The saddler came yesterday evening.
Part of me was hoping that she would say, "Oh yes, your current saddle is just fine, a bit of flocking and all will be well." But I knew in my heart she wouldn't.
I've been increasingly aware, as Sid gets fitter and more muscled, of how much the flap and front panel of my current saddle blocks his movement. Also, those pesky sweat-and-ruffle patches at the back have been reappearing, and when I look at where they are placed I feel that they have been going beyond his last rib where the saddle should not be. I try to girth it forward, but it slips back, and of course the more forward, the more it blocks his shoulder. As a result when my friend Suzi last gave him a chiro treatment he was a little bit sore along his back behind the saddle, on the right, his main pushing leg.
Well, that's just what the saddler said. She saw him walk and trot in hand, felt him all over and marked him up so I could understand his conformation better, the first time this has been done for me. Here he is. The mark ups don't show so well on his white coat, but you can just see the faint pink lines:
The back line is his last rib, and he actually curves inwards (towards the head) at the top, giving a little less space than that. If you look carefully you can see the panel ruffle from the current saddle lying across this line, and when you take the inward curve into account, right on the wrong side of it.
The front line is his shoulder blade at rest, which the current saddle panel touches. The saddler extended and rotated his front leg and the rear line marks where his shoulder blade swivels to at full extension - she said he had the movement of a "Dressidge Cob". His current saddle blocks this movement severely.
Here's his back from behind. He's more blocked by the current saddle on the right than the left, and you can see a little muscle wastage on that side, though it's not severe or concerning.
So although he can cope with his current saddle it is not a good fit and makes him sore. I don't think he should have anything less than a saddle that fits, so he needs a new saddle. We discussed options (and I wailed that I don't have the money). But I have to find the money, because Sid deserves it.
He is a bugger to fit because there really is hardly any space to put a saddle! She had a few saddles in her car belonging to other customers (she specialises in hard to fit horses like Sid) which we looked at. The best by miles was a Chunky Monkey saddle, this one, which is a "GP jump" style. Although it looks forward cut the front panel is actually quite straight, like a show saddle, and short.
The saddle she had was her own, 16.25 length and a wide fit. She is a short chunky person like me riding a 14.2 wide-sprung Connie. She brought it over to sit it on Sid so we could have a look:
Ungirthed, you can see the whole saddle is well within the lines and the panel, straight down from the cantle, doesn't impinge on his shoulder.
Girthed, it sits naturally and comfortably in the deepest part of his back without any mucking about pushing it forward or backward.
The straps are short so my girth barely fitted, but it did fit. The saddle wasn't quite wide enough, so sat a little high at the front, but she felt it was a good enough fit for me to try it and see if I felt there was enough space for me.
I don't have pictures on me on it because it was pouring, but it was incredibly comfortable and, oddly, made him feel less wide. My knees really liked it. He liked it too, and was very thoughtful about the whole business.
It costs £1645, OMG, and I have ordered one to try. It will take all the Rainy Day money I have saved for Sid plus everything I can get for my saddle, but it will be made to measure, a bit wider for him, a half inch longer seat for me.
Eek. But on a positive note, the saddler loved Sid, asked what I paid for him and said he was a bargain, and offered to buy him on the spot if ever I wanted to sell him! She also congratulated me on his weight ("a nice sound 3" was her view) and said she thought that when the saddle didn't block his movement any more his back would lift further with a concomitant lift in his belly, which would really improve his shape. She said, "You're going to be riding him for at least another 10 years, let them be comfortable ones for him."
Part of me was hoping that she would say, "Oh yes, your current saddle is just fine, a bit of flocking and all will be well." But I knew in my heart she wouldn't.
I've been increasingly aware, as Sid gets fitter and more muscled, of how much the flap and front panel of my current saddle blocks his movement. Also, those pesky sweat-and-ruffle patches at the back have been reappearing, and when I look at where they are placed I feel that they have been going beyond his last rib where the saddle should not be. I try to girth it forward, but it slips back, and of course the more forward, the more it blocks his shoulder. As a result when my friend Suzi last gave him a chiro treatment he was a little bit sore along his back behind the saddle, on the right, his main pushing leg.
Well, that's just what the saddler said. She saw him walk and trot in hand, felt him all over and marked him up so I could understand his conformation better, the first time this has been done for me. Here he is. The mark ups don't show so well on his white coat, but you can just see the faint pink lines:
The back line is his last rib, and he actually curves inwards (towards the head) at the top, giving a little less space than that. If you look carefully you can see the panel ruffle from the current saddle lying across this line, and when you take the inward curve into account, right on the wrong side of it.
The front line is his shoulder blade at rest, which the current saddle panel touches. The saddler extended and rotated his front leg and the rear line marks where his shoulder blade swivels to at full extension - she said he had the movement of a "Dressidge Cob". His current saddle blocks this movement severely.
Here's his back from behind. He's more blocked by the current saddle on the right than the left, and you can see a little muscle wastage on that side, though it's not severe or concerning.
So although he can cope with his current saddle it is not a good fit and makes him sore. I don't think he should have anything less than a saddle that fits, so he needs a new saddle. We discussed options (and I wailed that I don't have the money). But I have to find the money, because Sid deserves it.
He is a bugger to fit because there really is hardly any space to put a saddle! She had a few saddles in her car belonging to other customers (she specialises in hard to fit horses like Sid) which we looked at. The best by miles was a Chunky Monkey saddle, this one, which is a "GP jump" style. Although it looks forward cut the front panel is actually quite straight, like a show saddle, and short.
The saddle she had was her own, 16.25 length and a wide fit. She is a short chunky person like me riding a 14.2 wide-sprung Connie. She brought it over to sit it on Sid so we could have a look:
Ungirthed, you can see the whole saddle is well within the lines and the panel, straight down from the cantle, doesn't impinge on his shoulder.
Girthed, it sits naturally and comfortably in the deepest part of his back without any mucking about pushing it forward or backward.
The straps are short so my girth barely fitted, but it did fit. The saddle wasn't quite wide enough, so sat a little high at the front, but she felt it was a good enough fit for me to try it and see if I felt there was enough space for me.
I don't have pictures on me on it because it was pouring, but it was incredibly comfortable and, oddly, made him feel less wide. My knees really liked it. He liked it too, and was very thoughtful about the whole business.
It costs £1645, OMG, and I have ordered one to try. It will take all the Rainy Day money I have saved for Sid plus everything I can get for my saddle, but it will be made to measure, a bit wider for him, a half inch longer seat for me.
Eek. But on a positive note, the saddler loved Sid, asked what I paid for him and said he was a bargain, and offered to buy him on the spot if ever I wanted to sell him! She also congratulated me on his weight ("a nice sound 3" was her view) and said she thought that when the saddle didn't block his movement any more his back would lift further with a concomitant lift in his belly, which would really improve his shape. She said, "You're going to be riding him for at least another 10 years, let them be comfortable ones for him."
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