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.

Much Needed ZB Update

I haaaaate blog posts that start out by apologizing for not blogging, so I refuse to do that to you guys. 

HOWEVER. 

Things have been happening. 

always toodling

blogger meet up!

riding lessons!

definitely my latest zany idea in progress

Plus the weather here has been to-die-for (too soon?) and so my evenings have been out doing all the things vs staring at my laptop typing away. 

There's a lot going on. Most of it doesn't belong here. 

WHAT R ON ZB

But some of it does. ZB continues to be the loveliest lady no matter what I cook up any given day. I can throw frisbees off her, hack out alone in the rain, or take trips and come home knowing that she's still going to whinny at me and be foot perfect to play with. 

I mean. She definitely has her things. 

yeah i'm growing out her mane

In a last ditch attempt to make me focus, my trainer has started semi-mandating weekly lessons because otherwise she knows I just fuck around and screw things up. Which like. She's right. And it's true. And I like lessons. And lort knows I need the help. 

Plus I don't actually have any lesson media (sorry!), but GODDAMN little lady is coming along nicely when I remember to sit up and ride. I even had a moment of being like "LETS GO TO A SHOW" right up until I remembered how much work that is. 

also my corgi stole the mrs pastures and just strolled past me like this
BRB DYING

Some days we work hard and put in the time with ground work and dressage and concentrated "training".

But a lot of days, I need to just not.

oh and a new photo editor

I hang out and breathe her horsey smell. Play with her mane. Groom her gleaming coat. Watch her munch on her favorite weeds and marvel that a creature like this is here with me.

Some things are good. Some things are not good. 

But we're here. 

Together.

ZB Hits the Mountains!

I board at a fabulous barn with some ladies that inspire me.

And they like trail riding.

And when I got a mid-week text like "let's go to the state park!", I was like "...but the bugs are super bad there waaaaaah" and found an alternate location.

I also found coffee because humaning is hard

Fortunately, they were all on board for an excursion to the mountains. 

ZB always up for an adventure

It's such a different world for me--I can't get my head in the game for horse shows, but I was thrilled to go hit the trails. We haven't hauled out since last fall, but I know I could count on ZB. She's just such a champion. She loads and hauls like a champ, then gets off the trailer like a pro and yet again, led the way for the first chunk of the ride. 

Lil lady has a motor on her. 

tasty bush

Even when we hit some challenges that I didn't quite anticipate, ZB's "NOT R WANT MUM NO" response is to stop and stare at something.

Not lose her shit.

Not buck me off. 

Not leave the county. 

and the skies were completely stunning

We kept everything calm and easy and went out for about two hours over a variety of terrain, including a couple water crossings, plenty of rocks, and lots of different grades up and down. 

It was Zoe's first time in the mountain and OMFG YOU GUYS I COULD NOT BE MORE THRILLED. 

i adore this mare

She led. She followed. She saw dirt bikes and mountain bikes and runners and heard guns and saw wild life and dealt with all of it like an old hand. 

She's still learning how to cross water (cross your fingers for a legit training post tomorrow!), but she made a good effort at everything we tried. 

The best part is just how much fun she is for every step. 

So honest. 

So game. 

goal: ride in the mountains = achieved!

I mean. It isn't even just the riding. It's how Ms. ZB shows up and tries no matter what. Hauling to a new place? 

No probs. 

Tying to a trailer for the first time?

She's got it. 

BOOM

I know basically my whole blog now is like ZB R PERFECT AND I SUPER LOVE HER, but I can't even apologize for it. 

I took my baby horse to the mountains. 

She exceeded expectations and those expectations were already irrationally high on account of how lovely she is. 

remind me i need to break in my new latigo so we can go full old west

I mean. I always say that some day the little lady will have a bad day, and I won't even be able to get mad at her, because she's so freaking perfect most of the time. 

But yeah. 

It hasn't happened yet.

No One Can Even

Many moons ago, I bought a sprenger mechanical hackmore off of blogger Alanna for a song. When it showed up, I realized it was roughly moose sized (which had I actually read the ad, I probably would have noticed) and yeah, it was never going on a petite Courage face. 

But guess who is moose sized?!

best baby mare!
and yes this is the smallest adjustment

I spent all day Friday watching fancy dressage horses do their thing and yeah, showing still sounds nauseating to me.

So I went back to the barn and threw the new-to-me hack on ZB.

old SB would have been horrified by this look

We did a lap around the outdoor arena, during which I established that ZS Zoebird gave exactly the number of shits about it that you would expect.

SMOOSH JUMP

And yeah. Then we just headed down the ditch bank in evening light for our first solo excursion. 

<3

If it looks magical, it was.

Oh the People You Meet

I always say that my favorite thing about blogging is the people you meet. 

and the shared love of Teeny

A while back, Leah forced me to be friends with Teresa because it was inconvenient for her to have to keep up with both of us separately (or maybe she thought we'd hit it off? I guess I didn't ask). We have since all hung out with each other (notably when I invited Leah to Karen's house before even meeting either of them in person) (or when I showed up at Teresa's house literally two hours after she moved across the country), but not actually all at the same time. Yet. 

