He isn't totally an old plug, I learned on our first trail ride of the year. He knows exactly where the trailer is at all times. He'd like to suggest, as often as possible, that we head back that way. And he does go faster once he's headed toward it. Not in a jiggy way though, and he does slow down when I ask. It's something to work on. We all need something to work on, right?
What makes the difference between a horse who loves to explore and a horse who can't wait to get back? My main long term trail horses, Scout and Tonka, have loved to explore, but they were always my horses, never belonged to anyone else, and they like my company pretty well. With time will Sawyer feel the same way? He likes me but I'm clearly not as cool as a horse in his book. He has gotten to where he'll leave the others to come to me even when it's not feeding time, so that must mean I'm not chopped liver. He must know I'm going to saddle him up & still he comes in. :)
I'm on a saddle quest right now. Wish me luck. I didn't know it would be this hard. I need a lightweight saddle that fits him better. Every time I ride right now I end up with a headache for at least 24 hours. I weighed the saddle I ride him in and it's 42 pounds. I tried out a nice light 24 pound saddle and it was perfect but it didn't fit him. It was a lovely ride though, much more close contact than the roper. I'm really looking forward to riding a different saddle.
6 comments:
Yes. Horses are so smart and they do bond deeply, but it takes time. I cured my horses by riding to the trailer and PAST the trailer and back out on the trail. Actually, I did a lot more last year, but that sums up the most important part. It works. Cowboy used to love to end a ride, but 5?or 6 years later, he’d always pretend like he didn’t see the trailer and just keep on walking. A lot of it is also time of year. He sounds GOLDEN!!
If you haven’t bought a saddle yet:
May I suggest a treeless saddle? It will fit all your horses as well as yourself. I went on a saddle quest when my Friesian/appy cross didn't fit any normal saddle. He is BIG and round. I also wanted a light saddle as well. Most treeless saddles are just a glorified bareback pads with stirrups. I found them quite uncomfortable for me. I tried a lot of them and was very disappointed.
There are a lot of treeless companies out there surprisingly, as they have become popular especially with the endurance people who want a saddle that doesn’t sore a horse and is light weight.
The secret to buying a treeless saddle or any saddle is to try them out! The problem with treeless saddle for the human is that they don’t have any twist. Without any twist, you feel like you are on a bareback pad which was very uncomfortable for me. After 6 months of trying endless saddles I found two companies that have wonderfully comfortable treeless saddles for the horse and rider!
Ansur Saddle https://www.ansursaddle.com/
https://www.ansursaddle.com/build_your_saddle?saddle_category=western
Ghost Saddle https://badlandsequine.com/page/2450/Home
https://www.badlandsequine.com/page/2584/Ghost%20USA%20-%20Western
I ended up getting an Ansur Westernair Saddle. My friend got a Ghost saddle. I wanted a western looking saddle and at the time Ghost didn’t have that design. They do now. Both companies have twist in their saddle so they don’t feel like a bareback pad.
The Ansur saddles look entirely like a regular treed saddle. The Ghost Saddle does look a bit funny but once you are on it, it doesn’t show up that way anymore. Both very light weight.
Totally depends on the feel of the saddle for you and your taste. BUT DON’T BUY UNLESS YOU TRY. Ghost has a great trial program. Ansur does too, but you have to have a ‘rep’ in your area that has saddles to try. So it depends on where you live as you may have to drive to the rep.
Both saddles fit horses with high withers as well.
Good luck!
Oh, if you are interested in talking, let me know as I can give you a lot more information on treeless saddles. sengle685@yahoo.com
Fingers crossed that oy find h right saddle soon/ the headache must suck! Hope that eases soon too! Yoga has helped me with a pretty nagging headache that seemed to come from my neck and shoulder and go right up to tight muscles on my scalp. Once a week and it stays away. It might help you too! You never know! (Tina from Western australia here, currently commenting anon due to computer glitch!)
Fingers crossed that oy find h right saddle soon/ the headache must suck! Hope that eases soon too! Yoga has helped me with a pretty nagging headache that seemed to come from my neck and shoulder and go right up to tight muscles on my scalp. Once a week and it stays away. It might help you too! You never know! (Tina from Western australia here, currently commenting anon due to computer glitch!)
I bought my horse, Jean-Luc, in April for the express reason to explore and adventure! That said, he's pretty similar to your guy Sawyer it seems. He's 13 and has trouble relaxing on the trails. When I first brought him home we could not get 100 feet away from his barn buddies. It clearly wasn't my original intentions, but hey, like you said, "It's something to work on." :)
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