Anxiety at A Blog Hop: 15 More Random Questions

A whole month down the line, I find myself still mostly confined to the indoors with this stubborn respiratory infection. It has certainly been a lesson in gracefully accepting my human limitations and allowing myself to be human and God to be God.

We'll resume our adventures when the time is right. In the meantime, I'm grateful for a good old blog hop from the delightful (and relatable) Anxiety at A!

1. If you could create your dream horse, what would it look like?

I feel like the ones I have are dreams enough, but in the spirit of the question, if I could build-a-pony it would be a 15.2hh floaty thing with both baroque and Arab vibes. It would have a super cute head, a really muscly topline, and a high tail. Also it would be a really golden tiger dun with four even white stockings and a perfectly diamond-shaped star and snip. It would be a gelding who could have babies. (We are in dreamland here, just roll with it). He would have a wavy mane to his knees and a super thick wavy tail.

or I'd ask for Shy Boy back

2. Least favourite equestrian brand?

I honestly don't buy enough stuff new to feel particularly relevant here---I ran the stableyard on pure hand-me-downs for years---so I'm going to take a different twist on this and say that one thing I absolutely don't understand is the amount of big stableyards that feed the most el-cheapo concentrates (grain). There are plenty of grain manufacturers I won't touch with a long pole that nonetheless supply some of the top yards in the country. I'm a master of saving wherever we can when it comes to making horse ownership more accessible, but quality feed and appropriate hay are not negotiable in my book.

even this low-maintenance beast gets the best balancer on the market

3. Favourite horse show memory?

Oooh, tricky. It's a toss-up between this year's Horse of the Year, dressage at Easter Fest this year, and this event in our youth.

4. One thing you learned in your youth (or early in your horse experience) that has stayed true in your horse training today?

Riding absolutely rocks and horses are incredible, created beings that will take your breath away every day if you let them.

certified 100% breathtaking

5. How many horses do you think you've ridden in your entire horse career?

Lots. A hundred? I don't even know.

6. Favourite "celebrity" horse?

Easy! Valegro. Obviously. I mean, not only is he THE dressage horse, but I feel like a bumptous amateur like me could even enjoy a ride on him without being overwhelmed. He seems so kind, relaxed, happy and lovely.

7. Embarrassing moment in your horse experience?

Oh, so many. So, so many. One involving a pair of show breeches that had seen much better days and an adorable pony stallion named Reed. They split right down the middle as I came down the centreline and thus we rode Prelim 2 and 3 in sitting trot.

Also, I'm not sure why these stories are both about underwear, but I only discovered after getting the show photos that cute white panties with little black hearts on them are a poor choice under show whites. That was a memorable moment for 18-year-old Firn flushed with victory after a not-as-bad-as-usual show on Magic.

Ugh, not to mention the time I rode over to the judge's box while the rider before me was still doing her test. I'd just turned 18 and didn't know any better. I still think about that every single time I'm about to go to the judge and it makes my toes curl.

Reed and teenage Firn

 8. Favourite stallion in your discipline (or generally favourite stallion if you have one?)

It's a toss-up between two Nooitgedachter stallions that I both really like.

First up, Wynnie's dad, Wilgerus Dakota. I used him on Arwen, Faith and Rene (Rene is back in foal to him as we speak) and I will use him again if I get the opportunity. Of course, he ticks all the basic boxes for me: straight legs, great teeth, doesn't need much extra feeding, excellent bare feet, trainability and safe and simple to handle even for kiddos. I picked him specifically, though, based on his outstanding movement. He has a lovely free shoulder and a level of elasticity that the breed misses at times, and it complimented Arwen really well. He stamps his foals with a really beautiful head, always a bonus. I also love the fact that he's bay. I love my greys, but with melanomas so prevalent, it doesn't make sense not to avoid breeding them.

