A revelation, new saddle, lesson, bolt, odds 'n' ends

This'll be a long one.

Let's start with Saturday. Rick and I rode out on the trails with two horses that were very up. I don't know what set them off, but earlier I watched two other boarders ride out, and one of the horses threw a fit rather than cross the road. Ours crossed the road, but never really settled into the trails.

Things felt weird, so I asked if Peanut was walking ok. Rick said that he was dropping his right hip. Peanut didn't feel lame, just odd, so I went on with the ride.

During our twice-weekly walks, Anne and I found a new trail that I wanted to try under saddle. To get there, we had to ride over a bridge that is covered in gravel. Peanut hates this bridge, and usually decides on a foot to go lame on while we cross it. This time, he didn't seem to mind.

Before we finished crossing, I realize that we are going really fast. He starts heading across the grass on the other side, and I note that the reins aren't working. I remember that there's something that I'm supposed to do... what was it... one rein stop! I yank a rein, but by then he had stopped on his own and he pretty much just walked a slow half circle. This was the first time in years that Peanut had bolted with me, and the first (last) time I ended up hopping off in tears. This time, I was shaking but fine. Rick and Gene just watched from the bridge, and Rick complimented me on how well I did.

We rode a bit down the trail (looks much narrower from horseback) and arrived at the first big hill (looks much steeper from horseback). Peanut got to the base of it and stopped just as Rick said, "how are you going to get up that?" We stood there, as I wondered the same thing, and Peanut turned around deciding for us that, yeah, today was not the day to power up Steep Hill.

As we got back to the bridge, I notice some poo. I ask if that was Peanut's, and Rick confirmed that yep, it was. When we got to it, there were two deep prints on each side of the poo where Peanut launched himself, and Rick told of how Peanut had sunk back on his haunches and then leaped forward.

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On to yesterday.

We (Anne and I) took the day off since we saw a late show on Sunday. Rick took it off just because we did. Since Leeandra also has Mondays off, we (Anne and I) had lessons. Anne's lesson was to be on Cheyenne, and mine was to be primarily a speed lesson on trails with Peanut. Basically, Leeandra was there to hold my hand while I got over my fear of going over a walk in wide open spaces.

Leeandra got there with the backseat of her truck full of tack. Included was a brand spanking new Fhoenix that she had on demo. She loves her Fhoenix, and I had tried to buy one when I was looking for a saddle. I had found a site full of old demo saddles for wonderful prices, called about one that was exactly what I had in mind, and was told that all of the listed saddles had sold long ago but I could try a much more expensive new one for $100 non-refundable. This was during the move from Legacy to Stonehill, so I had no patience for this and just moved on.

My 4-Beat has done well, but I have always wondered about the Fhoenix. Since I have been pouring $$ into savings recently, I have the cash to get one. I can never have cash around... I feel the need to buy something. Sigh. But anyway, I asked if I could have my lesson on the Fhoenix (which Leeandra has to sell on commission), and was told yes.

The lesson with Chey was interesting. First they went over her front legs, talking about the pigeon toes and the muscle and bone oddities that accompany it. It was one of those "it could be fine, it could be bad, let's see how she moves" kind of things. She was lunged (longed, whatever), ridden, and did well. Since brakes are an issue, they worked on completely disengaging her hindquarters (one rein stops) so that there would always be an alternative. I'll have to talk to Anne about it to see what really went on, as Peanut and I were grazing outside the ring and I missed all of the conversations.

Afterwards, it was our turn.

Walking back to the barn to tack Peanut up, I remarked on how you could still see the clean spots on Peanut's back from the Saturday ride. Since the saddle's seat is tilted back (it seems that all TWH saddles and most Western that I've seen are guilty of this), that most of my weight settled at the back of the saddle. The saddle itself doesn't bridge, but you can tell that there is more weight centered here or there. As Leeandra was noting the pattern, she also noticed that his croup was different than she remembered. The angle was different and he has a noticeable hunter's bump. She said that it almost looked like a pasture injury (or like he had flipped over), and I mentioned that Hoppy did note on her last visit that his pelvis was at an odd angle.

We took out the panels that came with the Fhoenix and replaced it with the suberpanel (I think that's how it's spelled) that is on her Fhoenix (which was just removed from Chey), and also stole its leathers and stirrups. I am glad that I had the saddle trial during a lesson, as it looked like hell. If I had taken that saddle out of the box I on my own I would have put it on his back, cursed, and shipped it back and be $100 poorer. The front was skinny and narrow, like it was made to fit a shark fin wither, and the back was flat as a table. There were gaps everywhere and it was perched on his back, piled high on top (the seat was probably a foot above his back), instead of going around it.

With some reassurance that it would change drastically, I mounted up.

Peanut stood well, and I felt ok.

Leeandra mounted up on Gene and we started to walk to the ring. Her first reaction was that my form was beautiful - better than she's seen. I've always had a pesky chair seat, but the stirrup attachment on the Fhoenix is set extra far back and it put my legs in perfect alignment. My back was naturally ram rod straight, and I was finally completely in line. Also, unlike my TWH saddles, the seat was flat instead of tipped back. Just as a good english saddle should be.

I walked around the ring as Leeandra put Gene through his paces and said how she hated that she had to draw up a contract every time she rode an appy. So, I walked as she discussed matters with Gene, and was told by the peanut gallery (Rick and Anne) that my saddle was way off to the right. I moved it to the left and Rick tightened the girth another hole.

