Saddle #3

Saddle #3 arrived this week.  It is a Bates Caprilli Dressage.  I'm actually glad that it is on the same system as the Collegiate exchangeable gullet because the gullet I got for the Collegiate seems to be the perfect fit for Walker.

I felt pretty good about the Bates actually.  It didn't seem to need a wedge to make it balanced, and the knee blocks and seat were nice and cushy.  I mean, really, in order of precedence, this is what I look for in a saddle:

1. fits pony
2. cushy for my tushy

That is the extent of my thought process.  However, more trained eyes than mine told me that it actually looked like it fit Walker and I nicely, so I will ride in it a couple more times this weekend  to see which I like better.  I can say for certain that it does not have the same buckle problem around the thighs as the Collegiate.

I also felt a little better about the flaps, but mostly because I talked to S who convinced me that the flaps fit my legs nicely.  I'm just not used to keeping my leg in that position.  On the one hand, I am.  It is almost the exact same position as riding Western, but she agrees with me that there is something so much more natural about a Western saddle.  When I ride Western I don't notice the long leg; it just feels right.  When I ride in the dressage saddle, I feel like I need to actually use all those muscles I've been ignoring for the last two years.  What a drag!

Other than that, I practiced the mini-dressage test with Walker that I did with Rory on Wednesday.  I say "mini" dressage test because I forgot the test halfway through and kind of improvised.  Our 20 metre circles weren't too bad at the trot, although they could use some work, and our canter circles could definitely use some work.  Otherwise, I was content that he seemed relatively willing.

I ignore the part where he did a lot of it in a "fast" jog.  Circles are hard!