I’m super excited to be getting to take my horse to the Buck Brannaman clinic in about a month, because a few spots opened. My horse is not super-green, but he’s still on the unpredictable side in new places, and first days of showing are always a little exciting (he’s a saddlebred, and the snorty giraffe comes to visit) so we’ll be doing foundations, and seeing how we get on. I have audited several of his clinics in the past, learned a lot, but this is sort of the next step.
We are a multidisciplinary pair, but I don’t feel like we have anything super suitable saddle-wise for the clinic. If I had a wade or other “normal” western saddle, it wouldn’t be a problem, but out of my ridiculously large saddle collection (I have a problem)…that’s the one type that I do not have.
My western saddle is a Circle Y equitation saddle, purchased originally for another horse. It doesn’t have a ton of silver on it, but it has some. It’s super comfortable for him, reasonably comfortable for me, and provides enough stick if said horse decides to be at all “exciting”. But it’s…a show saddle. Just feels a bit wrong.
I have a Passier dressage saddle, which I do use for some ring work. It’s a great saddle, but on the “less secure” side, and since we aren’t really dressage riders (we are learning western equitation and doma vaquera) it doesn’t seem like the right choice.
I have a regular hunt seat saddle. Ok as far as security, but again, not super deep or useful in an “emergency situation”. I’ve shown in it and grew up riding hunters. Not really much to say about it but it is traditional.
I have a Spanish saddle. This would be the most “comfortable” option for us, but it is unusual, and you know what they say about unusual tack…wear it if you WANT to draw attention to yourself and I think my snorty giraffe may call enough attention to us day 1 unless he miraculously does not do what he did at the last horse show which is possible, but not horribly probable.
I also have a few and sundry other saddles, a wintec d-lite, a saddleseat saddle, most of which I don’t ride in and have been used for other horses in the past.
So, I know which way I’m leaning, but which one would you take?