G'Day, Mates!

Yesterday I received my new Australian drover’s saddle and tried it on Champagne. He has a tough back to fit, but I put a white pad under the saddle to try to see after I rode (from the soil pattern) whether the saddle was bearing down unduly on particular spots on his back.

As I led him to the cross ties he spotted the new saddle and was all eyes and ears, and was very dubious when I put it on his back. It is a lot heavier than my dressage saddle, and I had thought that one was heavy. The barn manager showed me how to fasten the girth (cinch?). “Latigo” is a new term for me.

The saddle is very handsome, black, and made of synthetics and newbuck so it should be pretty impervious to rain. I have a sporty new saddle blanket, black with maroon weavings, but yesterday I didn’t try that out too.

After we got the saddle on, but while he was still in the cross ties, Kathy-the-barn-manager mounted, just to be sure he would not spook. He laid his ears back and was restless, but then he is never mounted while in the cross ties, and he doesn’t like change.

I led him around the indoor a few times, stirrups dangling, and he seemed OK, so I go on. His opinion: “I can’t walk.” That’s a characteristic Champagne response to a lot of things, so I ignored him, and eventually we were walking and even trotting around, if not happily or rapidly, at least non-violently. The saddle is cushy and comfy from the top side, but I can’t feel him as well through it.

Kathy got on again, and after a little resistance she got him cantering, which he did to the left fine, and to the right with difficulty, picking up the wrong lead at first but finally giving a slow, less than rhythmic canter. More about that tomorrow; it isn’t a saddle issue.

After that we took the saddle off and checked the white pad: pretty even soil marks, although one possible pressure point on one shoulder, and maybe a little evidence of “bridging” at one spot where the soil was a little lighter. All in all, it seems like something I’ll be able to work with. I’ll try it on the trails Saturday, but it seems like a keeper. Now I have to send for a western saddle rack. Thanks for the tip to look at Down Under Saddle http://www.downunderweb.com from http://ryanlion.livejournal.com !