Things We Do When We Can't Ride



Winter, I hate you.

I was all excited that it was going to get above freezing on Sunday, but by the time I got on my pony the footing was already totally frozen again. Apparently I had missed the "semi-ok footing" window. I attempted to do some decent walk work and a little trot down the one long side that wasn't concrete, but it just turned out to be the Most Unproductive Ride of 2015.

Dino was not pleased with the footing and didn't even want to give me a forward walk in most of the arena, though he obligingly trotted lightly off down the one half-frozen long side. No forward meant no roundness, and it was an overall crappy ride. Time to call up Miss Trainer and see if I can ship over to use her indoor while she's living it up down south. This is getting ridiculous.

So what better time to test out new tack and hairdos? Here is Dino's freshly banged tail:

Please excuse his awkward leg

Not too short?! 
What does everyone think? A good look for him, or should I let it grow back to fetlock length and never cut it again? I had a full-body shot as well, but it made him look like a mule so I didn't post it.

Next, I slapped a new bit on the beastie. My dear friend/personal shopper Katie, who lives conveniently close to the SmartPak retail store, snagged me a Myler bit I'd been wanting to try for $45. The mouthpiece is very similar in shape and construction to the low-port curb I use for riding western, and Dino really likes that bit, so I wanted to give the Myler a whirl.

Blurry Pony is Blurry
Now... do we think these D's are too big for the Pony's face? I'm not totally sold on this bit as of yet. If I do end up keeping it, I think I'm going to have to get pony-size cheek pieces for his bridle instead of the cob-size. The size of the rings forces me to adjust them one hole from the top, and a bridle just looks poorly-fitted when you have to do that. Another option, if he likes the mouth, is to trade for an eggbutt. And since I wasn't able to have a "real" ride in this bit, I'm also not 100% sure how Dino feels about the mouthpiece. The jury's out on this one for now.

Lastly, a purchase I recently made with some Christmas bonus money, is a Total Saddle Fit girth!

SO. PRETTY. So matchy. 
Now this, I LOVE.

This is perhaps the softest leather girth I have ever laid my hands on. I was honestly a bit worried when I saw the tiny box it came in - I thought I was going to have to spend a lot of time oiling and rolling to get it to flatten out. But those fears were totally unfounded since the girth unrolled beautifully and flopped delightfully open. It's so soft and flexible it may as well be made of neoprene. Beautiful. The leather is absolutely delicious - soft, smooth, and perfect - and the decorative stitching gives the girth a classy, just-a-little-different look. The elastic is very thick and very strong - pretty sure you couldn't kill it with explosives.

And it works PERFECTLY to allow Dino's conformation to work with the location of the saddle billets. He has a more forward girth groove than most, and the billets on our new saddle are positioned a little further back than ideal, which caused my straight fleece girth to want to pull the saddle forward with it to the girth groove. Not the end of the world, and not something that caused the saddle to shift forward significantly, but something that could definitely be better.

The deep offset of the TSF girth fixes the issue completely. The curved center of the girth sits right where Dino's body wants it to, and the ends come back to meet the billets of the saddle right where they lay. It's a wonderful, wonderful thing. AND they sent me a cool hat. I am one happy customer!

Until spring, I'll be daydreaming about how awesome we'll look at events in our new tack.


Comments

  1. Darn winter! I'm so lusting after one of those girths!

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    1. It is MORE than worth the money! Honestly if someone told me it cost twice what I paid for it, I'd believe them! You should save up some pennies for one. :) The sizing is spot-on, too!

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  2. Tail looks great. Perfect length!
    Slightly jelly about that girth.... okay, totally jealous! I want one :'(

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  3. Love the bang tail, and no, not too short. I was taught to bang half way between the hock and the fetlock, so I think his look is just fab!

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    1. Ahhh thanks! It's my first 'short' bang so I was nervous!

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  4. Perfect bang! That sounds bad...

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  5. I just love his fluffy pantaloons :)

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  6. I've heard good things about the TSF girth!

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  7. Pretty girth! I think I have that same Myler bit, and the D's are HUGE on it. They look bigger on pony's face than Simon's though. Agreed about the weather... I miss riding!

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    1. It's a shame, I REALLY wanted to love it since it was so cheap! Bits are tricky. Bits for large ponies are extra-tricky.

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  8. That girth is to DIE for.
    And his tail looks amazing.

    I'm struggling with staying sane with no riding. That first picture is my life.

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  9. 1. That banged tail is spot on in my book, especially for winter. Pig always gets a super short tail bang right before the ice-ball season. Super short for him is just a couple of inches below the hock. You have waaaay more length that that. It should be the perfect length come show season! :)
    2. Holy huge D-rings. Seriously. Is that bit actually for elephants?
    3. TSF girth. Sigh. I've been considering one. After using another woman's County Logic girth on her horse, I think I might be sold that the anatomical girths are worth a try. Only, not the County girth. Those things are terrible quality for the price. But, bah. I do not want to clean a leather girth again! They get so terrible!

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    1. 1. Thank you!
      2. UGH I KNOW. I so wanted this to work. Grumble.
      3. Just bite the bullet. It's so, SO very nice. And if you wipe down a girth after every ride (30 seconds) it doesn't get nasty!

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    2. I totally agree on his tail growing out to the perfect length come show season. It's such a lovely, full tail you really will be able to show it off!

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  10. Love the length of his tail - that's about where I bang mine to as well.
    That D ring does look big on his face, but I feel your pain as to finding a suitable size/bit for a large pony - if it works it's gold! That girth is grogeous!

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  11. I have the Myler D -- I also found the rings big, even on my horses with fat heads, and Solo's head is short as well. While neither use it anymore, it's an excellent bit to have in the toolbox (I'm not a gazillion bit person, just a 'one with each type of action' person). Both of mine HATE a loose ring, too much mouth "noise," but the Myler is much more stable, just one step away from Solo's favourite, the baucher. The low port gave fat tongues room without hitting low palates. It's Encore's "we're not planning on galloping today" trail bit (we need the Pelham for that, LOL) & for a while it got rotated in while he was learning better balance & roundness on the flat & jumping, so he couldn't lean on the Duo.

    TL;DR -- bit, good, blah blah blah, yay -- oh and winter does suck donkey balls, I think it seriously rained 6" in the last 24 hours. Boo.

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  12. His tail looks great! I'd go even a bit shorter, but if that's your first bang, I can understand being worried about going too short.

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  13. aw boo - but love the girth! have definitely considered something like that before too - but probably need to sort out my saddle problems first lol. good luck with the shipping out too -- that's pretty much where we are too. if we wanna ride, we gots ta travel for it :(

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  14. Loved he banged tail as well and I have the dressage version of that girth and also LOVE it. Wonderful soft leather and great fit. I'd buy another one in a heartbeat if I needed it.

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  15. You'll be doing a complete review of the girth after you've ridden in a few times, righ, Right, RIGHT?!

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