Just when I thought my saddles were fitted and I didnt have to worry about having a fitter well yea...I was wrong. I may need an entirely new dressage saddle. This makes me really sad. Like so sad.
I love my dressage saddle!!!
Its my very first dressage saddle...and its brown. So its unique and looks good on Tillie and she really hasnt told me shes uncomfortable in it. BUT we went to a C lesson weds and rode around and was describing to her a bit more what Tillie felt like in canter as we were working on the counter canter exercise.
I hadnt realized how chunky Tillie is until this photo...
She nodded and said if you arent in a rush, let me grab one of mine that I think will fit both of you...so off she runs and brings back a gorgeous Custom Saddlery saddle. Its the same one I actually rode in when I rode her mare Star.
I climbed on Tillie and the difference even at the walk was immediate. She had way more swing in her back and was more willing to move out. I chalked it up to just the saddle feeling new to me and since we already had an almost full lesson so she was nice and loose.
Then we moved into trot...and I found myself really having a hard time sitting the trot. Sitting trot has never been nice since we are just starting, but C started laughing because Tillie's back was just that much more loose, so it was night and day....kind of like trying to sit the trot on Star. I felt like a kid, I just couldnt do it.
All ready to go in her new halter!!!
The biggest difference of all came when C said ok now try a canter. Tillie had the most balance uphill canter...there was no leaning or bracing on the reins, it was just nice. I expressed how just awesome it felt and C said she had a hunch my saddle was causing me to tilt my pelvis down essentially riding Tillie downhill...
Munching before the lesson
So I ask her what her saddle cost....a whomping $2500 used. Le sigh. I really cant afford that right now with just buying a trailer. Of course things like this happen when you least expect them to I guess. Tillie has really filled out a lot since I first got that saddle....
Look at that thick neck!!
This image below is from the summer...she just looks so good in this tack!
Well I guess my first thing to try is have a fitter out to see if I can have my current one widened enough to fit...if not then on the hunt for a cheaper version of the one I tried.
#marefaces
Side note, my husband actually came to watch the lesson....hes maybe seen me ride less then 10 times and he was kinda adorable asking C questions. Oh and the fact she mentioned I needed a saddle in front of him so I didnt have to come home and tell him I was looking for yet another saddle. LOL
So I am trying to sell my PF dressage saddle....that one is also too narrow for Tillie :(
Friday was my last lesson of the season with my trainer D since the migration to Aiken for the local eventers has started. It was a challenging one, but really appropriate one to leave us with since the lesson left many things to be desired but also many things to appreciate.
See you next season! Hopefully 2016 will be just as awesome for growth, but maybe a little less painful...
Our lesson was all about grids. Grids are so wonderful for so many reasons from educating the horse, to fixing rider form, to confidence issues...but it also happens to feel like a human blender. So I am really happy Emma made it out to help video because it certainly appeared better then it felt.
We spent very little time discussing flatwork this time (Hopefully that means it was just that much better?!) but D did have us work a bit at the canter to get her more through and scolded me a bit for letting my inside rein go before she really gives. So basically the idea is correct, but I need to work on feeling it better otherwise it doesnt achieve anything.
Well duh...
So we warmed up over a part of the grid to start and Tillie did not understand bounces and that adding an extra stride means its no longer a bounce. But we finally figured it out.
Then the fun part and D goes, well ok now the whole thing...
It just was a blooper shoot from the first fence and for the first time really messing up in a D lesson, rather then getting too much in my head about it, I laughed it off.
Thank god Tillie kept her head up and acted as an air bag...
Sometimes all you can do is laugh.
I was prepared the next time through though and, while it wasnt perfect, we completed the entire grid without wobbling, teetering or having airbags deploy.
So we came through again to try to smooth things out:
You can tell by now Tillie is starting to understand the exercise and starts to carry herself through more without needing me to push for forward. While I can sit here and rip my own equitation to shreds, I will not and just console myself with it will get better the more I do these grids.
So D then put the oxer up and widened it finally adding a pole diagonally across which to me seemed to read more like a table or xc fence. I have seen him use this before at home jump schooling, so was neat to see it put to use here.
Then we changed direction and came through the entire thing the other way towards the gate "home" so I knew she would be more willing to move forward through the exercise. Can we also just pause here to take a minute to laugh at that statement...wanting more forward from my horse, who normally, is tearing the reins from my hands because she doesnt want to slow down.
Anyway, here is the first attempt the new direction:
At one point we really missed the distance coming in and it involved some hairy moments...it wasnt caught on video sadly, but Emma commented on how I let the reins slip out, sat taller and let Tillie ride out the exercise to figure it out. Basically I rode less and did everything D is begging me to do every other time haha. Hey at least its in there!
