How to Create a Trail Horse: Saddle Upgrade

 Adding wheels to our equation changes everything.

Don't get me wrong--I'm an expert in bumming rides and I have lovely friends who have always gotten me where I needed to go on time. I've also lost all desire to show horses and am skeptical about clinics unless I know the clinician (and even then idk). 

I also live in a state rich with natural beauty with tons of public land and just so happen to be riding a purpose-bred ranch horse who hates going in circles and loves to explore. It's the perfect recipe to make a backcountry trail set up.

It's still winter here, especially in the mountains, so I'm taking the opportunity to put together the essentials to go do the damn thing with my horse. I'm also blogging about it, in part because I'm excited and I want somewhere to share but also because I'm trying to piece together information from random sources on the internet and it seems like a nice idea to consolidate it here. 

All of this is work-in-progress information and I'll update it or write new posts as I learn what is most important to me. 

Here's the basics about us:

Person
SB (me): hi

Horse experience: seasoned arena rider with some experience on trail riding a variety of horses ~1-2 hours at a time. Favorite equestrian memory is hacking out event horses in the mountains.

Hauling experience: lots of miles going forward, limited miles going backward, brand new trailer owner

Mindset: old enough to know better, dumb enough to try anyways, smart enough to learn on the way

Horse

ZB (my beloved Zoebird)

Ridden experience: pretty good at circles, loves variety, can be herd bound, generally unflappable

Hauling experience: never met a trailer she wouldn't get on. Very pro food. Doesn't like to back off.

Mindset: will always try

Stats: coming 12 (!!) Percheron/Paint cross. Low single swirl. Broad/flat back, comfortable stride, wearing front shoes on big, solid feet. 

Saddle:

Big Horn 16" Draft Trail Saddle w/ Xwide Draft Bars (1680 Model)

I bought this saddle back in 2020 and have ridden exclusively in it for the last couple of years. The balance is nice for both of us and it's in good shape. I always ride in a breastcollar (note custom mohair stunner link here) due to ZB being a round lady. I upgraded the cinch strap and stirrups last year and uh "custom shortened" the stirrup leather because it was apparently designed for some 6'6" all-leg ogre and I'm simply not that person.

Another upgrade this winter was to the F10 Ultra merino wool pad--I'm a sucker for a nice saddle pad and it's the softest thing I've ever felt under a western saddle. I'm keeping an eye on it--it's definitely designed for a horse with a curvier topline so either it's going to break in to her back through use and be fabulous or it's going to slip around. I'll play it by ear. 

I'm also running in a mohair cinch with roller buckles. It came with the saddle and I like it. 

Our goal is single day treks in the mountains, which means I need to be able to change layers, carry lunch/water, and have some basic emergency supplies handy. That means saddle bags. That means they need to attach to something. We have an excellent old-school western saddle maker/repair guy nearby so the first step was to take the saddle in and replace the pretty-but-useless conchos with strings so I can tie things on. 

conchos circled

I also had him add a twist in to my stirrups--it's way easier to keep them and less torque on my knees/ankles to have them hang properly. I'm rocking my lovely, grippy purple stirrups. They're lightweight with excellent tread. Long term, I might want something more practical with a wider footbed but short term these are pretty and I already have them. 

strings and twists!

My experience with ZB in general and on trails in particular tells me that I'd rather have a more mild bit on her. Even if it means I'll have to work a little harder when the pony nose starts going to snacks, I'm in a better position if something weird happens and she gets a little reactive. Long term, my friends who are experienced at riding out have a pretty specific lightweight bosal hackmore set up that's more comfortable for the horse so I'm looking in to it but I don't think we need to wait on that to get started. 

I do have (ha ha this will shock you) a lot of bit and headstall options to play around with until we find the right fit and one of many cool things about ZB is that she's pretty much the same horse whether you ride in a halter or a curb bit or anything in between. I'm fucking obsessed with these hand made teal-accented horsehair reins so this is the current set up. 

It's false spring here and fingers crossed our maiden voyage is this week.

I Went Shopping (again)

I've been promising a tack write-up, so here goes an explanation of Zoe's latest outfit acquisition. 

she is cartoon pony

Labor Day weekend was... stressful... so I voted to allow myself one good, solid splurge on related tack sales. I'd just started riding Zoe bareback, so I was leaning towards that Thinline Bareback Pad that I have wanted since the Izzy days. It was 20% off with free shipping, which is tempting. 

But.

There was a local tack trailer (that I love) at a local show (that I was going to). I waited to pull the trigger on the pad until I got to the trailer to peruse their selection. I was the first customer up the ramp like WHAT HAVE WE HERE when the owner took the one bridle I've been drooling on for well over a year now and stuck it on the sale rack. 