Having said that, my second favourite Nooitie stallion is a grey named Waaksaam Staal. Arwen and I rode against him a lot in his younger days and he is not only one of the most decorated stallions in the breed, he was also shown extensively by an expert junior, and he just never put a foot out of line. He's a real gentleman, doesn't fuss in the stable at a show, doesn't scream, his grooms lead him around in a flat halter. More than that, Staal has won everything there is to win both in hand and under saddle in the Nooitie classes. He's a bigger stallion with a bit more athleticism to him than Dakota but hasn't been tested in veld conditions the way Dakota has. Still, he's an older boy now - older than Arwen I think, with a lot of mileage - and still sound and healthy. He also has the loose, open movement that I'm looking for. I'm really hoping to get the opportunity to use him on a few of my mares this season or next season.

I almost forgot that Midas pony is actually a grandson of Staal through his sire.

Wilgerus Dakota

9. How's your sitting trot?

On Arwen? Pro level. Amazing. Anybody else? Absolutely useless. I mean, my butt stays in the saddle, but it's amazing how many parts of you can bounce uncontrollably without your seat bones ever losing contact.

10. What are your favourite colours on your horse(s)?

I love colours! Skye's was always sky blue, although she is a naked feral old woman now so she doesn't really have any of her own stuff. She more or less takes herself where she needs to go - I don't remember the last time she wore a halter - but she gets fly masks in her colour and is due a new blanket.

The yard colours are green and silver, so our shared stuff is usually green, like lunging gear and travel boots.

Arwen's colour is royal blue, which Wynnie will inherit. Honestly, I think royal blue looks gorgeous on basically any colour horse, but it's especially pretty on Arwen's brand of dark-for-her-age grey. It'll be cute on Wynnie too, though, especially with how rich her colour is.

Thunder's colour is purple because purple is beautiful. I sent him to J's with all sorts of cute purple things and found them all neatly stowed in my trunk when I went to visit lol. Also, with that tailcoat beckoning on the horizon, how do we feel about a deep plum fabric for that?

Finally, there's Lancey. His colour is rainbow/floral/glitter/whatever satisfies my inner child and I love it. If anyone out there has done temporary dye on a mane/tail, let me know what you did. I'm thinking of trying hair chalk on him this December to make him my honest-to-goodness unicorn.

unicorn

11. What social media do you spend the most time on?

Facebook. What can I say? It's something I'm trying to do less of.

12. Any horsy books you've read recently?

I spend so much time in the written word for work that I have to be really careful not to kill my love of reading, so I'll be honest: apart from Scripture, I read only fiction, and only fiction that I really like. When I want to improve my knowledge, I'm far more likely to pick up a video or podcast. That said, I'm nearly done with my equine behaviour course and loving it.

13. What is your favourite online store to buy horse products from?

Bridle Boutique has been a staple for well-priced leggings and blankets for years. I also love Horze for great service and value for money, especially their helmets.

beloved Horze helmet

14. Is there a supplement you give your horse that you don't think you could go without?

I'll say it again: horsemanship doesn't come in a packet. That said, I've seen good results this year with collagen for elderly horses with mild joint stiffness.

15. What is your favourite part about blogging?

I know blogging is not the in-thing anymore, and one effect it's had is that the horse blogging community has become smaller and rather tight-knit, which I love. We all know each other's horses and cheer each other on, and I truly feel like it's one of the few mostly supportive equestrian internet communities out there. I love reading other blogs as much as I enjoy writing mine.

My other favourite thing about blogging is being able to go back years and revisit in-depth write-ups of memories that only get more and more precious as time goes on. I have long recaps of Arwen's (and my) first shows, of backing Lancey, and so many sweet memories of my Magic pony who is not with us anymore. Especially in the last few weeks, with being unable to ride, I do go back and reread my old posts to smile at all the fun things we've done together. What's more, it shows me how much I have grown personally over the years, how my philosophies have changed, how the Lord has been at work in me. It's a testimony to His faithfulness and a way in which to remind myself over and over of who He is and what He is capable of.

God is good!

hunky man after the 20 minutes of groundwork I managed this week

Bad Decisions, or, The Time of My Life

The week before last, I'd caught some silly cold that then blossomed magnificently into a super gross bacterial sinus infection. It kept me flat on my back for a week, but when Thunder came home, I decided that I was all better and went back to doing whatever I wanted.

