Saddle Hunting

I don't believe I've mentioned it here, but after a few months of marketing, I sold my dressage saddle before leaving for France. I'd received several offers lower than what I was willing to take, but in the end I sold it for what I think was a fair price for both myself and the buyer. It was a very nice saddle, a two-year-old Laser Rendezvous in fantastic shape, still what I would call "demo condition." I really liked it, but unfortunately it was becoming more and more clear that while it hugged my bum and thigh nicely without much wiggle room when I was svelte and in shape, it was not kind to a slightly blubbier version of my body. I realized that as someone who's weight tends to "yo-yo" a bit, I needed a slightly larger saddle to accommodate that, perhaps with a more open seat.

illustration by Jared Lee

I've been scouring the internet for saddles over the past few weeks, and haven't found a whole lot. The trouble is that I am in a seemingly constant financial ebb, and so although I sold my saddle for decent money, I need that money and can't spend it all on a new saddle. I have a budget of $1500 with very little stretch above that, and it seems that nice 18" wide dressage saddles in that range are somewhat few and quickly snatched up, understandably.
However, I've had the luck to happen upon a lovely County Competitor for only $800. It's in good condition, better than the Competitors typically seen in that price range.
I was the one to snap this deal up. I figure that if County's famously wide, curvy tree type doesn't fit Rileigh, either by virtue of being too curvy or too wide (more likely the former), it shouldn't be terribly hard to resell the saddle and at least make my money back. Hopefully though, it fits him excellently with only minor, if any, adjustments, and is a joy for me to ride in. Wouldn't that be nice? Everybody cross their fingers!

I had a fabulous time in France. We happened to arrive just as spring had sprung, which unfortunately made for some slightly slushy "mashed potatoes" skiing on the lower slopes, but aside from that the weather was just lovely, I was skiing in just a tshirt at some points. Perfect for traipsing around town.


I've not had such a nice time since arriving home; I've been sick with the flu for most of the week. Today was the first day I managed to make it out for a ride, and even then it was a short one, since I'm still not feeling 100%. I'm sure over the next few days I'll recuperate completely though.

Busy Busy!

I really have been busy this time! I have so many things coming up that I'm not ready for. On Saturday I'm leaving to spend a week skiing in the French Alps, and I haven't even come close to starting to pack. In three weeks I have an event, and I haven't even looked at the test (BN B), and won't have a single opportunity to practice it before showing. Dressage gives me panic attacks, so this is a big deal. I'm moving next month; taking two horses and my entire household about an hour south, hopefully it will be the last move for a while. The house is a complete wreck and I haven't started boxing things up in the slightest. Six weeks from now I'll be leaving for Rolex. While it's exciting, there's a lot that hasn't yet been coordinated, and I must admit I'm not looking forward to the 16 hour drive(one way).
Very stressful stuff.
AND I had to stop in the middle of writing this post due to the fact that our apartment was flooding. Because I need more things to worry about.

Anyway, the show over the weekend was alright. We didn't do very well Saturday but had a new plan Sunday and our performance was greatly improved. Rileigh gets burnt out so easily, he really doesn't do well w/ the "hurry up and wait" environment at H/J shows. I'm learning how to accommodate his needs and keep him happy in that setting, though, which is paramount. No placings this time, but I was pleased with how we ended the weekend - only one rail Sunday.


I definitely have some things to work on in our next lesson. What on earth has happened to my leg?!
Mainly though, I direly need to give my poor horse a softer, more following release. I used to be a lot more generous, but as he got stronger and stronger over fences I got into the habit of holding. With the gag he's in now, I don't need to worry quite so much about getting him back after a fence, and my holding his face is clearly impacting his jumping style negatively. Correcting this is absolutely my #1 priority. He looks so uncomfortable in these photos, I feel awful. It almost makes me want to cry.


I briefly mentioned an event ...We are doing Rocking Horse Spring HT in a few weeks, it will be Riles' first recognized event. I'm very excited, just anxious about dressage, as always.