It was still substantially more than the bareback pad. And I have a Zoe bridle. 

But. SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES, AMIRIGHT. 

teeny supports local shows. unrelated man supports teeny.

Plus I explained how Zoe is a custom fit girl and the shop owner was 100% on board with letting me try it on her and then swapping out parts to get the fit right.

Plus notorious spend-thrifts Alyssa and Nadia were both on site. They always tell me no to everything (and are like "spend your money on lessons/shows" because they are haters) but they both saw the bridle and the sale price and went "yeah the bareback pad will always be there GET THE BRIDLE".

When hell freezes over, you don't question it. You just get your skates and go for it. 

 (Leah and T were obv on board as well. I believe they voted for "both".) 

my trunk is busy, ok?

Unfortunately, the downside to having a SMOOSHY FACE to shop for is that I don't have smooshy measurements memorized (yet) and I'm not solid at just eyeballing her size either. 

I pranced out to the barn the next day. Put the bridle on the Zoe. 

Zoebird is not impressed

...and found out that apparently it was dinosaur sized. Whoops. Fortunately, my mobile tack shop lady makes barn visits and when I sent her the photo, she brought me the next size down. Ladies and (maybe) gents, I give you Zoe in a horse sized bridle:

kyoot

Dear bridle makers: if your horse size fits my 100% custom mare face, you are doing it wrong. 

So that happened. And that was certainly enough. I pretty well blew the stress shopping budget out of the water there. 

#worthit

But I was wandering around the internet, as one does, and I ran across a saddle that Roxie's mom and I had discussed as a potentially good fit for Zoe. It looked like it would work for me. It looked like it would work for Zoe. It was priced at like 40% of what I'd expect given the brand and condition. And yeah, there were like 7 people in front of me in line for it. 

So I kinda forgot about it for a few days, then followed up. 

And got an invoice. 

And then a box. 

quite a box

A real big box. 

i should have made a better selfie face. oh well.

With a fancy dressage saddle inside. 

Again, I pranced out to the barn to dress up Ms. Zoebird.

baby mare!

And uh. Does she look like a fantastic little future dressage mare or what? 

I regret nothing. 

And if you're looking for my checking account, it's definitely not in the shallow grave in my back yard. HUSH YOU.

It Went Shopping, Part the Second

As y'all are aware, Courage is a dressage horse. As you are probably also aware, I wish he would jump. I mean, the horse jumps likes this:

But for complicated biomechanical reasons we aren't going to get in to right now, he is better off not jumping regularly with me. The point is, I have a jump saddle. The saddle really doesn't fit me great and it really doesn't fit him that well.

So while I'm out wandering the internet and buying anything in plain sight, I stumbled across a certain French Gentleman.

In case you weren't aware, Canadian dollars are basically monopoly money, so omg super cheap!! And yes, of course I know both Courage and my specs in the various French saddles. It's just part of being a tack ho.

Anyways. I went all crazy-go-nuts and bid on the French Gentleman and then drove Teresa and Leah nuts counting down the hours on the auction (quote: "you're giving me a saddle ulcer."). Those of you penny pinchers out there ought to be proud of how I didn't just completely freak out when I got outbid in the final minutes and let the Frenchman go to someone else.

too much monopoly $ for me

But here's the thing: just because I missed out on on wildly excellent deal I didn't need doesn't mean I can't look for another. #youmightbeatackho

I tried to be objective about it. I don't need a shiny new Frenchman. I only jump a few times a year. I just want something that fits both of us well enough to be safe and balanced. I don't jump enough to spend a lot.

And I want a monoflap.

Dammit.

I do.

So I scoured the entire internet. Sadly, all the monoflap Frenchmen were 3-5k+, which isn't in my price range for a saddle for a discipline I actually do, much less one I dabble in once a quarter.

and it has been reasonably pointed out that i'm not even riding right now

But then I stumbled across this one saddle:

18" medium tree monoflap saddle. Reasonable asking price. A friend has one and raves about it, but she rides a horse different than mine and I've never sat in it. It's a bit of an off-brand and it's not French, but it's affordable.

Despite what you think, I'm a pretty frugal person. I hemmed and hawed and tire kicked and gave Leah a jump on another saddle ulcer. Oh and I definitely didn't tell Alyssa because she's a bit of a hater on the tack purchases unless they're purple. But I didn't want a purple monoflap.

did want  purple polos. got them.

The seller agreed to a trial, but we went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth on price and details and weren't really coming to an agreement. I will close a deal NAOW if I really want something, but I didn't neeeeeeed it per se and I didn't know if it would fit and ehhhhh that's a big risk for me.

