I sit here now, tracking through Fed Ex, the arrival of the 7th saddle which I pray will be the end of my saddle fitting issues. It would seem that they just don't make stock saddles like they used to and the new half breeds just don't suit my girls back. I have resorted to A) having more faith in my ability to ride. I really don't need all those pads to hold me in and B) going for an endurance style saddle that I am told by my farrier/horse body worker, is the only saddle he knows of to be straight and balanced. It should arrive today from England, as it just landed in Alexandria NSW...a lovely set of endurance stirrups also made their way to my door today, but given all that has happened I reserve judgment. :-)
Last Sunday after deciding that Roxy was ok to handle ride for charity, I tested her back on the Friday and Saturday and saddled up with my light dressage saddle on Sunday. I tried to remain calm as 12 months preparation was about to be put to the test. I was riding out with 104 riders and horses, none of her usual riding partners and the said dressage saddle which isn't exactly built to hold you in.
She was wary but remained relatively calm. I used the circle back around tactic when she got antsy and by the time we got to the main road and heading past her paddock she was relaxed and walking nicely. Even with several dramas already taking place including one woman falling and needing an ambulance 30 mins into the ride.
I quickly realised also that one of her paddock mates was at the front of the group so I needed to stay well away from that horse, so in the middle I meandered all the way to the lunch spot.
However upon arriving at the lunch spot, which meant turning to face her towards home, she got a bit frisky again, nothing bad though...UNTIL...I pass a horse that snaps the branch it was tied to, takes off with the branch in tow and it starts panicking TOWARDS us!!! As I try to steady Roxy I realise that I am fighting a losing battle and decided as the horse comes past at speed that I will take off with the horse and use my favorite riding technique... 'ride it OUT!!!', off I went but after only fifty metres or so I was able to pull Roxy up and get off safely while the other horse did a full bolt lap of the large paddock. Thinking I was out of the woods, and watching the drama unfold, I noticed it was a friends horse as the horse completed it's lap and headed back to the group. Did it stop at its owner NO...it kept going, straight for ME...ok so I like to think I am ok with horses but would prefer not to be their choice at times like this. Luckily it had lost the branch and trotted up next to Roxy and I huffing and puffing and I just casually took its lead rope. Roxy did not put a foot wrong and crisis was over.
We had a lovely lunch and headed back home. Given that horses are usually more skittish on the way home and again Roxy didn't have a companion horse to rely upon she did well. There was lots of stopping and starting too which didn't help but she handled it well.
The only other dilemma was my ongoing ability to attract rogue horses, when in the last paddock two white horses that were loose in that paddock (we had to ride through paddocks with adjisted horses) decided to come straight for me and Roxy and go either side of us. Needless to say her little brain was almost in overload and she started dancing around. I kept her moving forward and circling back into a different part of the group and she calmed down as soon as we left that paddock.
Last but not least was a horse in our home paddock standing with its rug around its neck and leg straps broken...Roxy and I took a short cut and left the trail group to walk over and rescue the silly thing. At least it had the common sense to stand still.
Lord it was finally over! I have taken a couple of days to mull over how she went and I am happy to say that she was a trooper. A year ago a situation like that would have been too much and I would have found myself in a lot of trouble. I am proud that my work is starting to pay off and that hopefully with the new saddle we can have less set backs and more miles under saddle.
So I wait for the Fed Ex guy and the rain to clear and I look forward to getting out more on the trail and enjoying all that I have to look forward to.
Love Lorrie and Roxy
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