So we came through at the trot one more time where she caught one fence pretty hard with her hind legs...but at this point she was pretty sweaty with how abnormally hot it was so didnt fault her too hard there...and because her trot right before this time through looked fancy as all get out.
To be sure she really understood, D had us try it at the canter so here is the first attempt where we had a nice forward canter but because D had me "let go" of my reins earlier, I could feel myself tense and you can see Tillie went through this much quicker then some of the other attempts:
So of course we had to do it again with the same energy just a bit more relaxed which has to be one of my more favorite "win" moments captured from this lesson.
At this point you can see Tillie getting a bit flatter over the fences as she was getting pretty tired...she wasnt blowing or anything, but as I mentioned earlier, it was really warm out so she was hot and sweaty. She hasnt had any issues sweating with her winter coat until this lesson so I havent clipped her, but will watch that with the next few days and see if it continues when the weather gets cold in the next few days.
But in true D fashion, it isnt over until you do it right both ways or off both canter leads so he had us go through one more time off the right lead canter. I was really trying hard to nail it the first time through for Tillie's sake, and I am so glad we did!
So all in all it was a positive learning experience...some interesting moments and some pretty glaring form issues on my part, BUT I had a controlled horse that didnt lose it even though she started off a bit heavy on me. In the past when she gets like that we would have lessons where I would want to cry every time D would want to send us back through lol.
So big hugs to Tillie :) And she got started on her ulcer treatment today so should hopefully get her bit less grumpy about tacking up.
Unfortunately for Emma still being broken, I got to join in again on another P lesson this last Saturday. Prepare to be bombarded with pictures, Gifs and videos because it was one of the best rides I have ever had in my life. It was exactly what I needed.
It is not nearly often enough you see me smile while I am riding,
but rounding the turn to the final jump I was grinning from ear to ear like a big kid.
Right off the bat, Tillie was a bit more settled arriving this time. I really wanted to not deal with any of her "Up-ness" so was contemplating hand walking her up to the ring rather then ride the short hack to get there. Emma softly pushed me and said no, you need to ride and use the chance to keep working this out since its similar to how she gets at shows.
Well ok then! And while she was still a bit jiggy and looking around...she was better then the first time so thats something!
Warming up, Tillie was a super star. She was light, responsive and just all around uncomplicated. So we went right into the lesson with a simple grid. I asked P if I needed to stop her at the end like last lesson and she simply said, well lets see how she is today:
One of our first times through really focusing on releasing.
Freakishly quiet. Thats how she was...I breathed out and thought ok. That was nice but still prepared for her to build the longer we did this.
P adjusted the second jump to be an oxer and off we went through it again.
Tillie ate it up and was cool as a cucumber so P then put up the third and final fence:
At this point I am rolling with it and sloooowly start trusting her by letting my reins go slightly longer and on landing using next to no hand to circle and downward transition. My inner kid was singing and shouting to the rooftops how awesome this was.
P raised the jumps one more time for our final time through notice my hands?!
BTW - Thanks to Emma for all the footage and driving me to this lesson :)
So moving on from the line, she had us trot an oxer by itself to test the rhythm and eventually turn it into the second jump of a line. I instantly go oh crap, this will result in excitement for sure....
UMMM my horse was like PSHHHH I got this while I'm over here like "equitation is for the birds"
Holy moly swinging leg batman! But isnt Tillie just the cutest!?
The canter approach still shot is much better!
My favorite still over this fence (during the course) since my equitation is decent and Tillies form is just adorable.
So P had us land from this and keep cantering to try again in canter since she stayed calm and in rhythm at the trot.
Again, Tillie just blew it out of the water and knew her job. I was starting to get slightly freaked out.
Next up, P made this into a 4 stride line. Our first time through we came in a bit tight and got 5 instead...
P was so wonderfully supportive of it because we added. For Tillie to have made that decision is HUGE since she tends to want to get flat and take the gappy distance. But, we needed to get more even striding through the line so around we came to try again.
We got the 4! I forgot to release a little bit more this time and P reminded me that its really needed for me to do this because Tillie likes to jump very tucked in up front rather then stretching over her back probably from how much I have held her.
I love that P reassured me that its understandable as to why with her previous antics, but that maybe those were partially created from her mentally feeling a bit claustrophobic.
In any case, my releasing more and allowing her to stretch HAS seemed to have been doing something wonderful for Tillie because we then put a course together that was quite intricate:
I know I take myself and riding way too seriously, but this ride I seriously had fun. Its extremely rare to see me smile under saddle, let alone do it in the middle of actual work but I was so over the moon excited!
