What a Day

Today started off normal enough -- we did the morning chores before breakfast and then discussed plans for the rest of the day.  I planned to move some more tomato seedlings into real pots in the greenhouse, make some sourdough bread, and go to the grocery store -- before the saddle fitter arrived to look at Winston's saddle in the late afternoon.  Brett thought about cleaning the barn and doing some weed whacking. 

I started the bread rising from the starter I got going last night and played in the greenhouse for a bit.  Not too long because highs approached 90 today so it was HOT in there.  After my online French lesson, I grabbed my wallet to head to the grocery store... and noticed that my debit card had gone missing.  Instantly panic set in as I sat with sweat beading on my forehead trying to retrace my steps.  I called the restaurant where Camille and I had dinner Wednesday and, thank God, they had it.  So, Brett and I drove to Yorba Linda to get my card and then came back home -- three and a half hours round trip.  In the meantime, my sourdough had been rising and rising and rising.  

When we got home, I quickly formed my loaves and headed to the barn to groom Winston before the saddle fitter arrived.  The horses were all hanging out, trying to stay cool. 

Jackson was taking a nap.

Flash and Kalvin were hogging the shade.  Winston was hanging with them.

Of course, as soon as they saw me they had to come over and say hi.

The saddle fitter arrived as I was putting on Winston's halter.  He started doing the nervous dance when she walked up to him with her wither measuring tool so she spent some time making friends and then he was fine.  My dressage saddle, that I bought for Jackson, is too wide in the shoulders for narrow baby Winston.  She had to adjust the tree quite a bit.  She left a bit of room to allow for him to fill out, which we know he will do.  In the meantime, I will use a shim in my Mattes pad to make it perfect. 

While she worked on the saddle, Winston grazed on the slope.

Jackson found some shade down by the water trough/pond.

When she finished working on the saddle, she had me ride in it and it was amazing.  I was able to post lightly instead of clunking down and it felt so balanced.  I rode for maybe 10 minutes so she could watch the saddle at walk, trot and canter.  I was drenched when we finished.  I am not a fan of riding in hot weather. 

I asked her to look at my Western saddle as well and it has the same problem.  I've ordered the Western equivalent of a Mattes pad (its a Thinline Western pad liner with shim pockets) but until it arrives, I will stick with the dressage saddle for trail rides.

My loaves had been rising close to three hours at this point.  I ran up to the house to get them in oven and harvested some beets that were going bananas in the garden.  My rhubarb is ready to be harvested too.  Maybe I can fit in a pie this weekend.

Amazingly, the bread was still okay.  Thank goodness sourdough is slow to rise and bread, in general, is forgiving.  We had bread, cheese, and a salad of beets, oranges and goat cheese for dinner.  Get a load of these beet greens:

And then -- the wierdest, worst part of the day.  I got a call from our trainer, Gayle.  We were scheduled to go out there for a lesson next Wednesday and she called to tell me that the barn owner doesn't want us to trailer in anymore.  I was speechless.  We pay the haul-in fee ($40) and Brett rakes up every last piece of manure and loose hay before we leave.  We observe all the rules.  We never complain.  I was shocked.  I have never been uninvited to a barn before.  Poor Gayle was embarrassed and unhappy about delivering the news.  She still wants to work with us and we are going to try having her come up here once a month.  It's a long way for her to drive so it will be time and money for her (and I told her I would pay her whatever she thinks that is worth).  I'm just ....  I can't even think of the words to express my surprise, shock, disbelief and hurt. 

Flash Gives Us a Challenge

Flash's western saddle is hurting his back.  This is a new development.  The saddle isn't even two years old yet and Brett purchased it to replace his previous western saddle that was pinching at the withers.  His current saddle fit like a dream at first, but lately Flash has been having a very sore back after wearing it.  We first noticed it after the cattle play day at Reed Valley Ranch.  Flash had the saddle on for most of the day -- trail ride in the morning and cattle sorting in the afternoon.  The next day, his back was very flinchy.  It resolved in a day or two with bute.

Last Friday, Brett and Flash went on a four hour trail ride with a group in Orange County that he enjoys riding with.  I was working so I didn't go --but even if I hadn't been working, four hours in the saddle is a bit much for me.  The next morning, Flash was VERY sore.  Again, a couple days of bute restored him to a flinch free back.

