What we do without a saddle

I have been witout a saddle for well over three months now. It is getting old, fast.

I do ride. I use the Christ sheepskin pad I got for the Grandeur, which has 3 cm foam padding. No girth.

I even take lessons bare back. I'm also taking lessons in in-hand work, trick training and, that is something new, long reining.

Crispin is a good sport about it and working well, but we are not really progressing at all. There is only so much I can work on under saddle, without actually having a saddle...

- I do not ride more than 2 to 3 times a week.
- I do at least 20 min of walk before trotting since I cant really post or I longe him before I get on.
- Canter work I do mostly on the longe as well.

I don't feel confident to trail ride without a saddle, so we go on walks if the weather is nice enough.

Still no saddle... *sigh*

We are, after more than three months, still without a saddle. There are not very many options for us out there (al least not many I know about) plus the fitter of my choosing, though a good one, itsn't the fastest.

I did manage to try the Harry Dabbs saddles I wanted to see on Crispin. Unfortunately, they were no fit. Both, the Extra and the Meridian were wide enough for Crispin but they both had way too much longitudinal bend for him too. So, back to square one... *sigh*

The Harry Dabbs "Extra" Platinum 17,5 /MW:

 

And the Harry Dabby "Meridian" Elegant, 17,5 /W:

The fitter has one more saddle in mind that might be a fit for Crispin, unfortunately, it has to be build first (he sold the trial saddle in august and hasn't come around to build another one).

In the meantime, I'm still riding bareback which is getting old fast! Crispin is a very good boy about it but we are not progressing in any way, he needs to be ridden more foreward than what riding without a saddle is allowing me to do. Again,

*sigh*