Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Baby Mares: They Grow

dust. the season before mud.
I've been in absolute tack ho hysterics lately because it seems like nothing I own fits Zoebird anymore. Which like. Babies grow, I get it. But also she is four and sure people TELL ME that drafties grow through their seven year old year and yes, I've formed her life/training plan around letting her growing body develop, but also like the horse is four. How much is she really going to change?

Cough.

I'll just wait for y'all to quit laughing uproariously.

Okay. So. I was cleaning up my phone pictures the other day and I saw this:
is a baby!
That's a baby Zoebird the first day I ever met her. Look what a leetle beebee she is! 

Annnnnnd here's Zoebird playing in the round pen last week:
VA VA VOOM
And like. That isn't a fat horse you're looking at. Mare is solid. She's muscle. She's pretty fit. She was in great shape when she came too--nice weight, glossy coat, all that. 

It's just that in four months (I counted), she doesn't look like the same horse anymore. 

You can see it under saddle too:
one of her first rides
I think that was like... first few days of August? 

Annnnnnnd here's October: 
mmhmmm
Oh and if you're wondering what a curvy girl looks like without all the tack, well, brace yourself:
that's real round
IN FOUR MONTHS

boss corgi needs more coffee
So uh. 

That existential scream you just heard was definitely someone else saddle shopping. 

Definitely. 

64 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Oh, so fun. Just like. Damn. Did not expect. Haha.

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  2. She is growing into a beautiful woman. Just like her namesake! Carmen came to me a 5 year old. In that time I have gone through THREE gullet changes. Thank god I bought a saddle with a changeable gullet otherwise that would be THREE saddle. She's now seven. Saddle fitter says she may change again. sigh. She is taller and much more filled out- curvy like ZoeBird. They would look stunning togehter. Just sayin'.

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    Replies
    1. Ha yeah I'm under no illusions that she's going to stay this shape either. Gotta learn to ride the wave.

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  3. My thoroughbred sensibilities don't even know how you fit a saddle to that back. But also, hot damn, she is so good looking. Maybe I need a draft cross in my life!

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    Replies
    1. You definitely need a draft cross. She's completely ruining me for anything else.

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  4. The drafties get wider, and wider, and wider, and wider, and wider...

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  5. Replies
    1. I was shocked when I saw those trotting shots side by side. Shocked.

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  6. Replies
    1. I remember seeing her and thinking she was small and I don't really think she's small anymore, but I thought I'd just gotten used to her.

      Nope.

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  7. Oh no! Not saddle shopping, that is a special kind of hell.

    I had four really easy saddle shopping experiences, so of course the fifth must be hell.

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    Replies
    1. You had four seemless saddle shopping experiences?

      Next you're going to say you have a local Dover or something.

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    2. Well, two of them were bought for no equine in particular when I was a once weekly lesson student, one was a cheap dressage saddle meant to just last long enough to see if we wanted it, the other was super cheap for a friend.

      But this? This is hell.

      And no, no local Dover. But two awesome local tack stores.

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  8. Holy filled out Batman!! Can’t wait to see June and see the changes that will be happening!

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    Replies
    1. Yes for sure!! Hopefully for your saddle-fitting sake, June is a little less rotund, haha.

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  9. do you think she'll end up being something like Roxie size? that's a lot of growth in a short amount of time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roxie is a very large lady. I'm thinking Zoe will be somewhat smaller?

      That is predicated mostly on denial and wishful thinking.

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  10. BLOG-WIDE SADDLE SHOPPING PARTY, LET'S ALL START DRINKING!!!! FML.

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    Replies
    1. What about those of us that are shopping that are underage?

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    2. It will drive you to illegal drinking.

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    3. Yes, it will. Because guess who just gained muscle in exactly the wrong place and is now convinced his dressage saddle is the Worst Thing Ever?

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    4. ZB pins her ears THE MOMENT I put her ap saddle on her.

      Sob.

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    5. How about we all just go buy really nice bareback pads and a ton of advil and then just all give up?