We've been trying to figure out what is causing the saddle to, all of a sudden, hurt Flash.  He's 16 years old which isn't old, but isn't young either.  He's getting a very slight sway in his back, although he is nicely muscled from his dressage work.

  I think he's a bit heavy, and the saddle seems to be very tight on the sides where his belly starts swelling outwards.  ...Brett took offense to me calling his horse fat, but honestly they are all overweight.  They don't get grain, but they do get a lot of grass hay.  Kalvin and Flash have hay bellies, Jackson is extra meaty all over, and Winston is starting to get a belly as well.  Not good! 

Brett is trying to get an appointment tomorrow with our farrier's uncle, who makes western saddles, and get his opinion.  I initially thought that the saddle was bridging, given the slight sway, but when we put it on him this afternoon it didn't seem like it was.

Meanwhile, Jackson is shedding like a madman.  Every other day I'm taking the shedding blade to him and he still leaves patches of white on the ground where he rolls.  This afternoon, I groomed him in the pasture and big ol' hunks of hair were coming off.  He was leaning into the shedding blade and even tried to groom me back.  He's almost down to his summer coat already. 

It was 70F today and the mud has pretty well dried up.  Jackson managed to come through the last rain/hail/snow storm without an acute flare up.  I am SO happy! 

Of course, while I was grooming Jackson this boy got jealous.

He wants all the attention, all of the time.  Silly boy.

Saddle Flocking for Flash

This morning, the saddle fitter came up to evaluate my new saddle.  Now that I've had it for awhile and it is broken in, she wanted to make sure it fit correctly.  It does.  No adjustments needed.

The we had her look at Flash's dressage saddle.  It's about eight years old and has only been worked on once -- and that was quite a few years ago.  We've been playing with shims and fleece pads to get it level.  She looked at the fit and agreed (that was a no-brainer).

When she pressed on the underside of the saddle, she noticed that the flocking was compressed and hard.  She said that back when we purchased the saddle, they were commonly flocked with synthetic wool which tends to get compact and hard over time.  She recommended reflocking the saddle so it would be comfortable for Flash.  We agreed.  Brett explained the procedure to Flash.  He likes to be informed.

She took the saddle into her van and got to work.  It took a good couple of hours to complete.  Brett kept her company while she worked.

She took out all the old flocking which was a mix of synthetic and some white cottony wool that was added when we had the saddle worked on about five years ago. 

She stuffed it with a natural sheep wool.  This should be softer and more resilient.

I expect that Flash will feel so good that he'll be doing airs above ground. 

The Wind Picks Up

The winds started gusting in the middle of the night - loud enough to wake us up.  This morning it was blowing hard.  Brett was scheduled to go on a trail ride and debated about going; finally deciding to load up and give it a shot.  I spent the morning down the mountain at my daughter's track meet and my poor little car was blown all over. 

After I got home, I put Jackson in the arena to roll.  He was walking well so I decided to throw my breeches on and try sitting in my new saddle.  I only rode Jackson for ten minutes, at a walk, in straight lines but it was just wonderful to be on his back again.  And wonderful to be sitting in my new saddle.  The cantle and pommel are both quite high - much higher than I usually like.  So, initially I mounted and looked down at my seat wedged in and thought "ugh, why did I choose this?"  Then he started walking and I remembered.  My leg hangs perfect with no effort on my part and I can feel him very clearly.  It's almost the feel of being bareback. 

Kalvin was going NUTS in the wind.  You can see the trees bending behind him.

The donkeys were out and about.  Initially, they were out in the pasture.  Then a gate blew open and they were really out!  I glanced out the window and saw them headed for my flower bed with Brett in pursuit.  I grabbed the camera and ran outside...

After being chased away from my flowers, they headed for the hill behind the compost piles.

From there, we cornered them along the back driveway.

"Which way to run... thinking...thinking...thinking"

"Maybe if I hide behind a tree, they won't find me and I can stay out."

After that excitement, I headed back to the house.  On the way guess what I found in the garden?

The season's first artichoke!  Yum!!