YOU COULD BE HERE, LEAH #justsaying

Anyways. Point is, I totally crashed T's party last summer and had a perfectly brilliant time, even if she was tired to the point of being incoherent and her horse randomly got the world's worst abscess (tm). And because she is a super nice person, T was A-OK with me coming back to her house this summer. So I did. (Again with the "I show up at people's houses" thing. It's real.) 

and then i used my stolen camera to take pictures of them

This time around, Gatsby was not sporting the mother of all abscesses and I actually got the privilege of watching T work with him, both at home and in a lesson. And on the trail WE WENT ON A TRAIL RIDE OMFG (details later).  

loving the reflections here
and the outfit. 10/10 i am plagiarizing that.

Point is, a lot of adult amateur life can be kind of lonely--we aren't always surrounded by people who share our passions or goals and we can't always make our schedules work and obligations to real life are well, real. I know Gatsby through T's blog and through our messaging, but hadn't seen him in almost a year. What's more, Teresa is always riding him and doesn't have a handy media person, so she hadn't really seen him go either. 

also her house is basically a storybook

It was so fun to take the opportunity to capture this pair as I saw them. They're goofy and real and high achieving and funny and curious and personable. I also definitely gave T a hard time about her screenshots--she really wasn't catching what her little guy is capable of right now, especially as he gets stronger and more balanced.

white kickboards are apparently the secret to indoor photography

Gatsby today is 100% a product of Teresa's hard work and unwavering belief in him. She's an incredible horseman and an incredible human. 

and he has an incredible tail, even if i cut her head off

AND THEN WE WENT TRAIL RIDING. 

and verily, it was awesome

Even on the trail, I was impressed by the calm, consistent way the horses had been handled. Because the trails were bad.ass. but the horses were just super the whole time.

In conclusion. Blogging is awesome because you meet awesome people. Look for ZB updates soon!

The Very Best Lady

I'm a little bit struggling with blog content right now just because things with ZB are so good. 

our take on handgrazing

I go to the barn. She whinnies at me like an actual Disney horse. I pet her and kiss her and feed her cookies and we toodle around and everything is awesome.

champion trail lady

We've been exploring the ditch bank together. I know from ZB's previous owner that she tends to be a bit herd bound, so I'm getting her confident going out in groups and working on installing buttons in the arena, and eventually I expect to have a calm, confident partner on solo trail rides.

And she might be that now.

tour guide!

But why go alone when you can take a friend?

she actually thought up this one

Even when we're hanging out at the barn--I try to find unusual things to address like standing on a random board or climbing in the sand pile or moving jump standards and opening gates from the saddle.

And like.

I can't phase her. Lil lady is brave and smart and curious and wonderful and I don't even get worried about weird shit anymore because I know we're going to be fine and we'll get through everything together.

OH HAI INTERNET FRENDZ

I mean sometimes I get all serious and am like "ZB WE DO THE DRESSAGES" and she is like "HOKAY MUM I JUST BE PERFECT THEN" so like after 20 minutes, I'm thrilled and then I feel like we pretty well covered everything I expect out of her right now.

whoops apparently no recent dressage media

She's a nice moving little lady with a solid go button and she's 110% try every single day, so she's a total blast to work with. The other day we did w/t/c transitions on the bit and some baby leg yields and yeah color me impressed. She's already borderline the best dressage horse I've spent time on and she makes it so much fun.

I did get a text from trainer the other day telling me that ZB had been naughty. APPARENTLY she tried to stop and visit every time a new friend came in the arena.

Cough.

I'd plead innocence on that one, but my barn buddy was sitting right there and almost fell off her horse laughing like "GEE WHIZ I WONDER WHO TAUGHT HER THAT".

So uh.

#itsme

i taught her other things too ok?

The snow is melting off the mountains and I'm lining up people to go trail riding with. It's weird for me to be excited about attacking new challenges and not think I might die, but here I am and it's a total blast.

Birthday Girl!!

I know y'all are probably beyond sick of hearing what a splendid lady Ms. Zoebird is. 

Buuuuuut here we go again.

I officially celebrated her 5th birthday on April 13th because I feel like I saw that somewhere, but after digging through her official binder, I can't find why I think I saw that. Regardless, it's an easy date for me to remember and now I have to tell people she's five. 

Add caption

She'll always be my baby mare tho omg. 

birthday cookies!

Here's what she's been up to lately:

western toodle pony!

Brave ditchbank riding pony!

Giving adorable pony ride pony!

rocking the outfits pony!

leading the trail ride pony!

crushing the dressage pony!

This little lady guys. <3 She is just fantastic every day and I am so lucky to have her. Can't wait to see where 5 takes us.