Saddle Update

It worked out well that my saddle arrived last week, since I already had an in-person lesson scheduled with CGP and she could take a look at it.

The bottom line at this point is that we're both really happy with it, as long as the point billet is as loose as can be. I mean, look at how effortlessly he lifted his back on Saturday. I didn't even really have contact here and certainly wasn't trying to affect his way of going aside from riding biomechanically well:

Breastplate up! My barnmate from home who's known us since 2015 was also at CGP's for a lesson on Saturday, and she commented to me and CGP that she was stunned to see Connor both stretch AND keep his chest up.

The whole reason this saddle search took so long is that in most saddles he's not been willing to lift his breastplate like that, which is why the reinback is such a good diagnostic for whether he likes a saddle or not. 

He'll reinback in both saddles he likes and saddles he doesn't like, but in saddles he doesn't like, he buries his chest into the ground rather than shifting his weight back over his hindquarters and lifting his chest. It's subtle if you're not looking for it, because in both instances he willingly moves backward, but once you see the difference you're like "OKAY, I GET IT!" just like the fitter said to me in June.

I want that right hind more underneath him, but again, last weekend was 0% about improving the horse, so this is just whatever! And I'm thrilled with his breastplate here!

I discussed the missing features extensively with CGP. She thinks the billet move can be done without sending it back, but the serge panels would likely mean a trip to England. And while it's disappointing that they were left off, the point was to get a saddle the horse likes, and clearly, he likes it as configured. The primary downside to leather panels is that the flocking adjustments are less precise since fitting tools can only enter the saddle in one spot, plus they're warmer in winter and are less fussy about maintenance.

But is any of that worth sending it back to England, likely while he's at the trainer's for flying changes? No, it's not. I want him in a saddle he loves for that, and he clearly isn't missing the serge panels. Especially not when the leather panels on it are so soft, my trainer asked if they had memory foam in them (they do not).

Another benefit of leather panels: I can ride in my glitter pads without worrying about glitter getting embedded in the serge panels, lol #imachild

As for me, during the lesson on Saturday she asked if I was ever actively engaging the too-big blocks. I laughed, "I did Dressage in a jump saddle for years, no I am not using the blocks." She said, "I thought so, I'm just going to take them out." And that's how I rode most of that lesson.

Shown: no blocks

Because it's a monoflap with a two-sided pocket at the front for Velcro blocks, just the knee pad and the pocket combined already feel like a skinny block to me. So while we will order a teeny tiny thigh block, I really don't need them right now.

(As she pulled the blocks out, I joked that she's the reason I wanted Velcro blocks, so that she could play with my leg position without me freaking out that I just spent *mumblemumble* on a saddle that's all wrong, lol)

I mean really though, if you have a biomechanics expert in your corner, why limit her with a single block configuration?

 

So hopefully they do still make the error right in some way, but it likely won't end up with serge panels, and that's okay with me and Connor. 

This whole thing feels like a lesson on trusting the talented people you put in your corner. Sure, people make mistakes, that's human, but the way this saddle fits us both doesn't just happen by accident. With a saddle we both like and a great fitter and trainer, it feels like the sky's the limit now for what we can accomplish next year.