horsegirlonajourney

In which Horsegirl finds the Holy Grail

Posted on July 10, 2013 by horsegirlonajourney

Saddles That Fit was on the ranch today to fit a saddle for another Equine Partners, Inc. student, who has a Tennessee Walker mare named Sunni, or possibly Sunnie, or even Suni. When I heard they were coming, I scheduled a saddle evaluation for River. My friend Barbara is selling her Specialized trail saddle and while we knew that it didn’t fit Rockstar, we thought it might work for River. It was more than a whim, but less than a plan.

River was wonderful.

I played with her on the ground for about 90 minutes before it was our turn to be evaluated. We spent time grazing, played Touch-It, went over and around and through obstacles in the arena, and stood peacefully together watching the other mare’s fitting experience. When Susan came over to put the saddle on, River probably thought that it was time to go back to her pen. Instead, her adventure was just beginning.

Another 90 minutes of riding, shimming, riding, adjusting the shims, turning the saddle upside down to move the fenders behind the screw of the seat plates (huh?), and riding and adjusting and more riding, we had a saddle fit that River can wear from day to evening and back again.

River stood calmly every time Susan and David adjusted the saddle, shims, or cinch. Maddy and Erin both evaluated the various configurations at walk, trot, and canter. I rode at walk and trot with Erin at the helm so I could just concentrate on feel. River was patient and held up well for what might be the longest riding session she’s ever done. Even when she got obsessed with Sunni’s hay bag and became bracey, she continued to do her job for Maddy and Erin.

The one time I rode on my own, I tried to ride across the arena to Erin, where she was talking with the other student. Unfortunately to ride “straight” to Erin I would have had to walk right through Sunni. When I asked River to make an arc around Sunni’s spot, River target-locked on Sunni and the hay bag, and I wasn’t quick enough at figuring out how to guide us onto a safer path. Maddy came over and took the rein to help me move River further from Sunni’s bubble.

Lesson learned: I should have gone to the water tub first, opposite of Sunni. River and I had successfully gone there on-line several times earlier in the morning, and I would have had fewer distractions for my own focus. I hadn’t intended to show off, but I had intended to challenge myself. That I wasn’t up to the challenge — couldn’t think of a strategy fast enough, then was ineffective at implementing the strategy I did pick (leg AND rein AND energy AND body AND phases!) — just means I have something specific to work on next time.

How long has it been since I was last self-conscious and embarrassed about things like this? I’m not even sure. I know that at one point, I would have felt humiliated, showing six people that I wasn’t able to exert enough leadership to keep my horse from veering into a confrontation. Today I just laughed and made wry humorous comments and thanked Maddy for the rescue. I am where I am and where I am is good enough. Wherever it is. Whenever it is there.

When I (finally) took the saddle off for the last time today, Sunni had gone home with her owners. I took River to the hay bag and she munched contentedly while I rubbed her back. I then went inside for water and a snack and gave River an hour of alone time with the hay.

Given that Rockstar’s saddle is under construction and expected to arrive the first week of August or so, we are not very far away from two of us being able to ride, comfortably, in saddles, at the same time. At which point if anyone tries to sell us a holy grail, we can say in our best Monty Python French accents, “We’ve already got one! It’s verra naihce!”

Categories: Freestyle, Leadership, River | Tags: atwood ranch horse, horseback riding, parelli natural horsemanship | Leave a comment

Relationship focus makes for a smoother ride

Posted on June 5, 2013 by horsegirlonajourney

One of the hardest things for me to do when troubleshooting software is to change only one thing at a time — especially if each change requires a reboot as well as a recompile. I always want to change two or three things and then see if it’s still broken. But sometimes that just introduces more problems. Changing one variable at a time might seem like it takes forever, and yet it is often the fastest way to get everything working smoothly again.

Horses are like computers. They never do what you want, but they always do what you tell them or what you program them to do. ~ Pat Parelli

On Saturday, we had Saddles That Fit come out and do a saddle fitting analysis and testing for us. Susan and David are independent saddle fit specialists who arrive with a trailer full of dozens of saddles and accessories and a wealth of information and experience in solving saddle-related problems for their clients.

Rocky and I were evaluated for conformation, fitness, lifestyle, and horsenality, and we narrowed the saddle choices down to about 10 to try on just standing still. From there, we took the four best fits into the arena and had him move around online first, and then with me in the saddle. On the two that made the cut, we had Scott ride as well. Both of us spent quite a while walking and trotting, backing and halting, performing hindquarter yields and tight turns, feeling for pinch points and excessive motion and tightness and all the other fit issues that make horses miserable and their riders frustrated.

In both of the top two saddles, Rocky licked and chewed all the way around the arena, relaxed his neck and head, and lifted willingly into the trot. Susan, who is a certified Centered Riding instructor, helped me get my body into the best position, and I kept my focus on “what does Rocky need right now for connection.” We had about six people watching, all of whom have seen me ride, and all of whom were able to comment on the improvements they saw in both of us.

In each case, we tried to change only one variable: the saddle. Not adding a back cinch for the first time in years, not asking for a lope or jumping or any other thing that would be different from our normal practice. We used the same (fantastic) wool pad for all of the saddles and adjusted the shims as needed.

The result was an overwhelming feeling of comfort and rightness in the TW Ranch Versatility saddle from Specialized Saddles.

The round skirt model gave Rocky plenty of clearance for his lower back and pelvis. Naturally I forgot all about the existence of cameras, and the only picture I have is a still from a cell phone video of Erin cantering Rocky at the end of the 4 hours. Even so, you can see how the saddle looks perfectly fitted.

Today when I went out to ride, I borrowed Erin’s Rebecca Treeless Saddle as the best option, and I sat in it the way I sat in the TW Ranch Versatility. My legs were more under me than I’ve been riding, even more so than my recent adjustment, and I felt poised for just about anything in a way I have not felt in … maybe ever? I was able to relax my calves and engage my core and managed not only to post the trot twice around the arena without faltering, but to do so while steering. And that was just one of our many walk-trot transitions.

We practiced carrot stick riding at the walk on a follow-the-rail pattern and through figure 8s, and I worked on lifting and lightness and breathing. Our gate opening was one of the best yet for our cool down walk around the ranch. I sang as we ambled along, and we ended with carrot stretches (with real carrots!) and a soothing tepid rinse at the wash station.

Today might have been the best ride I’ve ever had with Rocky. It figures that the camera crew had the day off so I have no proof, but that’s okay. I know, and more importantly, Rocky knows.