Jackson gets Another New Saddle

The largest tack store in LA County is located just a hop, skip and a jump from my office.  Dangerous.  The place is huge with a room for English saddles, a room for supplies & supplements, a room for western wear, a room for Western saddles, a room for blankets, one for pads and halters -- you could spend days and a fortune there.  Well, I could anyway.  Yesterday I decided to go over to Broken Wallet Horn on my lunch and look for a girth for the dressage saddle I ordered.  While there, I went upstairs to look at the western saddles.

The western saddle I have been using on Jackson doesn't fit.  I bought it for Strider and it fit him well.  But Strider had shark fin withers with big hollows below.  Jackson is broad and flat (nice for bareback!).  Strider's saddle dug into Jackson's withers and bridged his back.  Brett has a Tucker endurance saddle that he uses for mounted patrol and trail.  It is the world's most comfortable saddle.  So, I thought I would sit in a few of the trail models and see what I thought.  They had one in my seat size, with a flexible, wide tree.  I decided to take it home on a 7 day trial and see if it fit.  The therapist we use for deep tissue massage and general health/well being issues is due out next week.  I wanted to get her feedback on fit as she is awesome with that kind of stuff.  

I also bought a new saddle pad.  Strider's pad is nice, but it just isn't Jackson's color.  This is much nicer - I love the colors with his grey coat.  And he likes the curvey-ness of it.








This morning we rode around on the ranch roads to try it out.  It seemed to fit him well.  Clearance over the withers, not digging into his shoulder, contact across his back without bridging, but clearance for his spine.  It's also light so I could swing it up myself.  Strider's saddle weighed a TON. 

Jackson seemed very happy.  In fact, Brett and Flash had a hard time keeping up with us.  I'm very pleased.
I think we'll be quite the styling duo at the next competitive trail ride.



About half-way back home Jackson took a bad step.  The ground beneath him gave way and he kind of fell into a sink hole.  He wasn't so happy after that.  I think he might have pulled something.  Hopefully it's just a tweak that will work itself out and nothing more serious.  He never felt off or lame but he lost his forward and his happy.  He stopped numerous times.  When we got home I iced his legs and turned him out.  I have my fingers crossed that he will be fine tomorrow.

Saddle Fitting

The saddle fitter came today with her truck full of saddles for me to try.  First she looked at Jackson's back and noticed that 1) he is quite wide and 2) he was a bit sore.  He has a slight curve to his back and Brett's Passier has a flat tree so she suspects it is bridging on his back and causing that bit of soreness.  We put a fleece cooler on Jackson to keep him warm while I tried out saddles on her saddle stand.

  She said she wasn't going to bother with having me try about 60% of them because with his shape, they wouldn't be comfortable.

Inside the saddle van. 

She also told me nothing about each saddle so I could focus on fit and comfort without preconceived ideas.  We narrowed it down to four saddles pretty quickly.  The one used saddle she had in my size, I didn't like at all.  Bummer.  She also bumped me up to a size 18 -- she said because of my long legs but I think it's also the extra groceries I've started carrying around since I passed the 50 year old mark.
Then we took Jackson to the arena and I tried them all out.  She let me ride as long as I wanted in each of them.

Getting a saddle ready to try.  Jackson was very patient.

Waiting for the next saddle.

  The first one was comfortable.  The second one felt strange at first because it had a very deep seat which I am not used to.  But then when I started trotting in it, I liked how I could feel Jackson clearly.  He seemed happy too.  The third saddle was an immediate no.  The fourth a maybe.  I tried number 1, 2 and 4 again.  I eliminated 4 and liked 2 even more.  I tried 1 & 2 for quite a while at sitting trot and canter.  Definitely number 2. 

Here it is!  Custom Everest with long flaps

Then I asked for the damage.  It isn't from their most expensive line.  Yay!!  She said it has a curved spring tree so that is very good for Jackson's back.  It has a single flap so it is very close contact.  ...and it will take 12-14 weeks for my new saddle to arrive from the U.K.  Then I have 10 days to ride in it and decide if I still want it. 
I want it now!

Everybody else was obviously very concerned about all the activity.

Today was quiet otherwise.  Last night I made an easy pasta that we devoured.  The sauce was olive oil, a bit of cream, lemon juice and shallots.  Then I stirred in fresh basil, drizzled each serving with more olive oil, and sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan.

