A Contender

I tried a new saddle last Friday and have it on trial for a month! And I think that it might be a contender. This one is only a demo and there are a few things I'd want to change if I bought one new, so it's not like I can just call the saddle fitter up and give them money and be done with it, but it's definitely good news! 

TC says "this one might work!"

Funnily enough, on Friday I didn't think it was going to work but the fitter had offered me the trial and I was like "well, I'll have something to ride in for my lesson even if it isn't perfect" so I kept it. 

Like most reps, the fitter seemed to believe the saddle could do no wrong (I wish I believed in anything as much as saddle fitters believe in their saddles!) and stopped me from putting my sticky pad between the saddle pad and TC, something I use on every single saddle, even my bareback pad. Everything slides forward on him, the way saddles slide on him you'd think he was a downhill built fat pony (really his girth groove is just quite forward and narrow so everything slides into it). I would get him a crupper if I didn't think he'd be embarrassed. 

Sure enough half way through my ride, the saddle was ON his shoulder. Ugh. I looked at the video and was disappointed by how he looked in it. But I had a sneaking suspicion that if I put the sticky pad on for my next ride, the saddle wouldn't budge. 

Pictured: not budging

And it didn't. And TC felt way better in it the second day I rode in it. That day though, I didn't like it so much. But then the third day I rode in it (for my lesson), I started to like it. I think just being distracted from focusing on the saddle and instead just riding my horse really helped. 

Since then I've been a little back and forth on it but on average, it's way better than everything else I've tried. It hasn't made TC rear. It hasn't injured my back. It's mostly just... fine! Which is saying something, honestly. We haven't had fine in a very long time. I'm honestly not sure if anything exists beyond fine for us. If I want amazing for me, I ride him in my saddle and smash his shoulders. If I want amazing for him, I buy the butterfly saddle and hurt my back. Fine is great. 

I think at this point there are additional variables at play that are clouding my judgement. I'm still really burnt out/stressed and my mental health IS getting better but my decision making skills are still terrible. TC has also not had any bodywork in a while, we need to schedule an acupuncture session soonish and I need to get his PT lady back too. I've been better about doing his exercises but I also have been giving him more days off because of how far away he is and because he's out in pasture. 

Not so bad

I think at this point I'm just glad to have a saddle to work with in the mean time and I'll deal with the decision making later. The fitter will be back at the end of August and I might talk to him before that about bringing me something that I think might be a permanent fit for us. 

As much as I want to have a saddle yesterday and I want to take more lessons and I want to move forward with everything... I also don't want to pressure myself into buying a saddle that I don't love. So I'm going to either wait until I love this one or be happy that I have one for the month of August and keep looking.