Saddler Report

Saddler today.

My saddle got a thorough inspection and he watched me ride in it (with and without stirrups) and he is happy with it. It didn't budge and it didn't feel lopsided. In hindsight, it's not felt lopsided for a while so perhaps now his top line is coming back so much and because we're working on my position so much more that it's all falling into place?

Who knows. Anyway, he's happy with it and he didn't grumble at me using a sheepskin half pad. Asked him about whether it was sat level or whether it was tilting back but tbh even I could see it wasn't tilting back without the half pad on - again, think his top line has come back more than I realised so he'll go back into his saddle cloth tomorrow - yey for clean saddle!!

Mum and S were fitted for their saddle :) It's going to be a black 17" WH saddle. They look lovely and H and L wouldn't get off the saddle horse with the demo model on :)

Saddler did walk into S's stable and ask if he could walk away LOL There is apparently absolutely not one single redeeming feature about S from a saddle fitting perspective. Our only saving grace is that he's not the WORST he's ever had to make a saddle for. Phew.

S is very short coupled, very wide, has non existant withers, a HUGE shoulder and is slightly croup high so saddler is going to have to work very hard at getting a saddle that fits mum and S and doesn't slip/roll. However, he says he CAN and WILL do it so good-o. We're also having a girth from him too. He designed it for his daughters fell pony who is similar to S in that he has a table top back. It's a humane girth but padded leather and 4.5" wide so about 1.5" wider than a normal girth. That combined with the saddle having been made for S and the girth straps being in the right place for HIM hopefully will mean the saddle will stay put :)

The main problem is his huge shoulder shifting the saddle back but being a little croup high, his hind legs will push the saddle forwards and it'll end up tipping forwards with the rear of the saddle rising off S which is EXACTLY what was happening with the Ideal. Add into that the fact that S can't go any bigger than 17" and you've got a saddlers nightmare LOL

Questioned over how wide the pommel would be because mum has bad hips and S is so wide, I was worried about the pommel being wide and hurting mum's hips but saddler said when a lot of places widen the trees, they flatten the pommel but that he builds the foam up on top of the pommel so that where mum will sit it won't be wide. Apparently, what he says so don't quote me, but most saddles have 1 layer of foam on the pommel/seat. He puts 3. He certainly does SOMETHING to make them really soft and really really comfy.

Mum got a bit lost when he was asking about how deep she wanted the knee rolls, how deep she wanted the thigh rolls, how many D rings she wanted LOL I'd forgotten just how in depth he goes when he makes you a saddle!

T still felt a little odd in the school when i rode him for the saddler although not as bad as last night so I got L to ride him in the field today. He looked fine apart from in one direction (across the straight) when he looked to be coming up short on his off fore but he also wanted to canter and it was slightly downhill so who knows.

Fun ride tomorrow - it'll either kill or cure it!! Either he'll be fine and I'll have been getting paranoid over nothing (again) or he'll go lame and I can get the vet out.

Should look back actually and see when his back was last done ... hmmm....

Executive decision... will clean tack AFTER fun ride tomorrow, not before!!!!