Like everyone else,
Posting has slowed since the mini challenge. I have had my eye on a new saddle for a while. I have bid on several on ebay and lost. I finally realized the saddle I wanted sells for little more than the ebay bids were winning so decided to order new.
Most of my Curlies are broad with low withers and with education I have decided that my saddles have not fit them well. I also am getting tired of lugging around heavy western saddles and moved to the lighter weight treeless. My first was more english in styling. This being Texas, and me a true Texan, I wanted a more western look......I wanted a horn!
New saddle came last weekend and I rigged it out as best I could on short notice. My dh said lets ride and I jumped on it.
It was hot and humid early. I saddled Blossom and played in the arena a bit....tightened the cinch and climbed on. We fiddled around a while in the arena....I tightened again and we took off to the trails. Haney was on Amanda, the Curly mustang, and she was sweaty when he got her from her pasture. Amanda was not interested in riding. We had put fly masks on the girls since the deer flys are so bad and I always wonder if they really can see as well. We were out early and kept spooking up deer. The new leather was warming and stretching a bit, or settling or something. I was aware the cinch seemed loose, but hated to stop to tighten as we finally seemed on a decent pace. Oh yes, you guessed it....one more deer and Blossom startled left and the saddle slipped right. I knew as my weight pushed her left that I would not stay on and should have pushed away......but my new saddle!!!! I couldn't let her run with it sliding under her. I ended up under her tucked and rolled. She took off with Amanda following and Haney hollering "Whoa, Amanda. Whoa!".....it was pretty comical looking from a distance.....up close not so much.
Luckily I escaped with bruises and a sore knee. I caught up with Blossom who was standing frozen (sorta...this is Texas and it was hot) with the saddle still cinched but under her belly. She had stepped into one of the stirrups and stuck her foot so I guess she felt hobbled.
Now I have waited to post this adventure until I had the chance to ride her again to make sure it 
was not saddle instability. I can actually mount her from the ground in this saddle.....this is a good thing on the trails. This morning I tried my new saddle on a different horse, Travvy, my extreme trait Curly. Nice little ride, no thrills and spills. Now to finish rigging out the new saddle with a breast collar that fits and a saddle pad the right size. And there is a moral to this tale.....don't ride out 'til things are really settled on a new saddle.....I doubt I would have done it any differently.....gotta ride.
was not saddle instability. I can actually mount her from the ground in this saddle.....this is a good thing on the trails. This morning I tried my new saddle on a different horse, Travvy, my extreme trait Curly. Nice little ride, no thrills and spills. Now to finish rigging out the new saddle with a breast collar that fits and a saddle pad the right size. And there is a moral to this tale.....don't ride out 'til things are really settled on a new saddle.....I doubt I would have done it any differently.....gotta ride.
Diane,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. You are so right about our Curlies being broad with low withers. I'll be on the lookout for a saddle like yours{:>
Have a great time in the saddle,
Angie
Wow, glad you are ok!!! And you even have a great sense of humor about it. Yep, "gotta ride" - I have that sickness, too. :)
ReplyDeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about this experience! :( I had a treeless saddle for Sage for awhile too and we had trouble ever getting it to where I could get on him from the ground. On lesson horses it was a fantastic saddle, very stable, extremely comfortable and lightweight...on a different horse I would not hesitate to buy that saddle again as I loved it. But treeless did not work for Sage's conformation. I never had so dramatic a saddle slip while on board but it did end up around his belly during ground work one day which spooked him. In hindsight I realized I should have desensitized him to that stuff more.
I ended up realizing that Sage was extremely overweight. Once he lost 300 lbs and I could actually find his ribs and he was no longer in danger of foundering, we were able to use a treed saddle on him just fine. Probably the treeless would work better on him now too since he has more wither definition. Anyways, I can certainly relate to your educational saddle process! It's been a good 4 years of saddle trial and error, diet changes, etc. for Sage and I to find something that works. Best of luck with it--I did find I had to tighten the cinch/girth on my treeless a lot more often than I liked.