Guide to all things Pony? - and, meet Grundy

[endlessclimb]

The progress is slow but steady! We go at her pace, which to start with was super slow but she really seems to be understanding everything more quickly all of a sudden.

She’s my little stalker, follows me everywhere when I’m doing maintenance in the dry lot, can be an incorrigible pest (and you can see in her eyes she thinks that’s the most fun thing EVER), still has that sass about food but it’s now her slinging her head followed by a super cute begging face.

I really, really like her, even with her issues we are working through.

[endlessclimb]

Oh my goodness, Grundy, you are on a roll.

Introduced lateral stuff under saddle today. Bing bang boom, she’s got it. Hindquarter yields need the most work, she spent a decent amount of time wondering why my leg was further back but then got it, certainly well enough for a first try. Good girl!!

[JBCool]

Sounds like a big weekend!

[endlessclimb]

Field trip to a saddle shop. So far, probably 30 saddles in, none fit. Closest was a gaited cordura but still not great.

Yay.

[Kinda_Kooky]

Here’s hoping the saddle quest is successful!

Try not to get too discouraged, I have gone through this with one of mine. He’s a shape shifter and a hard to fit with a similar back.

I don’t want to tell you the number of saddles in my basement.

Saddle fit is the most frustrating part of the riding equation.

I landed on a older Ryon Western saddle. The saddle is more compact than my others and was probably the 1970’s ladies/youth equivalent.

Currently, he is going well in a PDS Dabbs Jaguar jump saddle. It fits him well, for now.

Just throwing those names out there in the event you come across one, give them a look.

If you lived nearby I would invite you over to try the basement collection. You would just have to promise not to count.

[endlessclimb]

This is what we came home with on a 10 day trial. It’s a trial for Grundy, as it’s too small for me. A Martin somethin’ somethin’. Nothing else was even close, and once this one is girthed and she’s moving, even it may not work.

Grundy gets the 10 gold stars for staying patient, and not blowing her lid when the Amish were zooming around.

Side note - some HORRENDOUSLY unsound animals being driven around out there. Made me so sad.

[cmdrcltr]

FWIW, I love my Martin Crown C barrel saddle even though I don’t barrel race. It sits me well and allows me to get my legs underneath me. I used it for western dressage and ranch pleasure classes. Sadly, it will not fit the new pony, so it’s for sale.

[endlessclimb]

I’m not terribly picky, honestly. This one is a 15" and I prefer a 16" because I don’t like to feel packed in , but the true test is will it stay put on Grundy?

[QuestionMark]

If it works well enough for her but needs to be bigger for you, or is close but needs to be wider for her, I’ve had some good luck on a used Martin saddle group on FB marketplace. Martins are all stamped in a code that will tell you the gullet width and for awhile they made some incredibly wide gullets. I have a 20-year-old all around I bought new, and when I wanted the same thing but half an inch wider for another horse I was able to find one on there and it’s been great. I think the first one is an 8 gullet (already rather wide) and the second is an 8.5. I saw some even wider on there too.

[endlessclimb]

She’s actually the opposite, needed narrow! She’s not a bulky thing. I’ll keep an eye out though!

[QuestionMark]

The camera adds bulk, apparently! Sorry Grundy!

[endlessclimb]

Well, after girthing it and lunging her, it’s a no. Slid forward just like the original. Drat.

[Heinz_57]

Are you wanting western specifically, or is that just what happened to be a possibility?

[endlessclimb]

Wanting western specifically. I have a dressage saddle that fits her. Jump saddle fits, also.

[SadieRidingHorses]

@endlessclimb

I have a dressage saddle that fits her. Jump saddle fits, also.

Just wanted to point out that you must have some good karma for that to be true!

[endlessclimb]

Both are wool flocked and the dressage saddle has an interchangeable gullet. Jump saddle has big K panels that gave us some flexibility in moving flocking around.

But this western saddle hell is something special.

[cayuse]

Would an Austrialian saddle be an option? IDK anything about them, just tossing out an idea.

[endlessclimb]

It’s not totally out of the question, as long as it has a horn.

We tried a couple on at the saddle shop, and neither worked. I’m entirely unfamiliar with brands of those though.

In an act of sheer desperation, I have a DP Saddlery western saddle with their adjustable tree on order to try. We shall see if it works.

DP Saddlery LP | Western Flex-Fit saddles