Finally, I told the seller I'd keep looking. (Translation: try to sell my current saddle so I actually have a budget and can start making sexy eyes at Frenchmen on ebay).

She said toodles.

Then she countered with an offer lower than my last offer. And the trial I wanted. And threw in some accessories. So I guess it was less like "countered" and more like "caved".

celebratory dinner party for one

I paid her. Things got weird.

Funny joke no. They were already weird. But once I paid her, the weird hit new and bizarre levels, including the seller messaging me to demand more money because she'd rather get more than than she told me she'd sell for, which is a fascinating way of doing business to be sure.

Not gonna lie, it was three days of sheer entertainment. The negotiations kept getting crazier. I laughed out loud a lot.

But at the end of day three, I was out $$$ and didn't feel like shelling out more to get a saddle I only half wanted and didn't actually need. So I asked for a refund, and to the seller's credit, she promptly complied.

SAY HES A BIRD

And that is the story of how I both bought and didn't buy a saddle, but sold a bridle to finance it and thus ended up with a hearty paypal balance and we all know paypal money isn't real money, so I rolled that balance into purchasing...

DUN DUN DUN

to be continued...

Update on the Precious

Aside from occasionally crawling into dark spaces and muttering "It came to me. My own. My Precious," while stroking my new saddle, life is going on pretty much as usual.

Well. If usual means basically liquidating the entire tack hoard to pay for the precious.

haven't shipped the actual soul yet

Every once in a while, I cringe a little and think about trying to keep something

cough gollum cough

But the fat hobbit, she knows. Eyes always watching.

Mustn't ask us, not it's business. Noooooo.

See, as I create invoices for the latest lovely thing to find a new home, I look at pictures of me riding my green(ish) horse on his first out of the year.

And instead of feeling like butter scraped over too much bread, I see an open hip angle and a solid leg. The precious isn't the bridles or the boots or linen collection. It's the saddle.

yes in tails

I found it, I did. A way to get the saddle. Orcs don't use it. Orcs don't know it. They go round for miles and miles.

We Wants It

You might remember that I had a couple of saddles to play with. I had no intention of buying anything, but one shouldn't go snorkeling in stream bottoms if one doesn't want to find magic rings. 

It quickly went from "hm 17.5" Custom Advantage is interesting" to this: 

We told you it was tricksy. We told you it was false. 

It came to me. My own. My precious.

Not its business. Leave us alone. 

Nasty elves twisted it. TAKE IT OFF US.

That would kill us. KILL US. 

We be nice to them if they be nice to usssss. 

"I will take the precious to the mountain of FIRE"

I spent a long weekend waffling back and forth between MY PRECIOUS and OBVIOUSLY ITS CRIPPLING MY HORSE (because apparently now that we have used a fitter ONE WHOLE TIME, I am completely incapable of making decisions). 

But then after a fateful ride in which I spent 10 minutes in my old saddle, then ripped it off in disgust, this happened:

#frodofailed

Which is to say. The Custom is here to stay. Stand by whilst I sell my soul to afford it. (And yes. Alyssa approved it provided said soul was actually listed for sale today.) 

I Swear I'm Not Saddle Shopping

CONTEST PEOPLES: I swear I haven't forgotten you. I'm buried at work this week, so I will write you a results post ASAP! Thank you for all the submissions--definitely plenty of amusement to go around.

OK. On to content:

Despite the fact that I can tell you in absolute terms what my dream jump saddle is and have a pretty good idea of what I like vs what I don't, I have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER what I even think about dressage saddles.

Sad fact: I have sat in so few. 

Sadder fact: of the few I have sat in, only 3 actually worked for me.

Less sad fact: I actually own one of those. 

I don't own this one. Do I need to?

I'm not saddle shopping (WE SWEARS PRECIOUS WE SWEARS) (We will not swear on the precious). 

But. 

It seems like it would be worth my time to get in as many different dressage saddles as possible because all I know about them is that they're basically impossible. Unless you have a well-supplied local tack store. Which we don't. In lieu of that, I'm making a list of saddles I've sat in/put on my horse and keeping track of my thoughts on them. 

I'll try to keep this interesting, but I want this for my own reference. 

1) Current Own Saddle 18" Ideal brand, Medium tree, unknown model. 

pre-sparkles, reflock, and dye job

This brand is a bit obscure in the US, apparently much more common in the UK. It's a very basic saddle, english leather, kinda slick. Minimal blocks. Not restrictive. Lets me get to the right position, but definitely doesn't put me there or keep me there. I have a wide range of options for sitting incorrectly, but that has come in handy over and over as we attempt various hijinks. 

latest position shot

Because I've had this saddle for about a year, my position has changed a lot in it. It fits my horse well and has served us well. I have no complaints. 

