Part of the reason I was convinced I could afford to have Courage was the fact that I own so much horse $h!t that I didn't think I would actually need to buy anything else.
I know, I know. This is me, the tack 'ho, we're talking about. Ooops.
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| The mismatched bridle assembly |
I own 6 bridles, all generously horse sized, to fit Cuna's adorable and large face. Guess who has a teeny little noggin? Courage. I'm currently making do with the cavesson off of Cuna's jump bridle and a headstall I may have picked up on ebay for no really good reason.
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| Your saddle collection is inadequate |
I own two jump saddles--a wide Ainsley xc saddle, left over from my mare, that I dearly love and fits me well, and Cuna's super narrow sharkfin wither Jimmy Wofford xc saddle that fits me reasonably well.
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| D'oh |
Guess who has average withers and already fills out a medium? Courage. I was trying to make him wear Cuna's saddle, but it isn't going to work if he gains so much as an ounce. I cannot justify (or afford) buying a nice saddle to fit him in this particular phase, but something had to be done.
Our BO to the rescue! She had two saddles sitting around that she thought might work. Courage fits nicely into the one I like a little less, naturally. Still. I rode him in it today, and he felt about 10% more forward and comfortable. Either all my attempts at training are starting to mean something, or he was just that much more comfortable. Hm.
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| Rocking the Kieffer |
Of course, this saddle has less forward flaps than either of mine, which means my carefully-cultivated collection of forward cut saddle pads aren't really long enough for it. And really, the longer billets mean that I might end up needing a shorter girth.
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| So pretty |
And boots? I had a full set of Veredus jump boots sitting around that I couldn't bear to part with. They fit him well and look super classy... but he really needs black bell boots to go with them since he does overreach and (of course) ALL of Cuna's bell boots are huge on him.
Oh horse. Remember when I said I had enough stuff? I really thought I did.
Courage will looks AWESOME in a pair of black over-reach boots. OMG I can already picture the cuteness!
ReplyDeleteAhahahha! Yay for generous BOs though, great news on the saddle! I had the same thought when I got Encore. Who is the EXACT opposite shape as Solo, sigh. They do at least both have fat heads and big legs, but Solo wears a size 0 shoe and Encore wears a size 2, so I hear you on feets and backs!
ReplyDeleteI love Courage's tiny face! If you need to unload anything extra, you know you are still welcome to barter with me! I know you previously mentioned those boots, but no need to spare them when they look so flashy on Courage!
ReplyDeleteSo Lucky that Carlos had the tiny head and Ramone is an actual horse size. So much easier fitting things.
ReplyDeleteCould you potentially use a shimming pad to get your wide saddle to fit him?
ReplyDeleteHe's adorable! :)
This is why my blog is called "It's a good thing you're cute" lol but, he really is adorable!
ReplyDeleteIt never fails! :0)
ReplyDeleteIt is pretty much impossible not to end up buying a lot of tack when you have a new horse :)
ReplyDeleteHe is such a cutie! Wish my BO could just whip out a nice Kieffer whenever I needed it ;)
ReplyDeleteWe are beyond spoiled at this barn. :)
DeleteYour plan has worked! You simply must get more tack. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could buy the Kieffer.
Courage is so gorgeous, he's worth a ramen budget to tack him up.
ReplyDeleteHmmm yes it sounds like you need more tack! :) (says the enabler!)
ReplyDeleteEnter: English Tack Trader facebook group. You can find some fabulous discounted items on there!! :)
ReplyDeleteI've got some small/medium davis bell boots I could give you...but they are pink. =/
ReplyDeleteI thought I didn't need any more bridles when I got George. I had two BEAUTIFUL bridles that fit Piney perfectly and that I loved and were classy and elegant and would great on George's pretty head. Turns out that Piney had a peanut head....Geroge has a normal horse sized head...Guess who is looking for a new bridle? I have 15 different western bridles that would fit George...but no. Just no. So currently he is rocking an older brown English bridle which doesn't go over well with me because my saddle is black. We look like hillbillies...
ReplyDeleteCome on, admit it. You really got Courage just so you could go tack shopping again. *S*
ReplyDeleteI think eBay is the way to go at this point.
Keiffers and TBs go together like a match made in heaven. I'm pretty sure you should throw caution to the wind and go on a major tack spree. Its what courage would want.
ReplyDeleteDang you have to get some new things!!! lol I love horse shopping!
ReplyDeleteOh no, now we're really going to be competing for used stuff if we both have cob-sized heads. What size girth does he wear? I have a non-fancy cob-sized bridle I'd loan you if you want one that isn't cobbled together. Let me know what else you need and I'll dig through my stuff. I'm not using it right now anyway.
ReplyDeleteWith horses there is always something else. Always just one more item before we "have it all," even without adding a second horse to the mix! I keep telling myself that I'm almost there. My husband stopped believing that a long time ago, though, I think.
ReplyDeleteBut we all know that a lot of the fun of horse ownership is all the stuff!
Ahhh, saddle fitting! It sucks when you have multiple saddles and none of them fit your new horse. Glad you were able to hunt up a loaner:-)
ReplyDeleteHorse joys! We will have to pack up my tackroom together for the move to penny's and see what spare parts I have that will work for your new man!
ReplyDelete