Saga of the New Saddle - Dressage Lesson #17

So I finally got to try out my new saddle for real. When I arrived at the barn the horses were already up waiting. They must have been hungry or anticipating the storm. Either way I was able to catch Axel and not have to fight to get him to follow me anywhere. The left side of his spine is still touchy, if I run the curry down that side he flinches but if I press really hard he does nothing. So who knows what that means, hopefully just ticklish. He's black again now that his winter coat is growing in but he's still dirty as ever and brushing him just brings the dirt to the top. Tricia peeked at my new saddle and thought I probably got quite a good deal. She brought her dressage girth for me to try and it fit much better than the one I borrowed. Unfortunately I looked that girth up online and it's 60 bucks. Yikes. When I tried to mount it was evident the saddle is too wide because it slipped around when I put weight in the stirrup. Guess we'll be mounting from a block from now on! It's not so wide that it bangs on his withers at all, just doesn't stay put quite as well. For the price I paid, it's all workable.

We got out the cones again to help inspire Axel as he's been Axel McCrankyPants lately and he seems to enjoy the cones. Overall the lesson went pretty well. Compared to the last lesson I barely had to use my legs at all (that's comparatively though). But the new saddle is going to take some time to get used to, it puts me in a position I haven't been riding in so I'm going to be finding new sore spots for a few weeks. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do some trail rides in the saddle to give me some time to get used to it. It is comfortable though. We still have some issues with turning corners, and me flailing about not getting my seat under me didn't help me help Axel at all. But near the end of the lesson there were a few really great turns, one loops around the cones actually, where he started to really get it so we stopped.

Tricia actually hopped on at that point to give the saddle a try. She agreed that it was quite comfortable. Next time she gets on I'm going to have to take a video because Axel really looks good. She had him turning those corners like (almost) an expert. He's no barrel horse of course ;) She had him stepping out and he looked like he actually had some impulsion for once. He drags his feet though and kicks himself. We're gonna try some bell boots on his back feet so he doesn't hurt himself. But the picking up the feet will have to be some ground pole work I think.