Something Old Is New Again

I had a thought the other day about riding Otoelene in a different saddle.  I had change a few years ago to one I thought was a little wider for her. But since I don’t ride for very long or hard anymore I thought I would see if my old saddle might suit me better now. 

My sister had this one custom made for me when I was around 16. It is an equitation saddle. You can see how build up it is in the front. It makes for a very secure seat.  It also sets my legs back under me instead of in front.  

You can see how much flatter the saddle I have been riding in is. It is also about 10 pounds lighter than the custom saddle.  This is my Circle Y trophy saddle for winning the Arabian National horse judging contest in college. I didn’t use it for a long time. But then I decided, what am I saving it for?  It is pretty comfortable but it is also the one I was riding in when I got thrown. So maybe the secure seat of the equation saddle would be better. 

I rode in the equitation saddle today for the first time in years.  Emily had taken it over when she was showing Pep in 4-H.  Otoelene didn’t seem to care one way or the other.  

And guess what, I even cantered for the first time since the accident.  It took Otoelene a couple of minutes to realize I really meant it when I asked he to lope. But she finally came around and behaved for the most part. There isn’t much moving around it that saddle.  But I can really tell how stiff my back is at the lope. I did both ways several laps going from a walk and trot both to the lope. It has been 9 months.  The doctor said the bones would continue to strengthen for a year so I am still trying to g to not over do. I think I had another successful step forward.