I said I didn't want a Toulouse, I said I don't like light colored tack, and then this happened:
It's a Toulouse Annice, 16.5" wide, and it was offered to me on clearance by Classic Saddlery up in Michigan after a few back-and-forths about Kent and Masters (which they don't sell anymore due to "issues"). It's under a grand with included leathers, and it fits him so well I can't imagine my trainer telling me to send it back, though I won't know for sure until my lesson on Thursday.
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| That is NOT an acquired leucoderma, it's a bite mark! |
As for me, it's not my most favorite ride, but it puts me in a good, solid position. I prefer saddles that put me in close contact with the horse, and this one feels like a comfy couch. The rear block (removable) keeps my leg from swinging, which I don't know if it's good or not to have a saddle correct your bad habits. Maybe my swinging leg was the result of riding in saddles that have me fighting my leg position, I don't know. It was really easy to bring my pelvis underneath me in it, and my knees didn't go over the flap. All good things.
Now talk to me about which oil I should start using to darken this cognac color...
Neatsfoot oil is always a goody, but good ol olive oil will work just as well.
ReplyDeleteI have a cognac saddle and despised the color. I alternated between neatsfoot and olive oil. I now have a saddle that's nearly Havana!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I'm in the middle of my own saddle search and know how hard it is to find what you're looking for :-)
ReplyDeleteIf I were you I would look up darkening that saddle on COTH. I know that some of those saddles have treated leather that doesn't take oil very well. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteMy saddle was much much lighter than I would have liked when I got it:
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee426/hequestrian/70558D30-3B18-4CA5-8F37-F37F908C8D3A-15149-00000C2895CBEA1D.jpg
After 1 Coat of Neats foot:
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee426/hequestrian/AF14C61E-D9BC-454D-8BAA-5339B1F0D3B8-15149-00000C551496A5E9.jpg
After 2 Coats:
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee426/hequestrian/28C3D198-5D27-464B-90D2-BC67E19D504F-16010-00000C9F9840E052.jpg
They actually had to send me a different saddle about a week after I had mine so this was a different saddles before and after:
Before:
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee426/hequestrian/CC5410BB-37C3-4D2F-8D59-70258504E0FA-4913-00000505BEAD7F89_zpsae8730d0.jpg
After:
http://i1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee426/hequestrian/A47520E6-DAFF-48D8-B061-C5C9BAC978EC-2968-000001658FE5808C_zps1ef6794f.jpg
Neatsfoot is amazing! I hope that your trainer likes the fit of the saddle. It looks really nice. If you get it I hope that it darkens to a nice rich color! :)
Oh Hillary you are freakin AMAZING! Thank you so much for taking the time to post all of those links. That made me feel so much better about the possibility of ending up with this saddle. The color of yours is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWow, dramatic difference with the color Hillary! And Jen maybe you can even go fancy and make it a two-tone, with the knee rolls and seat one color and the flap another!
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ReplyDeleteNice saddle! I'm considering a Premia- let me know how you're liking your Annice!
ReplyDeleteIt is an awful color. I don't know if it is the picture angles, but it looks a little small at the withers. But much better than your old saddles. Hope it gets your trainer's approval.
ReplyDeleteMy Thornhill had thigh blocks which I found nice.
I read about a showjumper years ago (Hans Gunter Winkler, maybe?) who was horrified to see how far back his foot & lower leg went when he was in the air so he schooled at home with twine tying his stirrups to the girth. Fixed the problem, he leg muscles learned to stay in the right place...
ReplyDeletemuscle memory is a funny thing. I can still rip through the first page of The Entertainer on the piano if I don't think about it, if I stop and try to think about what I'm doing I'm lost! It's 35 years since I played properly...
Anyway, this is all a long-winded way of saying a saddle that fixes your positional faults is probably a good thing :D
Daughter has a Bates jump saddle with thigh blocks that she loves - but it is not that color :) Hope the trainer approves and it is a keeper!
ReplyDeleteYeah new saddle!
ReplyDeleteNicole, that gullet makes it look that way, I think. It *just fits* right now - any wider and he'd be an extra wide, but it really does fit.
ReplyDeleteMartine, that makes me feel better, but can you imagine how dangerous that is to ride tied to the saddle? Oh my gosh! Muscle memory really is amazing.
I have honestly always wanted a saddle in that color. I think it's gorgeous but I can understand why you would want to darken it. Good luck and I hope your trainer loves it :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how much this will darken - I believe it's treated leather. That's a good price for that saddle though!
ReplyDeleteOf course what you don't want you get lol! I second or third or forth the Neats Foot Oil :) Put a coat on and set it in the sun to soak it up.. rinse and repeat :)
ReplyDeleteDang Hillary I forgot about how your saddle first looked- good job! :)
I agree with Nicole that it does not look like it fits, I would have someone check it out before purchase to be safe!
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