Riley reviews treeless: Part III

"When we're done trying on saddles do I get a treat?  (not treeless here)"

Riley finally got me to understand that the current saddle I'm using is not workin' for him any more. How'd he make me aware?

• Tight back, flat movement
• Tense jaw
• Reluctance to go foward
• Reluctance to go straight
• Crabby behavior when saddling

Four saddle fittings did little to change this.

 Ansur to the rescue?
So, one bright Saturday afternoon, my friend with the Ansur treeless came out. It was all very low key, and we started with the County.  I rode, she watched, and I commented on how "typical" this ride felt. It was typical, most notably in that Ri was pokey and wiggly.

Fifteen minutes later: we put on the Ansur. It's brown (thumbs up) and does look like a dressage saddle. It is not new, but appeared to be in good condition, with very nice leather and construction. I put my stirrups on the saddle and lengthened them a few holes -- for some reason they felt short.

I walked around. Two things -- two differences I noted -- were evident immediately. His neck stretched down, as if he was testing the waters. As we moved, he felt looser and suppler.  His stride got longer as we walked. Even in the saddle, I could sense his curiosity: "Hey, this is different! What's this?" His ears were pricked forward; in my other saddle, he had seemed bored. We walked a bit more.

I picked up a trot. He was willing, and as we made our first wide turn I felt something I had not felt in a while -- loft. He was stretching into the bit and swinging his back. The saddle owner, and another boarder were watching. After 2-3 minutes my boarder friend said, "he seems to be going better in this saddle." The Ansur saddle owner, wisely refraining from comment,  said "use your outside rein more as you come around corners." I kept riding, changing directions, doing transitions, assessing Riley's mood and way of going. I looked to the Ansur owner, and asked her opinion. She said, "Ride a bit more in this saddle, get comfortable, and we'll try your saddle again."

I tried to think about what other factors could be causing the change.  Was he just warming up? Were we reading too much into his behavior? I did a little leg yield, and felt his trot amplify nicely. We cantered a little, which I had not done in the County. Pokey but unremarkable. I wasn't pushing very hard. I walked around and checked the gullet clearance. Two fingers at the pommel. Was that enough?

"Let's try the County again." 
Saddle change. Back in the County, I attached my stirrups but could barely reach them with my toes! I shortened them up. "What's that about?" I asked. We surmised that the Ansur had conformed more closely to Ri's back, letting his sizable girth take up my leg more.

I rode around in the County. The trot was flat again.  Ri felt tighter. I rode a bit more, and the the Ansur saddle owner said, "Do you want to try the Excel again?" To be honest, I felt sad -- for myself, for Riley, for the time in a saddle that likely didn't fit him. I was ready to stop, so I didn't try it again. We had an honest conversation about the Ansur versus my saddle.

Conclusion? 
Well, I could feel an improvement, and two observers could see it. Riley, my big warmblood with a wither, liked the Excel on the first ride, and he went far better in the Ansur than in his too narrow County saddle. That is saying something. I'm impressed that a back sore horse could be so forgiving in a new saddle--but really I needed to compare a better-fitting saddle to the Ansur for a truly fair test.

But you know, that is only half the picture. How did I feel in the Ansur? Stay tuned...