In general, I love our weather here. Winters are cold enough for cuddling but feature balmy, sunny days, perfect for the outdoors. Summer has afternoon thunderstorms but usually very beautiful, clear mornings. Even autumn is gorgeous and crisp. But August to September---technically late winter and early spring---are less pleasant. It's dry. It's windy. It's sort of hot, but you can still freeze at night. Above all, after months without rain, it's extremely dusty. There's pollen everywhere and all the animals are shedding like mad. It's all a necessary part of how our seasons turn, but it's not a good time to be a respiratory system.

Since doing whatever I want includes a lot of riding, teaching kids and general running around on the farm, racking up eighteen to twenty thousand steps a day and breathing all that glorious dust and pollen and hair, I will count this as the first of several bad decisions present in this post.

By Friday afternoon, I was no longer feeling particularly hotshot. I was tired and sniffly and really needed a day in bed, but we'd committed to a mounted unit event for Saturday, and I decided that I couldn't back out of it. (Bad decision number two right there).

I took Lancey out with Mawarda and his mom for a really nice, relaxed ride, wherein Lancey didn't put a foot wrong, which was a good thing given that my legs felt like noodles. As we were hacking around the freshly tilled lands, with puffs of fine red dust coming from Lancey's feet with every step he took, I did not pause to contemplate my actions. Much less so when a giant truck passed by on the dirt road and a huge cloud of fine dust floated across the farm.

I thought nothing of it. I did not pause to rub those two brain cells together. I just dressed Lancey up in his clown suit to keep him clean and went to bed.

My sister was my wingman for this event since we were shorthanded on first responders, so we both woke up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning to load Lancey and Flash into the box for the short road trip to the event. It was relatively undeniable that I woke up sick, but I drank some water and decided I'd be fine. (Can you see how these decisions are starting to add up?)

Although Flash gave us a little uphill with loading, Lancey was content to waltz right in as usual, and soon we were off. Sister kept trying to feed me muffins but I was queasy and refused any (more bad choices).

The event was a fun run and hike, the longest distance being an easy 10km, but the venue's terrain was notoriously difficult. We hadn't had any injuries at this event last year but it was worth being careful. Once we arrived, groomed our ponies and got them tacked up, we had a quick rendezvous with the other first responders to decide on our positions. It turned out that our quad bike for the event had declined to start that morning so the horses were the only off-road vehicles we had.

I instantly made my next bad decision: to sweep the 10km on horseback, making sure nobody got hurt or left behind. We have learned with events that having a sweeper is absolutely essential - it's quite startling how many people will tackle a run or bike ride alone without their phone, and we've scooped up several injured athletes in the past who had nobody to miss them and no way to get help. Coughing up my lungs though I was, I thought the 10km would be easy. Even at a walk Lancey would cover that distance in two hours without any difficulty. The 10km was specifically advertised as a run, so I doubted we'd be walking the whole thing. It would be a nice, relaxing hack, I thought to myself.

We set off with Lancey on a loose rein and Flash looking very chirpy. Lancey was acting a bit nappy at first, snorting and staring at random stuff, so Rain took Flash up ahead and Lancey contentedly followed. 

He settled almost immediately as we rode across a field, following the runners, and took the lead when we headed into the most beautiful, peaceful little wood. The trail wound between the trees, and we had to duck in several places.

Lancey was bold here and stepped over logs and things easily, having hit his stride. We dismounted to go around a little bridge that would never have taken a horse's weight, but then hopped back on and continued through the trees, keeping the runners just in sight. There were splashes of colour everywhere as trees had begun to bloom.

vest stuffed full of basic first aid supplies

We emerged from the little wood onto the gravel road and followed our runners along that, waving to friendly volunteers along the way. This event had such a great vibe. It was a charity event for an extremely well-deserving local organisation and everybody was friendly and fun. The photographer caught us as we headed past, Lancey leading the way on a long rein.