2) 17.5" Devoucoux, Medium tree, Makila model

This is Lindsey's saddle that we borrowed last fall while mine was getting reflocked. The sizing says a 17.5", but HOLY HELL it rides like a 17" or less. As in. My ass kinda got stuck in it. I put me in a really excellent and secure position, but I couldn't get out of it and the leather was SUPER grippy. 

forgot to take a picture on Courage, whoops

I definitely enjoyed it. The standard panels fit Courage quite well and he went nicely in the saddle. I would DEFINITELY need at least an 18, possibly larger. The panels are foam, which means no reflocking, so less flexible fit as Courage continues to add muscle and change sizes. 

3) 17" Prestige, 32 medium fit, Roma model

This is a really beautiful saddle that we borrowed from an enabling friend. It's basically brand new, completely gorgeous, and almost comfier than the couch in my living room. The medium fit went on C great with our standard half pad and he didn't seem to object to it at all. The seat and knee rolls were super grippy. The twist was wider than I'm used to, but not uncomfortable. Despite being the smallest seat size on this list, the seat itself is fairly "open" and actually rides equivalent to an 18" seat. My snooping indicates that this is fairly standard for the brand. 

I liked this saddle, didn't love it. It definitely put me in a more defined position than my Ideal saddle, but it didn't hold me there and I can ride like a monkey in any saddle, so there's that. I didn't feel off balance or restricted, but I didn't feel all that much different than I do in my own saddle, aside from the super comfy seat factor. I'd be curious to try a couple other models. 

4) 17.5" Custom, Medium fit, Advantage model. 

This saddle sports the upgraded buffalo leather and wool flocking. It was custom made for someone who is not the current owner, so some specs may not be standard. This was also borrowed from enabling friend. Oops. Just sitting on C in the stall, this saddle is a hair tight in the front and almost wants to bridge. It does sit pretty level on him. 

This saddle makes me go hmmmmmmm. It definitely sports the bigger blocks that are trendy in dressage right now and while it's not super restrictive, I could feel it put me where it wanted me somewhat. I even dropped my stirrups a hole and felt completely comfortable and confident. The biggest difference I noticed was in the canter--it put my leg RIGHT THERE where it needed to be and I felt really comfortable and confident instead of perched and weird, which is more normal. 

Enabling friend is letting me play with this one for a little while. Courage is pretty inconsistent right now, so it's hard to tell what's saddle and what's normal--I had a really great ride in it the first day, then the next day my position in it was even better but he didn't go as well. Now I need to switch back and forth between my saddle (which is flocked to fit him) and this saddle with my halfpad (which was the set up we used for the really good ride day). 

Conclusions

I have none at this point. 

I liked the Devoucoux and I've been in enough French saddles to be pretty confident buying one sight unseen, but A) poor and B) the foam flocking isn't my bestiest friend. Courage is just now building a dressage body and I do anticipate him getting wider and filling out as we progress. The foam saddle that fits now probably won't fit in a year. 

Also see A) poor again. Frenchies have nice stuff with a matching price tag. 

I'm really, really thinking hard about the Custom at this point in time. I love the wool flocking, love what it does for me. I'd be curious to sit in an 18" and see if it made an appreciable difference and I'm not sure how much I love it for Courage, which is obviously a huge factor. I'd also be interested in trying a MW model on him just because I don't know how long the medium would fit for, but I don't have a friend with an 18" MW Custom Advantage and a generous trial policy. (And I do have a friend with a 17.5" M with those specs and hmmmmmmm.) 

Another question mark here is the flocking--my usual fitter can't work on these (because she isn't with the company or something about warranties or something) so I'd have to wait to talk to the Custom rep. We do actually have one and I do actually know her, but she's not local so that would take longer. The saddle has had excellent maintenance, but it would be a much better fit for C with some minor adjustments. 

Any ideas for us? (Other than "hit the lotto and buy custom Custom" because I've obviously already thought of that.) 

Teach Me Tuesday: The Too Tight Girth

on not under

Here's a thing about me: I really have no concept of what a too-tight girth is. People be like "I wouldn't want my girth too tight" and I'm just like "bitches, I have had a saddle roll on me 3 times and that is three really bad experiences I DO NOT WANT to repeat".

So I really don't ever worry about getting my girth too tight. I'm not asking for maximum athletic achievement here. I just want to not end up under the horse.

long girth, short girth, saddle staying on

But I see things like this article floating around and in general, I think Dr. Hilary Clayton has good things to say.

Is that normal? Do people worry about too-tight girths? How would you know if your girth was too tight anyways?