscle that comes across the top of his shoulder blade. It was a very sharp, digging type of pinch and explained what I had been seeing in his movement.
I told K I didn't think the saddle was going to work. Even if she wanted to spend the money to have a real saddle fitter come out I didn't think adding flocking to the front of the saddle would help, since it would narrow the space in front, lift the saddle up and create new issues with bridging. It just wasn't going to fit and Eddy had let us know he didn't like the way it fit.
They pulled out the second Aussie saddle they had for sale, which I knew was out of K's price range, but I figured it never hurt to try saddles. I flipped it over to evaluate the panels and was horrified. The panels were felt and poorly created. I could see without even touching the panels, that they were totally uneven, lumpy and strangely shaped. The panel started out from the back like a normal English dressage panel, but then narrowed severely right over the loins, then widened again (think hour-glass shaped) and they did not look even. Sure enough, the left side panel had two huge lumps, with valleys on either side. The lumps were right where the rider's weight would be. Additionally, there was no padding on the front of the panel, over the withers, and it felt like my palms were sliding into big black holes. I checked for flocking slots, afraid from the feel that the saddle was flocked with foam pieces, and couldn't find any. The underside of the panel was canvas. I asked where they had gotten it and how old it was.
The story she was given was that a police department order 1600 of these saddles, and then sold the ones they didn't need. It was brand new and had only been ridden in six or so times. I showed the owner what I was seeing and had them feel for themselves. The guy asked me why I thought someone would make a saddle this way and I had no answer. There is something to be said for spending money for quality when it comes to saddles. I told them I wouldn't even put it on Eddy's back and wished them good luck in selling it.
Afterwards, K and I talked. I don't think she enjoyed the fit of the saddle as much as she thought. She didn't like the balance in the thing, which makes sense because you can't use your legs at all for balance. She did say that she really liked how much closer contact she felt the saddle gave her and I made a snarky comment about western fenders. I told her that she should look for saddles that have english saddle leathers and irons, since they will give the best contact and better leg aids to the horse.
I don't know which direction she will go from here. I guess we wait and see.
Like me, K thinks the Aussie saddle is cool and has always wanted one. I saw a listing for an Aussie on FB, contacted the woman and got K in touch with her. The saddle was two tone and a size that I thought would fit K, which it did. We got there a bit late, but they were still trying to find a girth that would work with the saddle and Eddy, so I got to do a bit of saddle fitting. Using the knowledge I had gained from Megan, the first thing I did was flip the saddle over and evaluate the panels.
Aussie saddles are strange creatures: their panels are made from felt or wool, but still flocked with either wool or foam. This one had wool flocking and actually felt pretty smooth and even on both sides. There did not seem to be any lumps or dips of note and I could feel the slit under the panel that would allow access to manipulate the flocking (although I do remember from my bout with trying to fit an Aussie saddle that they use a large knitting needle to penetrate through the weave on the panel to manipulate the material.) We lifted it onto Eddy's back without a pad to assess the fit.
First I tested the balance front to back, as I had seen Megan do. This was the part I was most worried about with the saddle, since the amount of rock in the saddle was the biggest issue in trying to fit Ashke. There was no rock. So I checked the shoulder fit and slid my hand under the saddle looking for bridging or uneven pressure. It felt pretty good, although I wasn't real sure about the shoulder fit. I was worried it might be a touch too tight, but we wouldn't know until the saddle was cinched on. The woman selling it brought back a girth that we got to work and with the saddle in place, we walked over to the indoor arena.
I asked Eddy to move around me without K in the saddle to see how he would do. He looked a touch off to me - either the right hind or the left front. It was faint, but there. I wasn't sure if the faint hesitation was the saddle or the fact that it is wall to wall mud in his stall. K mounted and tried the saddle.
It's funny how things change. Four years ago I knew nothing about saddle fit, rider position or movement of the horse under saddle. Now, I was immensely unpleased with the position K was in. Her feet were out in front of her, and although the saddle fit her very well, she just didn't look right. And Eddy didn't move correctly. He looked stiff and uncomfortable. When K asked for a canter, Eddy complied but then threw in a couple of bucks crossing the arena on the diagonal. He definitely looked stiff at both the trot and canter.
After a couple of times around the arena, I called K over, trying to figure out what I was seeing in the horse's movement. I was methodically moving around him checking girth, the balance of the saddle and then I went to check his shoulder and discovered that the saddle had tightened across his shoulders with K's weight in the saddle and the rolled edge of the saddle was digging into the muscle that comes across the top of his shoulder blade. It was a very sharp, digging type of pinch and explained what I had been seeing in his movement.
I told K I didn't think the saddle was going to work. Even if she wanted to spend the money to have a real saddle fitter come out I didn't think adding flocking to the front of the saddle would help, since it would narrow the space in front, lift the saddle up and create new issues with bridging. It just wasn't going to fit and Eddy had let us know he didn't like the way it fit.
