I'm really enjoying this blog thing - horse people are great bloggers and great commenters!
Thanks to the folks that stop by here and have a look and leave a few words. It is fun for me to connect with other horse people. Aside from a few friends here, no one else in my family/work environment is even the slightest bit interested in horses or hearing me blab about them!
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Well, it's the last few hours of work for this week and as I stare out my window, I watch the skies darken. That in itself is a sure sign that the weekend is coming. I had a fun day planned tomorrow - we were all heading to the barn to paint jumps and have a bbq -- and of course, ride! Thunderstorms and rain are predicted for tomorrow, so that fun stuff will probably be out.
I do hope to get a ride in early in the morning though - if I'm lucky. Ol' Rusty has had 2 whole days off! Lazy bum...oh wait, it is me that is the lazy bum! I had a good excuse last night - we spent the evening with my sister-in-law, neice and 3 nephews.
The 2 older ones had a baseball game, so we went out to cheer them on. I haven't had a good laugh in a while - watching 6 and 7 year olds play sports is a good way to get a few chuckles, let me tell you. They are all over the place, not paying attention, dancing, tripping, etc. It was a nice coincidence that there was a big AQHA show at the same fairgrounds. Everyone was pulling in big rigs and warming up horses. I was easily distracted by all of that!
I really wish that I had a good friend that was doing all of those higher level shows - I would be the best groom ever! Hanging around with all of the horse people, getting the horse and tack ready...lots of fun!
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This post is a little (ha!) disjointed - I'm pretty much just typing all of the random thoughts zipping around in my brain.
I'm having some issues with fitting a saddle on Rusty. My western saddle doesn't really fit - regardless of the type of pad I use, the gullet ends up right on his withers - ouch. I guess my western riding will be on hold for awhile. I went to my local tack shop to have a look around - they didn't have any saddles with semi-QH bars + the right size seat for me + a decent price. I don't really want to shell out $2000 for a Billy Cook or similar saddle right now.
English saddles have so many more options with cut and sizing. I have a beautiful 2nd hand Stubben that I bought last year that fits ok. It doesn't fit me that well - the flaps are really far forward -but it will work for the short term. I have a friend that has done alot of saddle fitting, so hopefully she can help me out next week. I'm going to go trial 3 or 4 saddles from the tack shop and we should find one that works. My poor credit cards will probably go up in a poof of smoke, but what can you do? Luckily all of the money gets refunded when you return the ones you don't want. I can also trade in my western saddle and my Stubben for store credit towards a new saddle, so that will take the sting out a bit!
I hope everyone has a fun weekend - get out and ride those horses! :-)
Name That....
2 days ago
8 comments:
No time to ride until Monday *sigh* Would normally ride Sunday but its Father's Day so my day off is cancelled and I have to work. *scowl*
On saddle fit... are you looking for a western saddle with semi-QH bars? Try on-line. I've bought 3 saddles on-line and had it turn out well. (NOT e-bay, from an actual on-line store) I have a link to Frontier Western Shop on my blog, they're my fav. Not sure what your budget is though, some of their saddles get pricey.
I bought two Tex Tan saddles for less than $1200 each. Of course then there's shipping, and if from the US duty. But they were still a better deal than anything local I could find that was comparable.
Hmmm... this is YOUR blog, I should shut up now! lol
haha...EVERY ONE of my posts is disjointed and confusing...thats just how I roll :P. And I know that your new "son" was used for dressage before so you might want to think about getting a dressage saddle. Many major dressage brands have saddles the can be custom adjusted to every single horse. A Passier Grand Gilbert is not that expensive second hand and can have its tree changed, flaps and billets adjusted, and flocking adjusted by someone that comes to your barn for not a ton of money. Just a thought (see how I try and make everyone ride dressage :P). You should try craigslist.com. I don't know how many saddles they will list on the farm and garden section by you but down here there are a few a week and usually they are excellent prices because the person is getting out of horses. You might get lucky and find a saddle that fits you and your new horse for cheap. Have fun with all the saddle fitting with your friend. Hopefully you will find a good one at your local tack shop.
I'm totally with you on the saddle fit issue. I'm leasing a horse and the saddle that comes with her doesn't fit me 100%. I've looked into getting a used one but am reluctant to buy one because even if it fits her, who knows if it will fit the next horse I lease or own.
Hi, by the way. :) I like your blog. I'm going to link to you from mine.
cdn - no worries about the long comment - I've left about 10 long ones on your blog. Gab all you want! Too bad you don't get your day off this week. I'll check out the site you mentioned for western saddles...
onthebit - I'm seriously considering a dressage saddle. They are so comfortable. I have contacted the previous owners to get the make/size of their saddle - might just buy the same one! I love the Passiers - did a quick search and didn't find any used ones for sale. I'll keep watching.
hi maybe mae - thanks for the comment and adding me to your list of links. I'll add you to mine and come over and check out your blog!
Boy do I ever know about the "no one to talk too". Here I live in the middle of horse and cattle country and I have no one interesting to talk to. Thank goodness I started this blog thing-I love it.
People around here just don't sit and talk horse. There are a couple-but I only see them maybe 4-5 times a year. Boy do I treasure those visits.
Looking forward to seeing how the new guy works out and all of the fun you are going to start having :)
So, did I miss something??? Is your new boy's name, Rusty, now?
Let's hope he's not too rusty, though! hehe (just kidding, couldn't help myself)
I know what you mean about finding horse people to talk to. I happened to luck out when we chose this property. There were horses next door, so it felt 'right' haha.
My neighbor told me that we are the first horse neighbors that have lived in this neighborhood for14 years!
We are having a great time taking the horses out and riding them in her arena, too.
If you've been reading my blog, you'll remember that I bought an Amish Made Eli Miller/now Henry Miller Western Saddle.
I took it out for it's first trail ride and cannot say enough good things about this saddle!
The suspended gel padded seat is so amazing and makes for the most comfie trail saddle. I love the endurance stirrups that came with it, too.
I rode for a few hours and nothing was sore afterwards, and I usually end up with aching knees, hips, legs and back after riding. But not after using this saddle.
My Baby Doll seemed to like her new saddle, too. It's cut for gaited horses to give them more room in the shoulder and withers.
I love this saddle!!
Unfortunately, only a handful of distributors sell Henry Miller Saddles, but the prices are excellent and very fair in comparison to many saddles out there similar (if there are any! hehe)
I ordered mine 'in stock', without any special custom features, and got mine in about a week. Shipping was only $30. Not bad.
I paid a bit over $800 for mine and it was worth every penny.
I'm getting ready to post a photo slideshow of our ride and pics of my horse with her new saddle, too.
Wish we lived closer so we could ride together. Have fun!
Just wanted to say thanks for stopping by my blog. Diffently check the online stores and there is one that a friend found through ebay. I will try and find out the name of them when I talk to her later. They have a store outside of the ebay thing and that is how my friend has dealt with them. They have been awesome to work with and she hasn't had any problems getting what she needs at a reasonable price. Best of luck.
Twinville - yeah, I'm trying to rename him Rusty...not sure if it will stick or not! Thanks for the saddle suggestions - the Henry Millers look really neat. I have to make sure I have the right saddle when ordering online though - most places will ship to Canada, but it's really expensive, plus I have to pay taxes and duty on the itme.
I think I'm going to ride English for now and save up for a good Western saddle next year.
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