The Saddle

Yesterday was the big day. My saddle arrived (or better, the fitter was in the area, came by and brought/fitted the saddle).

He arrived late in the afternoon and once he was done fitting it was too dark to take any good pictures.

Since we're all girls, here's most important thing: The color is gorgeous! Not as orange as I though but a very, very lovely dark brown.

Even though the fitter had ordered the saddle with a 33 iron (the trial saddle was a 31.5) he had to widen it two more times (half a cm each time) and ended up with a 34 iron. He also did some changes on the flocking after the first test ride. So far it looks good, but I will not let my hopes get up too high before I haven't ridden in it a couple more times, though I really, really hope this is the saddle.

Pictures from now, taken in my living room:

The saddle is a Sommer "Diplomat" with "Espritkissen". 18"Seat, 33 gullet (widened to 34 already). The color is called "moro".

 ...looks like it'd fit a draft!

 It's almost level on my barrel shaped footstool!

...groundwork "free dressage"

Well, not so much dressage as just playing around with some yielding and and other tricks during cooldown. For cooling down after lunging we usually go for a short walk or, if it's dark outside or raining, play a little around. Crispin likes that a lot because it means plenty of cookies.

It's nothing fancy. Just a little leg yield (basically just making him step under). Turn on the haunches (me trying to controll his forehand). And his favourite "real" trick, backing up towards me.

It was raining all day and he decided to take a good roll in the mud just before I took him out. I didn't even try to get him cleaned up. Sorry for that...

January Pictures

It's time again. Another 3 months have gone by and it's picture time again. The weather was lovely and I've given Crispin a new haircut a few days ago (sorry to all the long mane lovers out there, it's not going to happen! ;-) )

 

He's almost 5 years old now (4 years, 9 months) and I think the changes are getting more and more subtle. More a question of season than growth and developement.  

And as always, last year, same time:

 

 

Other than the pictures, there isn't much to report. I was busy studying for my final (oral) exams. The last exam was on thursday and I am now (still inofficially) a Magistra Artium in communications. *yay for me*

I do have a little video of crispin and I playing around with some "freedressage" groundwork and I think I'll have to revisite the Lammfellsattel.

...say "yes" to the saddle...

...oh my, I did. I talked to the fitter again on the phone and decided to go for it. I'll still have a 14 days trial periode once the saddle is here (which will be in another 6-8 weeks) but the fitter was very confident that the saddle will work out for Crispin. I ordered the saddle in brown. The color is actually called "moro", it's a reddish brown. I'm sure it will look odd at the beginning but I just love brown tack.

Speaking of brown "tack". Did I show you what I got Crispin for christmas this year?!

A halter. But just not any old boring halter, this one is called "Waldfreunde" and he looks so cute in it! Like a 3 y/o again and not the old man he is now at the age of 5!

I couldn't get a better picture than this. It was a little too dark for pictures plus most of them looked like this:

Trial Saddle

Finally, a saddle fitting well enough to actually take it on trial for a bit!

The fitter was back two days before christmas with the modified saddle for Crispin. After checking the fit, changing the gullet a little, taking out some flocking and re-checking the saddle again, I first longed Crispin and then rode him for a few minutes. It felt heavenly to be sitting in a real saddle again!

I felt very comfortable, the size was just right for me and there was no slipping (not even when I was just longing Crispin), no rocking and the fitter was almost ecstatic about the dust pattern. So far so good.

Unfortunately, it wasn't going to last. When I tried the saddle again after christmas I knew something was off the second I got on. It didn't feel they way it had felt before. The point of balance had moved and was now too far to the back and the saddle seemed pommel high. I took pictures before and after the ride (it was just a very short ride, the indoor was too crowded and Crispin too fussy to do more than just a few rounds at the walk) and then realized that I did saddle a little too far to the the front.

I did use the saddle once more (in my lesson) this time making sure I'd put on the saddle correctly but ended up with pretty much the same results. It's pommel high...

I still do think this could be "the one" plus I really, really want to say yes to this saddle for all the right and some of the wrong reasons.  The problem is that at this point I'd say yes to a saddle that isn't fitting right know and where I can not say for sure if it is even possible to fit it perfectly. I did send pictures to fitter and will call him in a few days to find out what he thinks.

(To top things off, I completely destroyed my camera by accidentally throwing it down on the concrete flor at the barn *yay*)
 
Now to the details:

The saddle is a Sommer Diplomat but with the "Espritkissen" (the panels are from another model, the Sommer Esprit). The saddle is a size 18 semi deep seat and has a extra wide gullet head.

The new Sommer saddles have quite a few special features that, to me, make them a great choice.

Pretty much everything about them (besides the shape of the tree) is changeable. The gullet (very easily changeable), the velcro knee rolls and even the (wool flocked) panels can be removed and changed without too much trouble.

...it's getting ridiculous

OK, fine. First visit the fitter didn't bring anything for us to try. I'm already slightly annoyed because I did tell him on the phone that: one, my horse is very short, two, my horse is very wide and three, I've already tried a sommer 17,5 which turned out to be too small for me.

First visite comes and goes. No saddle for us. Today the fitter will be back. Guess what, no saddle for me to try AGAIN! He said something about breaking the one he tried to change for me. Yeah, well whatever. I know these things happen but seriously, at this point I just don't really care anymore!

It's been a month already again since I first called this particular saddle fitter and it probably will be weeks if not a whole month (remember christmas is on its way) before I can even TRY a saddle (who knows if it'll even work out for Crispin and I). This just sucks!

(Sorry, vent over) ;-)

*edited to add*

The fitter was there this morning, mainly to fit the other boarders horse and I have to say it: No matter how annoyed I am about the cirumstances the guy is really, really nice, sweet and good at what he's doing. If I'm lucky (for once) he'll be back with a saddle in a 10 days to two weeks.

...and yet again another saddle fitter...

I'm really having trouble keeping this blog up to date.

I've had another fitter out last saturday. He was there for Crispin and another boarders horse. The guy was really good. Probably the best fitter I've seen so far, very knowledgeable and very devoted to his favourite brand of saddles: Sommer saddles (he only sells Sommer).

He was there for almost 4 hours mostly fitting the other horse and showing us every detail (it seems) of Sommer saddles (tree, panels, stuffing, you name it).

Unfortunately, he didn't have a single saddle with him that I could try on Crispin! Bummer. He had some saddles that had the right tree/iron (sommer calls it the WKE tree, the extra wide iron, it's like a hoop tree) and othes that had the right size for my butt and others again that had the righ panels for Crispins short, short back (the "Espitkissen"). But there was no saddle that combined all three: tree, panel, size. He has to put one together for us an will be back again.

Needless to say that I was very disappointed that day! After the saddle fitter was gone I was moping around at the barn and decided that I needed to do something nice with Crispin to lighten the mood. The weather was brilliant and so I started looking for a suitable horse and rider to acompany Crispin and I on our first trail ride at the new barn. Victoria and Flint were the lucky winners. They went with us on a very short but wonderful trail ride that saved my day. Thanks again!

(this is just a random picture I took that day. I think it's going to be one of my favourits)