A Long Post

Proof that we still have and use our jumping tack. We only did one trot pole, but it was a nice switch.

She is so freaking amazing. I love this mare.

Anyways, Izzy was forward and happy in her work. We figured out some stuff regarding the right lead, which she still didn't want to take. I had to keep her forward and stretching down and then quietly ask with my seat and then about 30% of the time, she would take it.

Sunday was much better. She took it every time I asked. I'm thinking her resistance was just because she remembered that it hurt before and anticipated that it would hurt again, even though it didn't.

Her massive injuries:

Left shoulder.

Right shoulder. She just took the hair off and it didn't even bleed, but she thought it was very dramatic.

The saddle hunt continues... well, actually, it begins today. I am mostly internetless at home, so I didn't get to do much over the weekend aside from obsess about it and drive my husband nuts. My local tack store did not have any Passiers in stock and they do not plan to carry them at all. Thanks, guys.

Here's what I'm looking for: 17.5" or 18" Passier with a wide gullet (or bought from a tack store that will adjust it for me with the purchase). I think I want to spend $750-1000 so that I can resell it for the same I paid for it if it doesn't work out... I'm currently following up with listings that interest me. It's kind of bizarre to be looking at saddles with a budget and there are actual listings.

My advantage is that Izzy is just not super hard to fit. She has withers and big shoulders and she likes a generous amount of room around them, but other than that, there aren't any big issues. She has a normal back and no particular hollows or bumps to be concerned about.

And, for good measure, here's a picture of how adorable my dogs are.