Back At It

After two weeks off, TC came back to work last week and has been doing well! I took advantage of having that time off to have my saddle maker fix my saddle and it came back last week. 

I think he likes it!

It's still the tiniest bit low in front, but apparently that's normal during the break-in period. I do want him to fill out more in his thoracic trapezius, so I put a thin pad under the front of the saddle, which fixed the balance for me and he didn't mind it. So I'll be ordering him a half pad and that should help us out while he's filling in. Then later, I can take it out! 

It still slips a tiny bit forward, but I've been experimenting with girths and pads to see about keeping it back. Luckily, it doesn't seem to bother TC, so we are okay to have it ride up a tiny bit while we wait for our in person saddle fitting appointment later. I might ask him to stitch the front billet a little more forward (it's just loose right now) so that we can keep the saddle back. But IMO it's not important until I start sitting the trot. 

It lets me sit down so much at the canter, I normally
get popped up a bit because of how giant it can be

Love how out to the contact he is and how much
he is in front of the vertical!

It's AMAZING to finally have a saddle that works for us. I feel incredibly secure in it, it's got a nice deep seat and big blocks, but somehow also really free to move myself around. I've been working hard on my biomechanics, which means changing where my body is in the saddle, and not once has the saddle been like "no, your leg goes HERE" and forced it. That's pretty insane to me given that when TC went to spin out from under me on our first ride back because he saw absolutely nothing, I could easily find the block to hold onto him with. 

Pretty convinced my saddle maker is a wizard. But I also think it's because the blocks aren't put on so vertical like most dressage saddles. Or, magic! 

TC's first ride was uneventful, he started out the tiniest bit stiff in his right hind, but he also has a gigantic scar with stitches still in on his sheath on that side. I'm sure it felt awkward to him! He worked right out of it and felt SO good over his back and in the contact. For our second ride back, I took some video and he looked stellar, I am so excited to have him going like this! 

I definitely need to be able to sit DOWN at the
canter, lol!

I did stick him recently and he's 16.3, he's actually
grown a half inch since I last measured him. He's
done growing, it's all the TS work!

I spent a LOT of time thinking about this horse when we were in Kentucky. I think that if TC knew how much I thought about him on a daily basis, he'd be... thrilled. I sat and journaled for hours about him and what I wanted to do with him and what my options were and all of that.

That will be a post for another day, but all of my journaling really made me hope with all my might that the saddle would work because I really want to move forward with TC in the dressage. I had all these concerns written down regarding what would happen if I simply could not get a saddle to fit TC and myself properly. But now, I think I can ignore those, we are back on track. My hip is even healed at this point, so I can begin building strength back up so that I can start sitting the trot again. More on that later!

Sitting this is going to be rough omg

Sitting this is hard enough!

At this point, we just need to keep on keeping on and we have a lot of fun things on the docket. This weekend we go to a ranch competition that our local horsemen's association is putting on. Then next weekend, we have a clinic with the biomechanics trainer I rode with a couple months ago. I'm excited for her to see us in person and see how my right hip rehab has improved my riding. Then TC gets a few days off while I'm at a jumper show with Flounder, so that'll be good, he always does well with short vacations. And after that, Celeste is in town and I've budgeted at least two sessions with her and TC! 

I'm excited for her to see his progress and for us to get some help with his hind end. I think I've got his front end healthy enough to focus on unlocking his hind legs. Aaaand I'm glad I've got my new saddle to keep me on him as we do that!