Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Back in a "new" saddle

I had to try out my "new" saddle.  I couldn't wait any longer.  I had ridden in the saddle before but you never know, maybe it wasn't as awesome as I had originally thought.  Lo! It's still awesome!  Cody is happy that there's snow in the paddock so he can walk instead of skating.  He was, however, wondering where my little plan ran off too (I had planned to ride bareback in a halter for the winter to help keep me off his face and help me establish some more subtle cues).  But I couldn't help it, he's been sound for over a month now so it was time to jump on quick.

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So we did a little walk and trot and he even gave me a nice little right lead canter.  He did everything in his power to avoid going left though.  Didn't really even want to walk left, would cut the corners and try and circle around the other way.  He wasn't lame or anything in that direction just avoident (is that a word?).  Might have to dig out my massage and stretching book and see what I can find and maybe get the chiropractor out this spring again.

So yeah, rode in a saddle for the first time since I can't even remember, fall sometime I guess.  It was good. The sitting trot was awesome. The canter was nice.  I still need work on my hands, I'm too fidgety with the reins. Also need to swap out stirrups and leathers, the one's that were on the saddle are brown and too short.  I should get a new girth that has the extra buckle for the saddle flaps.  And I hate riding in my winter boots.  They're meant for riding but they are just so huge and I have to adjust my leathers and blah blah annoying.

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And Axel! The swelling has gone down both sheath and belly (you can't even see the swelling in the picture, that's just fat).  Earlier this winter the barn owners got one of those big round bale nets. The horses were wasting hay and eating them out of house and home so they thought they'd give it a try.  I had my hopes.  After a month or so I had my suspicions.  And now I think it's official.  Slowing down their free choice hay has reduced Axel's swelling.  Similar, I think, to spring when they go off the round bales.  So I will be purchasing a round bale net before I move the horses out to our farm.

1 comment:

Christine said...

The ride sounds fun!

And great that you've been able to resolve something with regards to the swelling and ad lib hay!