Just cause this one is cool - and I am releasing!
I had a quiet but eager, willing and adjustable horse! It felt like all the tears, lack of confidence and hard work built up to this ride. Emma kept trying to tell me this is Tillie's new normal so I wouldnt be soooo freaked out. No I did not go home and take her temperature, though I did think about it...I decided I needed to bask in this one a little bit and just LOVE it. After all, this is what its supposed to be about...the trick is to have this same feeling even when it isnt so perfect.
Look I can have a droopy rein!!! Notice Brita (a guest blogger of Emma) in the pink!?
I might have a slight addiction problem known as tack-a-holism. But when there is a deal that is too good to pass up, the temptation totally outweighs the voice in my head that says "you really dont need this."
You could say I made a slightly impulsive purchase when Stubben advertised their summer half price saddle sale. I honestly only went in to window shop to make myself feel slightly better about doing something with my horse taking some time off and losing progress in our training by the day. Well I came out with not one, but two new saddles. That's right NEW!
I did sit on them for a day before pulling the trigger...and did my due diligence and did some research. Surprisingly little came up, but the little that did all said nice saddle for the price.
So I went ahead and decided for the price they were selling, why not give it a try!
Philippe Fontaine Lyon
This is considered their hunter/jumper model. Unfortunately it may be too small as all they had left was a 16.5," but I am hopeful as I do fit in this seat in some brands. Also they only had it in a wide tree - right out of the box does not seem wide (which is better for my narrower ottb). My biggest dislike right off, which knew before buying them, is they are foam flocked. I prefer wool so adjust and change as needed...I guess I can change that down the road if I love it that much. PF boasts the saddle is on their E-motion tree and memory-Flex panels. The brown is a lovely color and not too light or red or any weird shades that, in my experience, wear and fade terribly lighter.
(* Just a note that Stubben acquired Philippe Fontaine back in 2011 according to my research. Stubben distributes and sells these saddles but does not manufacture them)
The Philippe fontaine website's description of the Lyon:Excellence in performance begins with a well balanced saddle. The hunter/jumper Lyon is designed with a wider seat and a lower center of gravity and is crafted in soft doubled leather. Rider position and security are enhanced by correctly placed front blocks and supportive rear blocks on Velcro. The close contact French style panels are sculpted wider to provide a larger contact area on your horse's back.
The Philippe fontaine website's description of the E-Motion Tree:The E-Motion tree is an integrated spring tree and panel system. This unique tree has a narrow twist and a balanced center of gravity and features a low pommel and a semi cut-back head. It provides controlled flexibility and impact absorption. The tree will flex at all points of pressure. A very limited number of tree widths are needed, as the tree points flex in use and adapt to the horse’s conformation. The E-Motion tree is light weight, immune to extreme heat or cold, and retains its shape, and recessed stirrup bars eliminate the bulk of stirrup leather buckles.
Initial thoughts: The leather feels buttery soft and nice quality. Some of the stitching seems a bit messy, which Ill try to get a close up shot of...not a huge deal and most likely why it was in their half off bin. The tree width seems narrow for "wide" which I am not complaining about but I have read their trees all tend to run narrow and curvy. I am anxious to sit in them, but the padding feels soft, but not too overdone being a "close contact." The velcro block is nice to adjust, though not a huge area to move it if you for some reason wanted it moved somewhere a bit more outside the allowable area.
Philippe Fontaine Royan
This is considered one of their dressage models. I love it in person even more than their stock photo online. It got a bit wrinkled in the delivery process, but the flap has more definition or nuances than in the photo.
The Philippe fontaine website's description of the Royan:The Royan is covered in extra supple and durable leather with an attractive stitching detail. The soft padded seat and knee areas offer extra comfort. The Royan is built on the E-Motion tree with memoryflex foam panels, and has concealed knee rolls and two long dressage billets. The front billet is attached to the tree point to stabilize the saddle’s contact area.
Initial thoughts: The leather feels buttery soft and nice quality just like the Lyon. The Billets seem a bit stiff, but being brand new imagine some conditioning and breaking that in will change that. I guess it was more noticeable on this one being they are longer...Some stitching again seems weird, but could be why it was in the half off bin or just something Ill need to look at closer and clean it up. I like this one also seems to have a closer contact feel or build compared to some other dressage saddles and not too ridiculously padded flaps so I can still feel my horse's sides under my leg.
All in all both saddles are nicely made for the cost. I am anxious to sit in each and give them a spin to update here!