They pulled out the second Aussie saddle they had for sale, which I knew was out of K's price range, but I figured it never hurt to try saddles. I flipped it over to evaluate the panels and was horrified. The panels were felt and poorly created. I could see without even touching the panels, that they were totally uneven, lumpy and strangely shaped. The panel started out from the back like a normal English dressage panel, but then narrowed severely right over the loins, then widened again (think hour-glass shaped) and they did not look even. Sure enough, the left side panel had two huge lumps, with valleys on either side. The lumps were right where the rider's weight would be. Additionally, there was no padding on the front of the panel, over the withers, and it felt like my palms were sliding into big black holes. I checked for flocking slots, afraid from the feel that the saddle was flocked with foam pieces, and couldn't find any. The underside of the panel was canvas. I asked where they had gotten it and how old it was.
The story she was given was that a police department order 1600 of these saddles, and then sold the ones they didn't need. It was brand new and had only been ridden in six or so times. I showed the owner what I was seeing and had them feel for themselves. The guy asked me why I thought someone would make a saddle this way and I had no answer. There is something to be said for spending money for quality when it comes to saddles. I told them I wouldn't even put it on Eddy's back and wished them good luck in selling it.
Afterwards, K and I talked. I don't think she enjoyed the fit of the saddle as much as she thought. She didn't like the balance in the thing, which makes sense because you can't use your legs at all for balance. She did say that she really liked how much closer contact she felt the saddle gave her and I made a snarky comment about western fenders. I told her that she should look for saddles that have english saddle leathers and irons, since they will give the best contact and better leg aids to the horse.
I don't know which direction she will go from here. I guess we wait and see.
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Skipping
Friday was a great day!!
First, I had an appointment with a new saddle fitter, Megan Shroyer Pifer (using her name to help drive her business), who is a friend of AM, the woman I am taking dressage lessons from. Anyway, I saw Megan's post on FB talking about saddle fitting and responded, wanting to know if she could fit an Alta Escuela. Unlike pretty much everyone, not only did she know what an Alta was, but she knew Ludomar of Spain (where I got the saddle from) and said yes, she could definitely work on the saddle. We made an appointment for Friday at 9 am.
Okay, I was skeptical about paying to have another saddle fitter come out. My last two experiences have not been great and I paid out a lot of money for nothing. I was hoping this wasn't going to be the same situation all over again. I was a bit defensive, because while I might not know everything about fitting a saddle, I have read a lot, mapped my horse's back, and educated myself as well as I could. I had also talked to Saiph about her Alta and the reflocking she had done, so I knew how to proceed.
As a reminder, the last woman who came out wanted to remove padding from the bars and the front of the saddle and raise the back of the saddle, which would have created more pressure on his shoulder and could have increased the bridging in his back. When Megan got there I was very upfront about the saddle and what I was seeing. I figured I might as well be completely honest about where I was coming from: I told her that the saddle fit him very well, that I had very even sweat patterns on both sides, that Dr Wagner had evaluated it and thought there was some slight bridging on the left pattern where the pressure wasn't even, and that I had no intention of getting a new saddle.
Megan laughed and said that was good since she didn't have any saddles to show me. She said she was familiar with both Alta's and Ludomar and it sounded like the saddle just needed some adjustments. So relieved. I told her that I have done a lot of reading and that I really want to learn about saddle fitting/adjusting the flocking and to please show me everything, which she did.
Megan started by placing the saddle on Ashke's back and evaluating the fit. She noted that there was some slight bridging on both sides (damn stall rest) but that the extreme asymmetrical nature of his withers was resolving (yeah for long rides on trail and dressage!!) She said she wanted to bevel the flocking back at the wither to allow a little more room for his scapula, without effecting the fit, and would adjust the flocking to fix the bridging.
I asked her if we would be doing the flocking there and she laughed and said yes, since she needed to check the fit as she went (I was very happy since the idea of the saddle fitter taking the saddle home to take apart and possibly not put it back together was enough to give me nightmares). She pulled a table out of her car, covered it with a blanket and we set the saddle on it.
The first thing Megan showed me was how to evaluate the panels. By running your hand from the back to the front, using the palm only, you can feel the areas where the panel is not even, either from the flocking knotting up and creating a mat, or from the dips where the flocking has moved away from other areas. There were definite knots toward the back of the panel and dips in the bar area. Megan pulled out her tools and began to work on the issue.
First she used the blocking mallet thingy to break up the wool in the panel, to loosen it and move it around a bit.
Then we removed the screws from the front of the saddle, where it held the panels to the tree. Left first and then the right. There was a small access area at the very front for flocking purposes, although Megan did say that if the back of the panel ever needed serious adjustments, she might have to cut another access slit further back. Luckily, the work she needed to do was in the bar area and the front of the saddle.
