Saddle Shopping, Tally Ho!

Now that I'm done being all emotional and weepy, how about a weensy Tooey update? I'd like to update a bit on Ben too, but what is there to say? He is a wonderful animal and I got to have a Benny day last week since he only had a handful of lessons. I've been trimming his feet myself; it scares the shit out of me to do it, because I have no idea what I'm doing, but it seems to be working for him, because he has been feeling truly great lately and moving pretty well. Or maybe it's spring. Who knows. Regardless, when I rode him last week, he was beautimous and on the bit and made me nervous for a minute when he started lifting and using his back end REALLY STRONGLY and I thought maybe he was having an out of body experience. Then I took him on a trail ride and made him do weird obstacles in the woods and he was a champ. Have I mentioned he's my soul mate?

Too's doing well, too. I've got to start dragging myself out of bed in the mornings to ride again. I am on the hunt for a new saddle; the saddle I've been borrowing from a friend is not a fit for me, and as Too loses weight and gains a bit of muscle, the saddle is getting to be less of a fit for her as well. Hopefully I can get a good price for the Crosby I have. I'm thinking of getting a Wintec Pro. My first saddle ever was a western Wintec, and I hated that beast; as ignorant as I was, I could still tell it threw me forward (an impressive feat on an uphill/high-withered horse), and I was never really connected with my horse's body. In my opinion, the english Wintecs are ehh, but the dressage Wintecs seem to be pretty nice. Not to mention, with the changeable gullet system, I should be able to use it on slim-spine-round-ribs Benny and barrel-shaped-no-withers Too. I may ask BO if I can test drive her Wintec tomorrow.

Does anyone know if they've invented a saddle yet that will make my leg longer?

Anyway. This is a sort of pointless post. But Dear Seester took these photos last week, and as I am going to make an effort to vastly improve my hands and arms, I may as well make a "before" post for comparison.

No broken line here, but she's also in giraffe mode.

She finally uses cavaletti properly. Wouldn't she be shocked if I raised them?

Nothin' to see here, folks, move along! Canter stttilllll needs help.

High as a kite.

She is getting somewhere, despite my worst efforts. Hey there, sneaky right shoulder!

This is pretty well where I like her. She just needs a bit of bend to the inside, and a rider who isn't flopping around like a spoiled fish.

And for entertainment purposes, how's our approach?

What about now? Bet your fat horse can't get so airborn!

She IS doing her tiny jumps a wee bit better, though.

Couldn't have gotten much worse.

Incidentally, on the off chance we are ever prepared to actually GO to a dressage show, I'm thinking of show names. Any of you in my age bracket remember that '90s song by Shawn Colvin, "Sunny Came Home"? There's a line in there towards the end that I've always loved. "Oh, light the sky and hold on tight, the world is burning down..." I like Light The Sky as a show name. It sort of works; I knew I was going to upset a few people by getting this horse, but I did it and held on to what I wanted for a change, regardless of what happened.

But on the other hand, I was thinking last week about how she's a handsome mare...she's not a delicate, pretty thing. She's a full bodied, handsome, half huge-something. Being the cultured (read: nerdy) individual I am, I am rather a connoisseur (addict) of Harry Potter and it occurred to me: which character in that book is a handsome, full-bodied, half giant?

Why, Madame Maxime, of course!

Hmm...