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    6. Well, we can't show if the ponies are crippled from their ill fitting saddles.

      I think it is time to throw away my illusions of getting a nice saddle and get something with a changeable gullet. Pony is 14 and very done growing, but very out of shape.

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  11. Oh, that is one wide, round little girl. Definitely look at the English saddleries, they tend to cater to the cob shape. And buy booze. Much booze. We can scream together as I try to get a western saddle on my high wither, big shoulder, flat back draft cross!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm definitely picking brains of draft people. This is uncharted territory for me.

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  12. I almost took a picture for you the other day of little Bast standing in the shadow of the huge draft x mare at my barn. It was adorbs and he was in looooove. Lol.

    In other news. Pretty sure Bast is growing too. Now my saddle fits him less than it did. Tragedy!! I'm gonna need a second job soon to afford all this crap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess I can be thankful my shopping has dropped way off on account of how literally nothing off the shelf fits her. Helps with the saving-for-saddles thing.

      And I need the Bast+draftie pic. That sounds charming.

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  13. Yup - saddle fitter is coming out again in a few weeks to refit Annie. Ughhh.

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  14. Yeah Amber grew through her 7 yr old year. I did hear that the wintec/bates wide saddles are perfect for drafts but I don't own a draft lol. Just a hugely wide QH lol

    But Zoe has absolutely filled out beautifully, and definitely packing on the muscle. Can't wait to see what she'll look like in another 4 months!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember trying a bates on her when she first came home and it did not fit, but clearly that's no longer a relevant data point. I'll have to look into them!

      Hahaha and me too. I have no idea what I'm in for.

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  15. Replies
    1. I mean, I expected her to change. I just didn't realize it would be this much or this fast.

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  16. FEEL YOUR PAIN!!! #fellowdraftcrossowner #minefinallygrewup

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  17. Jack hasn't changed his shape *quite* as dramatically as Zoebird (GF has some junnnnk in that trunkkkk) but I definitely feel your pain with the shape-shifting. I have not even owned Jack for 6 months and could easily buy a new saddle with only what I've spent on updating what I already have.

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    Replies
    1. I swore off all "nice" saddles until such time as she has more or less stabilized. Yikes.

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  18. She has changed so much, but she looks fabulous!

    Thorowgood makes some good cob model saddles (made for wide, fairly flat backs with not a lot of wither). I know, synthetic saddle, but the T8 is synthetic and leather and actually a pretty decent saddle. Not sure of your budget, but may be something to look into since it has the changeable gullet and may work a bit longer than something that is a fixed tree. They are wool flocked, too.

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    Replies
    1. I'll definitely check them out. Thanks!!

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    2. Seconding Thorowgood! That's what I'm using for my draft cross. She immediately started going better in it compared to my awful cheapo crosby I snagged on ebay.

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  19. Yay 4 year old draftie bloom! :) Seems like that's when they start really arriving at their adult look (if not necessarily their adult shape and size).

    ...Also, this is why the only things my 2yo draft has are a pair of halters. lol

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    Replies
    1. Yeah I should mention I've only ever had TB types before and while they "filled out" a bit, it was never like this. Whole new world.

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  20. Baby Zoebird is turning into Lady Zoebird! That's a huge change in such a short time, but she really looks fantastic. Sorry about the saddle shopping though :(

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  21. She is such a lovely, lovely girl. New reader here, been getting caught up. I can relate to the frustration of horse body changes...my (super-wide, round) pony mare did the same thing...outgrew the first 4 saddles I got for her.

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    Replies
    1. I'm not so much frustrated as flabbergasted. Whole new world!

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  22. http://saddlefitter.blogspot.com/2009/10/from-tree-up-hoop-vs-standard.html

    I'm pretty sure this post is meant for you.

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    Replies
    1. I mean there's definitely a tack ho part of me that's excited we get to try a whole new kind of tree? Haha.

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  23. This reminds me of " apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur... " Haha

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  24. Oh no!! Saddle shopping is the worst ever

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    Replies
    1. It is not a top ten most fun activities list item for sure, haha.

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