The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!

I also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I dont' know why you'd look forward to seeing these pictures. It's so pretty....can they have dry spots and it not mean anything...But if that's the case why didn't my old one fit...It's so pretty I wasn't even tempted to leave it out side tonight in the rain:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

It sure is pretty. I'm just still in shock that it might be wrong after all this.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

You're not the only one.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

...It's so pretty I wasn't even tempted to leave it out side tonight in the rain:)

Don't you dare, but you better at least get those white stirrups dirty before you take it to a ride :~D

Take it to them... Only thing you can do.

Certainly if he's not fully sweaty it can affect the pattern, but we're sposed to worry about dry spots...

Wish I had an answer.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I can't really take him tomorrow, but I can on Fri. I'm going to call them tomorrow tho. i want to make sure Stanley will be there.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I was going to have to take it back anyway, they forgot the tie rings.

That's not that big of a deal, they just have to unscrew the conchos at the front and back, put the tie rings on and screw the conchos over them.

Becky

[Beaker]

LOL....gobsmacked...what the hell does that mean:)..
Roseofsharn defined it for me once. It means that you're totally shocked. Or something like that...

[HairOfTheDog]

I noticed no tie rings... but I figured you didn't need me pointing out anything else that was wrong. ;~\

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I noticed it when I picked it up, but we were getting it as we came back into town from my dads, and Tucker was fussing because it was time to eat and I didn't want to wait. Charlie told me they would probably forget since Stanley didn't write it down when I went in and asked if we could put them on. He said it was no big deal, that they weren't hard to add.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well then "gobsmacked" works:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, and thanks for the consideration:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Regarding placement...

Can't tell for sure but it ~might~ be a little too far forward. You want the front of the saddle no further forward than the point of his shoulderblade and it looks like the saddle might be on it.

I would, to seek placement for his back and his movement, put it on him snug but not tight, and either ride or lunge him at the trot, on level ground without the breastcollar on. His shoulder movement will move it back to where it comfortably wants to be. Then fit the breastcollar.

That's if it otherwise fits... of course.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I'm heading to bed. I can't think about this anymore.

Thanks for the advise. I'f they don't give me a satisfactory approach tomorrow, I'll sure give this a try.

Beckky

[HairOfTheDog]

I understand your frustration. I won't insult you by saying I am just as disappointed as you are, but I am awfully disappointed for you.

[tuffydoodle]

"I've been wanting to read "Marley and Me". It looks really good."

It's AWESOME. Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read. If you are a dog lover, get it. I love a book that makes me laugh out loud. My life can be so stressful, I always need a good laugh.

Make sure you're alone when you read the last chapters. They aren't quite so funny.

[MissTargets]

Good Morning.

Becky, sorry about your saddle. I will check out pics when I get home.

[FrogInABlender]

Wow Becky! The saddle is gorgeous! But I sure hate to hear that you're having a problem with it too. Hopefully they can figure something out or get you a new one since they did guarantee that they would be able to fit your horse.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, to be honest, I'm not 100% sure I am having a problem at this point. I'm just not sure. But my main problem now is, if these dry spots are really there, but there is no problem, then maybe the dry spots from my old saddle aren't a problem????

How do I know??? As pretty as this saddle is if I really don't need it, I'd rather not spend the money on it.

I'm going to call them, but I think they are going to say it needs more of a test. I'm really hoping they just tell me to come over there and test it, so he can SEE. I wish I had got him to do that with my old one. He saw my old one on the horse, but I didn't ride in it for him to see the sweat pattern. But my old one Did rub a sore, but there are several reasons that could have been. My saddle pad was pretty wore out. But I do believe there was a pressure point with my old one because of the way the fleece was wore in such a defined spot. and that spot sat right where the sore on Harley showed up.

There are just so many variables here. I don't know what to believe. At this point I'd like to put a new fleece on my old saddle and ride it for a long enough period to see if a sore shows up on him again. Then if it does, I'll try this new one again and see what happens.

Shoot it may be that Stanley will say this one doesn't work and he will build an other one. LOL...I just don't want to wait that long...

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

I think the dry spots are a problem. And you've got the additional challenge of having a light colored horse, so you're never going to see the white hairs that would crop up after a while and let you know that you've for sure got a problem. What you may want to do is to ride him in it for long enough at home that he gets a good soaking sweat underneath it, then load him up in the trailer and take him down there. That way you get a good test and you're not wasting a lot of time at the saddle shop. Then when you're there maybe they can watch you ride him in it and decide if you've got it sitting in the right spot and that kinda thing.

I don't think you're going to have to have the luxury of time to have your old saddle re-fleeced and try it out again for long enough to see if the sore reappears before having to make a decision on the new saddle. But I may be wrong. They may have lots more patience than most saddle makers. Most of them won't even let you bring one back once you've ridden in it without charging you some kind of "restocking fee". Saddle fit problems have got to be one of the most aggravating parts of horse ownership!

[Rose of Sharn]

[Q]gobsmacked ?
[A] It’s a fairly recent British slang term: the first recorded use is only in the eighties, though verbal use must surely go back further. The usual form is gobsmacked, though gobstruck is also found. It’s a combination of gob, mouth, and smacked. It means “utterly astonished, astounded”. It’s much stronger than just being surprised; it’s used for something that leaves you speechless, or otherwise stops you dead in your tracks. It suggests that something is as surprising as being suddenly hit in the face. It comes from northern dialect, most probably popularised through television programmes set in Liverpool, where it was common. It’s an obvious derivation of an existing term, since gob, originally from Scotland and the north of England, has been a dialect and slang term for the mouth for four hundred years (often in insulting phrases like “shut your gob!” to tell somebody to be quiet). It possibly goes back to the Scottish Gaelic word meaning a beak or a mouth, which has also bequeathed us the verb to gob, meaning to spit. Another form of the word is gab, from which we get gift of the gab.