What's Up

I've been a somewhat neglectful blogger this last few weeks, I think. Especially because there's actually been quite a bit of "excitement" going on here, what with the arrival of the Thorowgood T8 Jump saddle I ordered from SmartPak. It arrived on Thursday and has been the main focus of my existence ever since.

Tell me that isn't a thing of beauty. Go ahead and try. It's a synthetic/leather hybrid, but I think it could easily pass for leather to anyone who doesn't look close. Don't you? It also feels lovely (especially the leather parts) and the workmanship appears excellent. For a $895 saddle, I am definitely impressed.

Beauty is as beauty does, of course, but half the beauty of this saddle is it sits on Finn's back like it belongs there. Oh thank heavens; I think I almost forgot a saddle could do that! While I'm still not 100% confident of the fit (will I ever be?), there is no doubt that it is the best of the saddles we've tried. I'm still unresolved on the finer points, but the basics are correct.

I had R come to the barn to take some photos and video of me sitting in the saddle so I could get a better perspective on how it fits me. I'm no expert, but I think it looks darn good. No doubt in my mind it feels stellar. When I tried the Barnsby on him a few weeks ago, or the Balance saddles a few months ago, it felt awful. I wondered if I was so used to riding treeless that anything else would feel weird. This, though, does not feel weird. It feels absolutely natural.

Holy cow, am I really gonna jump this horse one day!? Yes, my friends. The answer is yes. The jury is still out on how exactly this saddle deal is going to resolve itself, but I'm confident at this point the end result will be a Thorowgood in my possession. Huzzah!

In other news, I rejoined the Dressage, Naturally Classroom and have been catching up on the videos I missed since my membership lapsed. While there are MANY things I could share about the videos I've watched, my primary observation has been that the information in the classroom is presented in a more fluid way than the book. Watching some videos of Karen herself riding has made me realize I am probably being too much of a perfectionist and dwelling too long on the very basic basics.

This is a tough balance for me to find. Yes, I want to do things thoroughly, but being too much of a stickler can really be counter-productive. If I expect that Finn must come out every day with perfect responses about energy, relaxation and balance before we're allowed to move on, I'll really be holding us back. As long as we can have and improve the conversations through our rides, they'll continue to improve on a more fundamental level over time.

So, I'm resolving to be a little less of a stickler... to play and experiment more freely... and allow Finn to show me the shining, healthy, powerful pony he's always had inside!