Next we rode around another field, and it was here that things began to get frustrating. We were sweeping the group and had been moving at a slow walk since we left the trail, having given them plenty of space. Since it was advertised as a fun run, I believed the competitors would have no problem staying ahead of the horses. We were now not yet 2km into the run and there were two participants who were moving more slowly than a horse walks.

In hindsight, this is the point where we should have turned back to camp, grabbed something to eat and some water, and given it a rest. If we sweep a group of runners again, we'll give them several more minutes' head start. It's always worrying, though, because if someone near the back without a companion twists an ankle and is out of cell range, you never want them to lie there waiting for ages. So we opted to carry on.

there were many snack breaks, albeit not for me

We headed up the hill next, having to abandon our runners on one loop and wait for them at the end of it as the terrain was too rough even with us both on foot. Lancey and Flash were content to graze while we took pictures against the breathtaking views.

Now there was only one way left to go: down the mountain into the river valley. Thus commenced two of the longest hours of my existence. (One more bad decision).

The trail was gnarly - so gnarly that there is no way I'll ever do that again. Steeply downhill, extremely rocky, and very windy. There was no way we could have ridden it; we tackled it on foot, the horses behind us, Lancey and I leading the way much of the time to give Flashy confidence. Rain, an avid hiker, did an admirable job and Flashy behaved so well for her. As for Lancey, he barely lifted his nose away from my back for more than a second. It was steep and dodgy but not in a fall-down-the-mountain-and-break-your-neck way. Taken slowly, it wasn't dangerous, just a little nerve-wracking.

In fact, it might even have been fun if it wasn't for a handful of fairly miserable factors. The first was that my riding boot's zip stripped ten minutes in. If you've never had the pleasure of scrambling down a mountain in knee-high boots while one does its best to fall off, I do not recommend it. The second was that, as we scrambled down in the incredible heat, I felt myself growing steadily sicker. The third was that our friends up front were going at an impossibly slow pace. Every time we made two minutes of headway, we found ourselves catching them, and took a five-minute break halfway down a mountain to give them time to go ahead and not feel like we were breathing down their necks.

It took us two hours to cover the 3km down the mountain. Throughout this whole thing, Lancey was absolutely impeccable. He tackled the twists, turns and rocks with aplomb, followed me wherever I went, and was always content to stop, rest a hoof and nibble some grass. I was shaky by this point and sitting on every convenient boulder, and he just stood over me, chilling.

We finally reached the halfway point, confidently expecting that our struggling competitors would hitch a lift back with the water point people. They did not. Having taken three hours to cover 5km, they decided to carry on. One more bad decision on my part: I didn't have this conversation with them or leave them to their fate and go back. There was absolutely no phone signal at this point and I didn't want to just leave them. Besides, who knows what finishing this 10km meant to them? Maybe it was something they felt they absolutely had to do.

At least we got some water, which perked us up somewhat, and the trail turned absolutely beautiful. It wound along the riverbank between blooming spring trees. Given the difficult terrain we'd just covered, we trotted the horses a short distance to see how they felt. Both still had plenty of pep in their step and no signs of soreness. All of the breaks had clearly been good for them. So we wandered along the lovely trail on loose reins, taking in the views.

This would have been an absolutely gorgeous ride if it wasn't for the fact that we had to stop and let the horses graze every few minutes. We took a few fun little detours to canter up and down a trail here and there and give the competitors some space. At one point, we lost the trail completely - the organisers had already taken the markers down, thinking everyone was done - and Lancey and I cantered on ahead to find the rest of it. He was bold, happy and chilling on a loose rein, being absolutely perfect.

By this point, my body felt like a wad of well-chewed gum. I was desperate to get back but well aware that nobody knew our friends were out there. With no signal, there was no way I could leave them or arrange for a sweeper vehicle (since we were now on broad farm tracks).

If Lancey had acted up in the slightest I would never have been able to hold him with my noodle arms. But bless his perfect soul, Lancey trucked along on the loosest of reins, contentedly taking care of his potato sack of a rider. Rain and I were fitting in some really quality sister time - despite not riding frequently, she was an amazing sport about it all - and despite my wobbly state, all of us were honestly having a really fantastic time.

