OMGPONY!

Got to ride for about 45 minutes last night after work last night.  I didn’t get any new pictures though, it was pretty dark even in the lit arena by the time I got out there and I only had the camera on my phone with me.

Dr Sue was there tonight and she thinks there is an issue with the way my borrowed saddle fits.  We knew it wasn’t a perfect fit to start with, but I think Sue is right and it is a bit too narrow in the shoulders to feel comfortable for riding.  She feels a wide-tree (7-inch gullet) would be best because Rosie has such rounded withers.  I’ve been starting to research and shop online for a used saddle with a wider tree.

During riding, we did much better last night though, with a few bridle adjustments made. Rosie is still mouthing the bit and tossing her head, but about half as much as the first time.  Most of the mouthing/chewing seems to be her trying to chew on the shanks/cheek pieces of the bit where the reins clip on.

I was able to get her into gait more often and do about 3/4 of a lap around the arena before she would either break out of it and get trotty (usually with a head toss) or slow down to a walk.

I think I’ve got the bit sitting in the right place now, she either needs to get used to the bit or we may have to try a different one.  I am thinking about trying rubber bit guards on the sides to see if that changes anything.  She shouldn’t be getting pinched at all with this bit as it has the smooth pivoting areas and the width seems right in her mouth.  But maybe the guards will help keep her from chewing at the shanks and keep her focused more on what we are doing.

Overall, though, we are making great progress and I’m really happy with how things are working out!  Slowly but surely Rosie is starting to recognize me as her “person”. 

This entry was posted on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 6:48 pm and is filed under Riding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.