I threw together salads with pears and carrots for the side. 

We opened a bottle of dry Riesling to wash it down.  Tonight, it's leftovers. 

Vive la différence !

First, a little housekeeping responding to some excellent comments and questions.  Linda: I do like the western look, just not for mounted patrol.  When Jackson and I compete in competitive trail trials, I ride in a western saddle (which I don't think fits him anymore either).  It's easier to drag logs around when you have a horn and on rides that last hours and hours, it's just more comfortable.  Plus, I feel like I am drawing attention to myself when I do the rides in dressage tack - I can feel people looking at me and thinking "stuck up English rider."  I much prefer to just blend in with everyone else and feel sure I am being judged on how we do and not how we look.  On the mounted front, I just really like the look of tall boots, black English tack, and crisp uniforms.  When I was a kid, my aunt and uncle took me to a horse show where the Canadian Royal Mounted Police performed.  They've been my gold standard ever since.
Dom wanted to know if bareback is an option.  Yes yes yes!  I rode Jackson bareback in my lesson warm up today while I waited for Brett to finish his lesson.  I plan to ride in Brett's saddle when I can and bareback when I can't.
Carol and Lori had wonderful comments about saddle fit and brands.  Carol has a WOW saddle which has air panels but is also custom.  The Bates Isabella is strictly off the shelf so I'm sure the fit isn't as nice as she has.  I've never heard of WOW saddles - maybe just available in Canada?  Or haven't made there way onto the California scene yet.  Personally, I think there are so many brands and styles and twists because there are so many body types.  What I love, someone else doesn't.

Today, after Brett's lesson we put his saddle on Jackson.  Our trainer, Gayle, was very pleased with how it fit him.  I was surprised since when I bought Jackson that saddle didn't fit him at all -- way too wide.  So, I was able to take a lesson!  The Passier felt wonderful.  My leg naturally fell in a straight line and I was able to sit straight with no effort.  I think the Bates tilted my pelvis forward a bit and it was a struggle to keep my leg correct.  And, O.M.G., Jackson was in heaven.  His walk was immediately full of swing and he was stepping under.  I felt it and Gayle could see it.  The whole lesson was like being on a different horse.  I didn't have to ask for forward.  I had to ask for "don't run."  He took the contact, lifted his back and carried himself.  I was able to take him deeper and he stayed light.  He hardly argued at all.  I was thinking maybe I should get a Passier but Gayle suggested keeping the appointment with Custom.  She likes the fitting support they provide and the saddle has a deeper seat than the Passier.  If I don't like the Custom saddles as much, I will get a Passier.

On the way home, I was talking to my good friend H. about the saddle situation.  She expressed surprise that I needed a new saddle already since the Bates is only a year and a half old.  That got me thinking about how much Jackson has changed -- in his topline, particularly.  He didn't change a whole lot until last September when I had his hocks injected.  Since then, he's changed completely.  Once he was able to carry himself comfortably behind, he was happy in the work and "presto!" - new horse!  ....and new saddle.

At the beach a few months after his purchase.  September 2009

First show.  November 2009

Same show.  He has no butt or topline.

And now....

Lesson January 2011.  He's getting a butt!

Starting to look like a dressage pony!!

Grounded

The chiropractor was just here.  I mentioned to her a sore spot I noticed on Jackson's back after riding this morning.  She confirmed he was very sore there and suspected that he had been kicked or bonked.  But then, hmmm, he had a mirror image spot of soreness on the other side and two more spots up by the withers.  So, it's the saddle.  I had the saddle fit to him when I bought it but that was when we were starting on this dressage journey.  Since then, he has put on weight and muscle and changed enough that the saddle no longer fits.  I knew this day would come and I purposely bought a used, not super expensive, saddle when we started.  But still.  $$$$$  sigh.  And, of course, I am grounded until I get a saddle that fits.  And I know it's the correct diagnosis.  When the chiropractor (also a vet) told me, my brain went "bingo!" not "...maybe."  He's been cinchy the past few weeks and generally not happy about the saddle.  So, I have a call in to my trainer asking for saddle fitter recommendations.  I had a great one with my previous horse but she had the nerve to relocate. 

I need a drink!