Saddle Fitting Demo

Jan's neighbor Nanci invited us over for a saddle fitting demo on her gelding Duvall.  Duvall is a 10 year old 16.1 hand Trakehner.  Nanci wanted to check the fit of her Schleese dressage saddle.  Schleese is a Canadian brand of saddles, and they are marketed as saddles designed for women.  They are the most comfortable saddles I've ever sat on.  They are also way out of my price range - thank goodness I don't need a saddle!

The demo started with an analysis of Duvall's confirmation and muscling.

Next his back angles were measured.

The saddle fitter adjusted Nanci's saddle's frame to Duvall's measurements with a pneumatic tool and re-stuffed the panels while we watched.

Nanci made a quick test ride -

such an elegant pair -

then final adjustments were made.

This is the Reader's Digest version of a two and a half hour appointment.  For those who would like more detail, here's a link to Step 1 of Schleese's 9 step video series - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2mKz0uP_K8.



Driving Home

I had a really nice ride on Elvis this morning.  As I was driving home from Jan's, I saw a horse and cart coming down the road.  They looked familiar.

It's Boomer!  And Bob!  And our friend Kay!

Look at that smile!

Is it because Boomer is so much fun?

Or is it because Kay's Borzoi won Best of Breed yesterday?

It's both!