Once Leeandra saw me adjusting the saddle, she came over to ask what was up. Then, the lesson really began. She had me frame him up, and then ask him to gait. Yeah, that didn't go too well. He balked just as he did in my first saddle. She said that she could see him bracing, and told me to hop off so that she could get on.

Leeandra got him walking and gaiting, and said that something felt odd about his right rear. During the gait, she counted with his footfalls and asked which foot was #1. It was his right rear and she asked which hip we noticed dropping on Saturday: the right. She said that he was lame in that leg somewhere, but it wasn't serious and it wasn't anything that should keep me out of the saddle. I mentioned that that foot tends to fall in the middle of his body until Hoppy sees him, and then it goes back to its correct place. She said that central placement made sense with what she was feeling.

She then cantered him a bit, which she loves since he has the Best Canter Ever (tm). It's fun seeing a trainer who's ridden hundreds of horses whipping around on your horse saying "whee!" and that she could keep it up all day.

We discussed switching to my other saddle to see if he was still balky for me, but then decided to hit the trail in the Fhoenix so that I could still try it out.

I led on the trail, and the Fhoenix started tattling on me. Big time.

I don't think that Leeandra ever followed me like that on horseback, so that might have had something to do with it as well.

My sense of the center of the saddle is all off. I've felt odd in the saddle for a long time, that my left leg was long and my right was scrunched up when I knew that my legs were even. To feel normal in my legs, I sit way far to the right in the saddle, and sitting in the center feels like I'm standing on the left of the horse with my right leg just thrown over the saddle itself. But, I didn't know this until the Fhoenix made it all too apparent. This is why the Fhoenix kept moving to the right.

I showed Leeandra what felt normal to me as to the center, and she was surprised and told me to move back to the real center quickly. She was also surprised that it was my left leg that felt long and my right that felt short, but that's how it is.

So, we started to discuss. My shitty sense of center combined with a saddle that put pressure at the back could have a lot to do with Peanut's rear right leg. It all made sense, especially as I could sit however I wanted to in the 4-Beat and it wouldn't move on his back, so it wouldn't tattle on my balance.

Well, fuck.

The saddle's fine, I'm not fine in the saddle.

Hoppy had blamed Peanut for this feeling of being off-center with uneven legs, but Hoppy had never seen me ride.

I asked if this could be why I had so many issues riding in general, and Leeandra confirmed that it very well could be. I asked if this is why I always fall off bareback, and Leeandra laughed.

Leeandra kept an eye on my balance throughout the ride, and would tell me to move the saddle to the left every now and then or else compliment me on the fact that I had stayed centered.

We also gaited and cantered - down trails, in open fields, uphill, downhill, on flats. It actually went well and the Fhoenix was GREAT. I kept getting complimented on my form as we were going faster uphill and down. In my 4-Beat, I tried cantering around Joan's house (the terrain undulates), and I couldn't stay in the saddle. I was bouncing around and had no control over a racing Peanut. When my confidence left, I bounced in the Fhoenix, but for the most part it was effortless. I got controlled, easy canters. My confidence left me when Peanut tried a faster canter which I'm not ready for in the open, but Leeandra said that was ok, baby steps, and I cantered a lot more than she had expected. I got my confidence back and even effortlessly handled a sideways spook at the canter.

Poor Peanut, though! He is an out of shape marshmallow and we had to keep taking walk breaks so that he could catch his breath.

When I dismounted, the saddle looked completely different. The front had widened, and all of the gaps had filled in.

It looks like I'm getting another saddle.....

It also looks like Hoppy needs to get out here and put Peanut's leg back where it belongs.

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Not horse related, but I saw two shows this weekend. On Friday I saw Mandy Patinkin and Patti Lupone at the DuPont Theater, and on Sunday I saw One Night of Queen (a Queen cover band) at the Wilmington Opera House.

Mandy and Patti was a big love-fest. Two people who love what they were doing playing to an audience who love seeing them do what they love. We were much younger than most of the people there, but it was still a charming show. My favorite part was when they danced in office chairs, culminating in Patti leaning back in hers and Mandy grabbing her ankles and spinning her around like ice skaters doing a death spiral. Anne just liked watching the guy she knows best as a grim reaper from Dead Like Me singing, dancing, and being goofy.

I was uncertain about the Queen show going in, as Queen is my favorite group but, oops, never got to see them live and never will. I know two of them are still touring under the name, but it's not the same. This show blew me away and was the best concert that I have been to by far. They never pretend to be anything more than a cover band of Queen, but the singer (who won a British reality show where people imitate celebrities) was a vocal doppelganger and took on Freddie's mannerisms and style of audience interaction flawlessly. He was hilarious and had the voice to back him up.

If this is what the real Queen was like, then I really missed something. Granted the Opera House is much more intimate than a stadium, but damn. We had good seats too, especially since my awesome seats ended up being completely obscured by equipment and, upon complaining to the box office, they moved us to what were actually better seats.

At one point someone in the front row held up a Phillies hat for the singer, and he took it and wore it for part of a song. The crowd erupted. He took it off, kissed it, and gave it back. After the show, while waiting for Anne outside of the bathroom, I saw the Phillies Hat Guy waiting there too. One of the guys talking to him was from backstage, and he said that the singer (whose name I can't remember!) came back and couldn't figure out why everyone was so crazy about the hat. It's just red with a white P on it, I can't blame a Brit for not knowing what the fuck. :)

When we left, we took a side alley to get back to the car, and saw someone come out to smoke. It was the guitarist. We thanked him for the fabulous show, he thanked us for coming (in what sounded like a Scottish accent?), and we went home.