First, I had an appointment with a new saddle fitter, Megan Shroyer Pifer (using her name to help drive her business), who is a friend of AM, the woman I am taking dressage lessons from. Anyway, I saw Megan's post on FB talking about saddle fitting and responded, wanting to know if she could fit an Alta Escuela. Unlike pretty much everyone, not only did she know what an Alta was, but she knew Ludomar of Spain (where I got the saddle from) and said yes, she could definitely work on the saddle. We made an appointment for Friday at 9 am.
Okay, I was skeptical about paying to have another saddle fitter come out. My last two experiences have not been great and I paid out a lot of money for nothing. I was hoping this wasn't going to be the same situation all over again. I was a bit defensive, because while I might not know everything about fitting a saddle, I have read a lot, mapped my horse's back, and educated myself as well as I could. I had also talked to Saiph about her Alta and the reflocking she had done, so I knew how to proceed.
As a reminder, the last woman who came out wanted to remove padding from the bars and the front of the saddle and raise the back of the saddle, which would have created more pressure on his shoulder and could have increased the bridging in his back. When Megan got there I was very upfront about the saddle and what I was seeing. I figured I might as well be completely honest about where I was coming from: I told her that the saddle fit him very well, that I had very even sweat patterns on both sides, that Dr Wagner had evaluated it and thought there was some slight bridging on the left pattern where the pressure wasn't even, and that I had no intention of getting a new saddle.
Megan laughed and said that was good since she didn't have any saddles to show me. She said she was familiar with both Alta's and Ludomar and it sounded like the saddle just needed some adjustments. So relieved. I told her that I have done a lot of reading and that I really want to learn about saddle fitting/adjusting the flocking and to please show me everything, which she did.
Megan started by placing the saddle on Ashke's back and evaluating the fit. She noted that there was some slight bridging on both sides (damn stall rest) but that the extreme asymmetrical nature of his withers was resolving (yeah for long rides on trail and dressage!!) She said she wanted to bevel the flocking back at the wither to allow a little more room for his scapula, without effecting the fit, and would adjust the flocking to fix the bridging.
I asked her if we would be doing the flocking there and she laughed and said yes, since she needed to check the fit as she went (I was very happy since the idea of the saddle fitter taking the saddle home to take apart and possibly not put it back together was enough to give me nightmares). She pulled a table out of her car, covered it with a blanket and we set the saddle on it.
The first thing Megan showed me was how to evaluate the panels. By running your hand from the back to the front, using the palm only, you can feel the areas where the panel is not even, either from the flocking knotting up and creating a mat, or from the dips where the flocking has moved away from other areas. There were definite knots toward the back of the panel and dips in the bar area. Megan pulled out her tools and began to work on the issue.
First she used the blocking mallet thingy to break up the wool in the panel, to loosen it and move it around a bit.
The mallet was pretty cool and within a few minutes a lot of the lumps and bumps in the panels were gone.
Then we removed the screws from the front of the saddle, where it held the panels to the tree. Left first and then the right. There was a small access area at the very front for flocking purposes, although Megan did say that if the back of the panel ever needed serious adjustments, she might have to cut another access slit further back. Luckily, the work she needed to do was in the bar area and the front of the saddle.
Megan using the flocking tool to insert long wool fibers into the saddle.
When I asked about the wool, since I have a bale of saddle fitting wool still sitting in my office for the day when I start fixing my own saddles, and Megan told me that she prefers wool with long fibers. The long fibers seem to work better with saddle panels and tend to hold up/not mat as bad in the long run.
Working the wool in from the small slot at the front of the saddle.
The flocking tool has a niche in it that grabs hold of the wool, allowing Megan to move it into the panel where she wants it.
She worked in several long strands of wool on each side of the saddle until it was smooth and even.
Working on the other side of the saddle. Lots of yummy woolness going in.
I covet my own set of saddle flocking irons, although maybe I'll just hang out with Megan and watch her work.
Fitting the saddle to Ashke's back. Megan checking the front of the saddle where she moved the flocking back away from the shoulder.
Happy with how it is fitting.
Megan had me ride to see how it felt. Ashke seemed happy and willing to lift his back and move with some contact even if we weren't warmed up. It would take a real ride and some sweat to see if the issues I had seen were resolved (hair ruffed up across the bars).
Sweat pattern after a 7 mile ride.
The hair rub that I was seeing despite the even sweat pattern has been completely resolved.
The darker pattern at the back is due to the immense amount of dirt on my horses rear end, thanks to the Colorado unsettled weather pattern. This boy is very dirty.
A huge thank you to Megan for such a great job. I'm so happy I found you!!! Even more happy you are moving to my barn in the near future.
During that same time, Dr Long showed up to check out the wound.
The first words out of Doc's mouth was "that looks wonderful".
Minimal proud flesh and no need to excise anything!!!
He gave me some steriod ointment and told me to do 48 hours with it on, 24 hours unbandaged.
Ashke of course, itched it immediately with the other hoof and caused it to bleed.
I was so happy I was skipping around the barn!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)