Saddle fitting

It's an awful day. Wind blowing at 200km an hour (according to my mum). Rain and hail pelting down in long showers. But I have waited two weeks for the saddle fitter to come out, and I am not about to cancel.

Instead, I drive the trailer out of the shed, move some barrels, and setup some hay nets with hay. The stage is ready for fitting Gally with a saddle.

The lady from Horseland arrives, car loaded with saddles. We bring in Crownie, for companionship, and Gally for fitting. He gazes angrily at the saddle, which caused him discomfort, and gives us his opinion with his back leg. Liddy gives him a knowledgeable firm pat on the backside for every cow kick he does. He calms down.

Liddy measures him up, and yes I do need a wider gullet. The gullet is changed, the saddle goes on, the girth is done up. (Note, no saddle blanket.) Liddy is happy with the way the fit "looks", but she thoroughly examines how the saddle lies along his back. Then she finds a couple of sore spots along the back, just where the saddle finishes. She takes a step back and assess him. "I think you need a bit more padding here", she points to the back part of the saddle. "He has a high back, and I think the saddle finishes too sharply for him. I think it needs to be more rounded, and taper up more gently." She takes the saddle off, and busies herself with adding padding.

The penny drops. This saddle wasn't just hurting Gally. It was also hurting Princess. Possibly Crownie as well. It's just that Princess complains about everything, so you just learn to ignore her. Whereas, Crownie doesn't complain about anything, so you never know. But Gally was able to articulate it quite clearly, for a horse.

With added padding, the saddle goes back on. Liddy is happy with the fit, "I want you to sit on him". Bridle on the horse, helmet on me, I mount up. Gally tenses, as he anticipates an uncomfortable moment. I sit in the saddle. Sigh of relief ... first from Gally, then from me. And, in addition, the saddle now feels a lot more like a dressage saddle.

The saddle fitter is pleased. "Go for a walk on him", she encourages. Despite the howling wind, the bending trees, and flapping bits and pieces we ride out in front of the shed. Gally steps under with increadible freedom. This feels fantastic! What a difference!

When I jump off, I am ready to give Liddy a hug. As we discuss how much I owe, I decide that this is the best money I have ever spent.

From now on, I will be much more thorough in checking my horse's back for sore spots, and it wouldn't surprise me if the saddle fitter will be visiting us on average once per year.