One More Thing Sorted Out

I've got the bridle sorted out for Stitch (Phantom's Ps of Sweden bridle and a Herm Sprenger Dynamic KK eggbutt) - now it's time for the saddle.

Earlier this summer I used the Wow saddle gauge on Stitch to determine which parts for a Wow saddle would be needed for Stitch. By which I mean would I be lucky enough that my existing Wow saddle that I had for Cisco could also work for Stitch?

In theory, it looked like all the parts should be the same. He needs a flat tree and wide DXWG panels. Instead of the 5U headplate that Cisco went in Stitch is currently narrower and needs a 3U, which I also happen to have (I think I used it for that one week when Cisco was actually skinny). 

I'd popped the saddle on him a couple of times and hand-walked him with no concern on his part. Last week, I decided it's time to lunge him in the saddle. He's been ground driven a bunch with a surcingle on, but that's pretty well just at walk and trot. He might tun into a bronco at a canter.

For the first lunge, I didn't want to risk damage to the expensive saddle so opted to sacrifice my treeless saddle instead. He knew it was on him, but other than initially giving it the hairy eyeball when it continued to follow him around there wasn't much of a reaction. Even after I dropped the stirrups and let them dangle.

The saddle definitely slid forward through lunging. I had used a shaped Total Saddle Fit girth, and thought maybe that I didn't need that style. Didn't really matter, this was a one-off with this saddle.

The sacrificial saddle is a no go to be ridden in.

On Monday, I popped on the Wow saddle. The goal is to get this saddle girth setup sorted out this week because there are a bunch of sales this weekend, so if I need to buy something new, now is the time.

Look who isn't super bum high this week. I didn't think that he had a forward girth groove until I looked at this picture. (Also, I must say that I missed having a shiny horse. Gray horses just don't get that shine.)

I didn't think his girth groove was all that forward and that I wouldn't need the point billet. I tried it with the TSF girth while tacking up, but didn't like how it fit. The billets were definitely sloping forward which meant that the saddle would move that way once he got going. I swapped to the h-girth, still without the point billet, and lunged him - it still ended up on his shoulders.

The saddle pad stayed in place, but the saddle was pulled forward.

So point billet it is.

I don't typically like to lunge on back-to-back days, but I was on a bit of a time crunch to sort this out before the weekend sales and it also looked like the forest fire smoke was going to blow in this week. So Stitch thought he was going to die for the whole 12 minutes that he lunged, at least half of which was walk.

An obviously lucky to be alive pony who's saddle seems to have mostly stayed in place.

But the saddle seemed to stay in a much better position. So this is what we are going with. Happily, it doesn't cost me any money. We just need to play with the Flair panels.

And then sort it all out again in the spring.