This weekend was full of fun stuff with my friend, Emily. On Friday, we spent all day at the Horse World Expo in Harrisburg, and, although it is nothing like Equine Affaire, it was still really fun to wander around the booths and listen to some presenters, including my favorite, Guy McLean :) Plus Jan was there, the trainer I worked with back in PA, so it was nice to catch up with him.
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| Oh, Guy, how I love thee |
Saturday was a day of wine tasting and shopping at local tack stores. One of the consignment stores was having a French saddle event, and I unexpectedly discovered the coolest saddle ever: a WISair Dutton RZ saddle (
Wise Equestrian).
I have never sat in anything so comfortable and that put me in such a good position; it just felt perfect (and I've sat in plenty of saddles across a wide range of price levels). The cutout in the seat, although meant to promote cooling and airflow along the horse's back, was the ideal solution to my chronically sore tailbone. Plus it has an adjustable gullet and nice wither clearance, which only make it even better for a horse like Charlie.
In the saddle market, this one is actually a very reasonable $2600 (base). However, it will unfortunately be some time before I could even think about affording something like it. The worst part, as I learned after coming home and doing some research, is that they are no longer being produced because Dutton has partnered with Antares instead! Gah! I guess I'll just have to add it to the wish list and hope that when I am ready to buy, I can find one used.
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| Em and I enjoying some wine with some Lafayette alums on Saturday night |
On Sunday Emily and I took a nice morning hike at Oregon Ridge Park. I quickly realized it was going to turn out to be a gorgeous day, and
Emily had to get to her barn for spring shots anyway, so as soon as we were
done I booked it back home...to ride my horse! At a beautiful
40+ degrees, how could I not go riding?!
Charlie and I didn't do more than walk, with lots of bending and a little bit of trotting. After all, we are both
really out of shape and the deep wet snow wasn't great footing-wise, but we did it!
Charlie was reluctant to move forward at first, biting at my legs when I asked him to reach out and resisting by hollowing his back with his head in the air. Once he realized I wouldn't stop asking, though, he gave up and I was able to get him to stretch a bit. We've got a lot of ground to make up after both having the winter off, but I know he knows what he's supposed to do, and it is encouraging to have had such a positive first ride back (behavior-wise) without really lunging or anything beforehand.
After we were done, I hand walked Charlie down all the way to the end of the driveway to cool him out and test whether the "driveway demons" were still there in his mind. (If you remember, he wasn't too keen about leaving the barn when I had
tried this before.) This time went really well, especially since we had to go through some pretty big, deep puddles. It was really good experience for him, reminding him that water is not something to be afraid of. Overall, a really good day!
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| Look at us, waaaay down here |
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| Checking out the puddles |
I would have ridden again today, but I'm super sore, so I'm sure Charlie is too. Plus, today was Dentist Day. Hopefully we can try again later in the week!
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| Always amazes me how they just stand for this |
In the saddle market, this one is actually a very reasonable $2600 (base). However, it will unfortunately be some time before I could even think about affording something like it. The worst part, as I learned after coming home and doing some research, is that they are no longer being produced because Dutton has partnered with Antares instead! Gah! I guess I'll just have to add it to the wish list and hope that when I am ready to buy, I can find one used.
Charlie was reluctant to move forward at first, biting at my legs when I asked him to reach out and resisting by hollowing his back with his head in the air. Once he realized I wouldn't stop asking, though, he gave up and I was able to get him to stretch a bit. We've got a lot of ground to make up after both having the winter off, but I know he knows what he's supposed to do, and it is encouraging to have had such a positive first ride back (behavior-wise) without really lunging or anything beforehand. 