We left the river behind and headed up and down some gentle hills, passing right by the bottom of Shaila's rider's home.

Finally, 8km and nearly four hours in, my phone binged. We had signal. I sent a location for our two competitors and asked for someone else to bring them in. We headed off at a brisk trot up the hill, only to find that the gate at the top had been closed and locked, since everybody thought that all the participants were done.

It was only a few minutes before an organiser arrived to open up, and with our participants having now caught up to us, we were within sight of home. We set off at a brisk trot and covered the rest of the distance in about ten minutes flat.

This part felt incredible. Lancey said that this very slow 10km had barely warmed him up; his head was high, tail flagging, and he ate up the ground in an easy, swinging stride. I'd thought he felt a little tired coming up the last hill, but the moment we moved out, he was delighted to go. We had one spook at a scary piece of black pipe, but while he cantered sideways a few steps, he had settled down before I could really pick up the reins.

The organisers gave us prizes and plenty of thanks, and we spent some time hanging out with the happy crowd. Flashy was irritated by this point so we gently redirected curious people to Lancey, who found himself being petted, poked and cuddled by everyone. He soaked in the attention even after four hours of riding.

Both horses drank deeply and loaded up without batting an eye. I was worried about them after the length of time we rode and the rough terrain, but they were both absolutely fine. In fact, even non-riding-fit Rain was off to her ballet class as usual the next morning. The only one worse for wear, it turned out, was me. By the next morning I was back at the doctor's being told that I now had a raging infection and ordered to stay in bed for a week. Of course, given the number of truly questionable choices I had made, this was entirely my own fault. It's a week and a half later and I still haven't been back on a pony or fully functional yet.

Looking back on it, though, it was a truly awesome experience. I have never had more love and admiration for my incredible horse or for the people with whom I'm so honoured to share my life.

God is good.

He's Home!

 After the longest three months in existence, my big baby came back home last week <3

When we left off with Thunder's dressage adventures, I'd just had my first lesson on him at J's, and it was a bit of a train wreck. I went back the following week armed with equal parts intense trepidation and ferocious resolve, neither of which are a particularly pleasant emotion to have on your back if you are a horse. He once again met me at the gate with happy whinnying, then behaved perfectly to be saddled up, but as soon as I got on him we were both as tight as violin strings. Our mood did not improve when J sent us to the lunge ring.

He went in there looking for something to spook at, not helped by the fact that I was looking for something for him to spook at too. The upper-level Andalusian in the paddock next door decided this was an excellent moment to start galloping around madly while bucking and farting. I was very close to bailing out on the whole thing, but J put us to work and the moment I started making my expectations clear, Thunder relaxed and settled into the work.

We ended up having a really solid lesson. He spooked once or twice, but mildly, and we continued to work on canter quality, with little bits of piaffe (assisted from the ground by J) to engage his butt and my brain. The straightness continued to be an issue. I had a light bulb moment when J corrected a twist in my body to the left, and that helped tremendously, leading us into some good moments before the end of our lesson. We finished with another walk around outside the arena and this time I was stern about sending him forward and he was much more relaxed, so that was confidence building overall.

J sent me a message afterward to encourage me and remind me that we're going to the next level right now, so of course things are going to feel hard. He is not generous with praise and this meant a lot. A major morale booster at a crucial moment.

legitimately the only photo I took

We returned that Saturday, a week before he was due to come home, for another lesson. This time, the moment I sat on him, he was different. He didn't feel gigantic under me, he just felt like my Thunder, and we both walked into the arena and exhaled. I slipped the reins to the buckle and he stretched to the floor.

With my lizard brain lulled to sleep, I could apply myself to what we were doing. Although I still hit the wrong buttons at times, it finally felt like Thunder and I were on the same page, and we had some really, really good moments - the best we've ever had. We even played with what was supposed to be four-tempis but thanks to my counting skills were three, five, six, or seven-tempis, but he did change instantly and cleanly every time I asked. His single changes were incredible - smooth and effortless - and canter right began to match canter left much better. We even did a few half steps on our own without help from the ground.

