Barefoot saddle cantle bopping up and down?

[notpoodle]

AAAH :rolleyes:

I lunged pony with tack on today (still dont have a cavesson, so had headcollar over bridle and lunged from headcollar. I'm not great at lunging so dont really wanna lunge off the bit). She went nicely (other than that it takes her several laps to stop trotting but were working on that!) but (to my confusion ...) i noticed that the cantle of her (barefoot treeless) saddle seemed to be almost bopping up and down! is that normal?? i dont think the saddle was too far forward, couldnt take pics as had lunge in one hand and whip in other.

julia
x

[Tiber]

I had to take piccies of my pony while lunging a few weeks back - it was *interesting*....... luckily she doesn't need the lunge whip so I put that on the floor.

[galadriel]

Well, a saddle should stay stable on a horse's back when it fits. However, the form & function of the treeless saddles doesn't necessarily include fitting properly when there's no weight in them. They sink down onto the horse's back when there's weight in them--they don't really sit flat on the horse's back when there's no weight in them.

To lunge with your flapping Barefoot, I'd suggest perhaps putting a surcingle over it...or just don't lunge with it on.

Incidentally, I managed to lunge AND take pics, with lunge line, lunge whip, and camera all being juggled in just two hands. ;P

[notpoodle]

i dont have a roller at the moment so just had the saddle to get her used to being lunged with something on her, she'ed only ever been lunged in just a headcollar before. so if it flaps a little when lunging, that doesnt necessarily mean it flaps when i ride in it? im all paranoid now :rolleyes:

julia
x

[galadriel]

so if it flaps a little when lunging, that doesnt necessarily mean it flaps when i ride in it?

Exactly. It doesn't have any kind of fixed tree. The tree doesn't have to conform to th horse's back (front to back) because it't not there! So the fact that it's flapping, and not sitting down on her back, probably just means that there's no weight in the seat.