Bachelor #2

*angels singing*

Or, The Saddle I Really Wanted To Buy But It Was Only ALMOST Perfect.

Or, Nearly Prince Charming. 

Or, My Butt Is Too Big. 

One of the things I love about my saddle fitter is that she's also a pony person. She rides and drives ponies in addition to doing body work and saddle fitting, which gives her a unique insight into and appreciation for Dino. A few years ago, she'd had a lovely custom Frank Baines dressage saddle made for her Cob stallion Castleberry's Cadence, and she was looking to sell it since Cadence was going back to his breeder to stand at stud. He and Dino are shaped similarly, so we were hopeful the saddle would work for him. It's also brown, which I so very badly want my new saddle to be! 

After meeting to hand off the saddle and thoroughly Lysoling it before I took it, I tried it on Dino the next day. For him, the fit was just about perfect. While he could definitely use a point billet instead of the current center position of the front billet, everything else was wonderful as far as Dino was concerned! The panels fit the shape of his back perfectly, he had LOADS of room in the wither and shoulder, and it sat beautifully balanced on him. 

I love this. 

When I girthed it all up and got on, I was really pleased with how this saddle felt for me as well! While the seat is 100% too small (it's a 16.5", and I usually ride in a 17"), it never felt uncomfortable, just like I had a smaller surface area to work with. It was, in fact, very comfy for me and I loved the shorter flaps and overall balance of the saddle. My fitter had given me both a large and small set of interchangeable blocks to try, and I ended up liking the bigger ones best. They were supportive without ever feeling like they got in the way, which is how I suppose well-fitted blocks are supposed to be.

Once we got  moving, Dino told me that he absolutely LOVES the Frank Baines. He was immediately soft, round, and forward, and I felt more movement from his back than I had in a long time. His warm-up canter was phenomenally uphill and lofty, and he just felt so free and happy in his body. The more I rode in it, the more I realized the seat is the wrong size for me, but the better Dino went and the happier his attitude became. I've been riding in it for a while now since I have it on loan, and I'm pretty set on getting something as similar as I can for Dino since he's made his opinions known! 

Shifted a bit too far forward, but you can see how it's just a bit too small for my ample rear.. 

That shiny patent cantle, tho...

While Bachelor #2 isn't The One, it definitely showed me what things Dino definitely likes in a saddle. He LOVES the soft, serge wool-covered panels, the shape of the Frank Baines tree, and the shoulder and wither freedom he has in this saddle. I love the soft, grippy leather, more rear-balanced seat, and the ability to interchange the velcro-backed blocks. Our next step is to try some similar saddles with a bigger seat so I can get more of a feel for what I like, and then likely we will get started ordering something custom made! With the heavy restrictions in place now I'm not sure when that will be, but it's giving me something very fun and exciting to look forward to in any case!