After the lesson, we spent the weekend with relatives including their toddler and baby. I am addicted to the baby, who had a cold, and thus by that Monday I was man down with a cold that then turned into the most brutal bacterial sinus thing I've ever had. Truth be told, I'm still sick in bed nearly three weeks later. It's been ridiculous.

Hence we didn't get to do any lessons the last week he was at J's, which was a bummer, but I was still really excited when hubby and I headed off to fetch him on Monday the 4th.

He hopped right in the box without a qualm and happily travelled all the way home wearing the cute new custom travel kit with the yard's colours and logo.

Before he arrived, I'd moved Wynnie out into the big field with Arwen and the herd. She was becoming an insufferable brat by bullying Lancey all the time, and dear, stupid Lancey just stands there and lets her chew on him. He was all covered in bite marks. It was time for her to go and learn a few lessons from the no-nonsense older mares.

She integrated spectacularly well and definitely remembers not to aggravate her mother. Besides, a couple of months on the dry veld during the day will do her weight good - she is a true baby dragon and not quite as lean as a rising two-year-old should be.

When Thunder got home, he let out a big breath. I let him go in his old field and he pinned his ears at Lancey, trotted to his roll spot, and had the longest, most satisfying roll.

Still pretty sick but determined not to let him lose any of the ground he gained at John's, I got on him the very next day, and I instantly had my chill, happy Thunder back. Much more forward than he was before I sent him for training - but stretching to the ground and happy to be home. I played with his stretchy trot, which was so much better than it used to be, and we did a little bit of canter work wherein I worked really hard to make him straight. He wanted to go with his quarters to the right and tried to ignore my leg once, but I got after him about it and he sorted himself out.

I actually worked him every day last week, which was really cool, even if I had to keep the rides short so that my lungs didn't explode. I worked really hard to hold him and myself accountable to our aids. Taking a break from riding him really helped with this---I seem to have broken the habit of letting Thunder get away with stuff that I would absolutely not allow from any of the others. (In my defence, he is my firstborn child).

We worked on the changes on Wednesday, and I could feel the difference between the fairly-okay change when I didn't have him perfectly straight and the totally-perfect change when I did. I had optimistically hoped to enter a show for this weekend and we played with the Medium 6 movements, which came effortlessly. Even the counter canter through the corner followed by a flying change at A was super easy as long as I kept him straight and active, which became increasingly easier as Thunder realized that mom is no longer playing around.

feeling a little intimidated about maintaining this bod

By Thursday I was feeling pretty nasty again, so I just did a stretchy session with him. J really drove it home to me that I needed to stretch this horse well and often if I want to maintain his muscle tone and keep his body feeling good, so we did the whole ride as long and low as I could get him. Walk and trot was great - his nose well below his knees - but I'm still having a little trouble keeping him balanced and stretching properly in canter. He did give me a stretch, maybe to his shoulder, but not all the way to the ground.

missed this face so much 💜

By Friday I was on my last legs, so we did groundwork instead, but it was still a really great session. I took a bunch of treats, his bridle and a dressage whip and tried to recreate the piaffe work in hand that I'd seen J do. There was a bit of fumbling around and he got thoroughly frustrated with me a few times, which I allowed him to express as long as he was trying and not running over me, because, like, fair, I am very frustrating lol. Toward the end, we started to figure each other out. He was extremely responsive to the whip and I never had to get after him about being active, but he actually wanted to canter on the spot or do a little levade instead of piaffe. I think I found the right spot on him to touch with the whip eventually, because then it fell into place and he gave me several sets of very active, on-the-spot steps.

Although we were both a bit annoyed about struggling to work it out, it felt like we worked as a team to figure it out. The copious amount of treats I fed him for every good attempt definitely helped.

I somewhat ambitiously entered us for a show that was actually supposed to happen today, but because a series of bad decisions led to me spending another week in bed with a respiratory bug, that sadly didn't happen. I could be cantering down centreline right now if I had used my brain a little more... but I'm not sure I regret it. More on that later!

It's amazing to look through my window and see my Thunder in the paddock again. God is good!

Painless Saddle Shopping

Yeah, you heard that right, and I don't believe it either.

Our saddle situation has been questionable for a long time. Back when Arwen and I were eventing (many years and many kilograms ago), I made our first non-starter-GP purchase. I had to sell two cows to do it, but I splurged on a beautiful brand new Kent & Masters jumping saddle. It still works in my riding school but sadly that expensive English leather did not stand up well to the brutal African sun and it has been falling to pieces for years.

dear old K&M in its glory days

In sharp contrast, when I started heading in the dressage directions about eight or nine years ago, I picked up a secondhand Wintec 250 dressage from Erin for peanuts. She'd bought it secondhand herself, but that saddle just never dies. It's had a few minor repairs and it's still doing its thing. I competed Arwen in it for years and Lancey has also worn it since I bought him, but as Arwen and I worked harder and her body changed this winter, it became increasingly obvious that the 250's fit wasn't working the way it used to. It wasn't doing me any favours, either.

It was obvious that we needed a new saddle and I was pretty sure what we wanted. I don't have the spoons for looking after leather and the price makes me wheeze. I've always been happy with Wintec - J rides his GP horse in a Wintec Isabel - and as long as I could find one to fit Arwen, I would have been happy, although obviously fitting her was the first priority.

Wintec 250 doing its thing

To complicate things, Arwen has never, ever been an easy fit. Though she did eventually develop a wither, she now has that curve to her back as well, and she's a little downhill. That all conspires to make it very difficult to find a saddle that doesn't slide forward. The Wintec 250 slipped just a little every single ride and we were both sick of it, even though she was never back sore.

high butt, curvy wither

Of course, the budget was a significantly limiting factor. With the exchange rate being what it is---I get paid in US dollars so I'm not exactly complaining---there was no way we were going to afford anything brand new. It would have to be secondhand and I was ready to spend many months waiting to see if anything suitable cropped up, if it was available to fit, and if I could even get anything in my budget to fit the dragon acceptably.

It was around that time that Anke put on a growth spurt and suddenly no longer fit into her almost brand new Wintec 500. EM had bought it new less than a year ago and hadn't put that many miles on it yet; it had one superficial scratch and was in otherwise perfect condition. I was nearly done with a novel that would bring in some extra cash, so on a whim, I asked EM if I could try it on Arwen. It was exactly what I wanted and well within the budget, so I was pretty sure it wouldn't fit. It's never that easy, right? Still, it would have been silly not to try.

one gullet too narrow

I thought my suspicions were true at first when I tried it and it was tight behind the shoulders and bridged slightly. I could more or less fix that with a half pad shimmed in front, and it was in a gullet one size narrower than she usually likes, so I hopped on for a brief ride anyway and absolutely loved how it felt for me. Arwen didn't protest the fit and it didn't slip during our short ride, either, so I figured I'd try another gullet before sending it back.

It was a couple of days before I could get my hands on a red gullet, and it was magical. The tightness behind the shoulders was gone and the panel made full contact down her back, even if it was somewhat imperfect near the middle. Nothing unfixable with a tiny flocking tweak. I fit my own saddles---I'm no master saddle fitter but I am actually qualified, I just don't really have the time to go around fitting for other people---and I thought it was fine but decided to leave the decision up to the dragon.

The moment I sat in that saddle, Arwen stretched right down to the ground. She is often quite stretchy in walk so I didn't think much of it, but when we moved up to trot, she didn't squirt forward, fuss, or pull. She just stretched all the way to the floor. I took that as a resounding yes, especially when the saddle didn't move an inch throughout our ride.

And that concludes the most painless saddle shopping story ever. It even came with its girth, stirrup leathers and brand new Nu Angles at a great price.

Now the dragon is all kitted out for bigger things. More on that later...

Even in little things, God is good!