Lets Talk Flap

Last week, Hillary over at Equestrian at Hart asked about flaps.  In all honesty, flap length and how my leg fit into my flap hasn't crossed my mind too frequently.  Both of my saddles have been mine for many years and I really wasn't very educated on saddle fit when I purchased them.  At the time they "felt good", the saddle fitter I use and respect told me they fit my horse, and off we went.  So now is as good a time as any to see what that actually means in term of flap :)

First up, we'll look at my dressage saddle since that's the saddle I primarily ride in.

 

So I apologize that these are not taken from the best angle, but I'm working with what I've already got. You can see that my knee fits "into" the knee block, which is how I think a dressage saddle is intended to fit.  The knee blocks are there to "hold" your leg in place, and an improperly placed knee block can seriously mess with your leg position. 

 

 If I was to take my feet out of my stirrups I would guess that the stirrup falls right around my ankle.  I was always told that dressage stirrups should be long enough that when your legs are hanging at rest, all you should have to do is "lift your toe" and be able to slide it into the stirrup without much (or any) bending of the knee to get there. Just my two cents.

 

My leg extends down a few inches below the flap, but because it's a dressage saddle, the flaps are super long.  Plus I have midget legs, so I don't know if this is a helpful comparison for most :)  Overall, I really like how I fit in this saddle and have never had anyone comment otherwise.

 

Now onto my jumping saddle, which is what I think people are discussing more frequently.

 

 

So the jumping picture isn't idea because it's a 3/4 angle, but I think it serves the purpose.  I would say I have about an inch of space between my knee and the edge of the flap... but maybe a little more.  I am extremely comfortable with this "set up" of saddle/flap/combo and feel very secure in it, which I think is evidenced by my leg position in each picture.

 

The bottom of the flap hits me about mid calf, but again I would point out that I have midget legs, and extremely short calves.  So while it may not be the best for comparison, it's all I have to work with :)

 

 



 

 

VCBH: Sperm Donor

If that title alone doesn't get me a crap ton of random searches/views I don't know what will.

 

 

Anyways, yet another blog hop from Viva Carlos because she is the reigning blog hop grand master.  Girl should have a badge just for that. 

 

 

"If you could/were so inclined to breed your horse, who would you breed her to and why?"

 

 

Seeing as I have owned a mare for 13+ years, a great deal of thought has gone into who I would hypothetically breed her to.  My lists of wants has changed quite a bit over the years, probably for the better, as I have gotten more knowledgable about horses and what I would want out of a foal.

 

 

List of Must Haves:

- Uphill build... because uh, Mollie is built like a slide

- Dressage training/showing/potential... because I am a glorified DQ

- Expressive, high quality gaits with suspension and "lift"... again, because Mollie has none

- Good temperment.... while I love Mollie's sassy attitude, a bit of compliance could go a long way

- Size.... probably different from the average person, but I am 4'11 and Mollie is 15 hands, and I want nothing larger.  Ponies from here on out y'all

- Color... I mean, it's not that important but if we're going to play this game I may as well go all out

 

So that leaves us with this beautiful little nugget of a stud:

 

 

Cocktailzauber

 He's a 2011 German Riding pony, and I'm in love.

 

 

Eat your heart out, I already did.

 

 

 

I love his movement, his color, his little face, and I think he and Molls would make beautiful pony babies.

 

 





Long Weekend

Got out to the barn plenty this weekend thanks to an extra day off!!  Molls was actually in a very good mood this weekend, and while I have no idea why I certainly am not going to question it.  She was a bit better (lighter and softer) on Saturday so naturally I have no evidence :)  My friend C was able to get some video on Sunday though, and while I'm waiting for the rest of it I do have one clip.  

I think the video is very indicative of where Mollie and I are right now.  We have a little argument, she gets nice and soft, we continue for a short while, she decides this is no fun, she protests, and we repeat.  We are in desperate need of a lesson (mostly me) and a more regular riding schedule.  Sigh.  Until summer (just 18 school days left!) it is what it is and I'm just enjoying her when I can.

Forelock Friday

Meet Gobi, a teensy tiny pony that I have made my new project.  And while you're here, check out his forelock.  Much more on him later!

VCBH: Hardware, Mouth Edition

Time for yet another blog hop courtesy of L. Williams.  This week she asks for us to tell her about the bit we ride our monsters in, and why.

I've liked reading everyone's responses so far, because there are so many different bits/disciplines/schools of thought represented.  I've always operated under the "no need to be harsh, but I need it to work" mind frame and it's worked for me so far.  I do try to use "soft" bits however if a horse is blowing through me, the happy mouth has gotta go.  Since Molls has a few different set ups I figured I'd share them all :)

Main Schooling Bits

Dressage: 

Our main dressage bit is a single jointed Baucher.  I forget what the exact brand is, I've had it for so long, but Molls likes it, and so do I so that's good enough for us.  It allows a slight amount of leverage so I'm able to get her to a lighter place than I can with a plain old D/eggbut yet we're still being dressage legal.

Hunter Pony Flatting:

This is one of my favorite bits to hack almost any horse in.  The slow twist gives a little more "hey, I'm up here" than a smooth snaffle yet it's still a very mild bit, especially in soft hands.  I also find horses have a harder time hanging on this bit, which is always good.

Wild Horse Activities:

This is Mollie's XC/going off property/I think she's going to be bad bit.  Again, when I ride with soft hands with slack in the curb rein it's essentially a plain old snaffle.  But when Molls decides she doesn't have to slow down when approaching a large XC fence I have a little leverage on my side and can sit that heifer on her ass.  I also use this bit frequently when going off property (ahem, long trail rides) where Mollie is certain she's in a race.

Serious "Get Shit Done" Bits

So anyone familiar with this blog knows that I sometimes ride Molls in a double.  Once I have her back in regular work (only 20 school days left!!) she'll probably go in the double more often than not, but for now I reserve it for clinics/more serious dressage schools.  Our current bit situation is a plain eggbut snaffle and a Weymouth bit with a wide port because Mollie seems to be more comfortable with that fit.

Wide Port Weymouth:

Molls in her Get-Up: 

That about sums it up!  I guess it looks like a lot of bits, but considering I've had her for 13 years I think it's a pretty minimalist list. 

VCBH: Why?

This week, L from Viva Carlos asks the question: "Why do you continue to ride?"

I've enjoyed reading everyone else's responses and while everyone has a slightly different twist, I think we all have the same underlying tone... there is something so incredibly addictive about this sport that no one can quite put into words.  There's just something that always pulls you back, no matter where life takes you.

For me, I've always been drawn to horses.  Ever since I was a little girl and could identify animals I've been told I favored horses.  I drew horses, read about horses, watched horses whenever I could on TV, and begged my parents to take me anywhere there may be horses.  I was lucky enough to have a grandmother who shared my passion, and she was the one who took me to lessons and eventually bought me my horse.

It doesn't seem to matter how long I have Mollie, there's always something I need to learn.  I love that.  As well as I know her, there are always days that she surprises me.  I love that too.  I think those are parts of the reason I continue to ride.  I will never learn all there is, yet somehow I'm driven to learn as much as I can.

Then there's the actual bond you have with your horse.  The way all horses have that horse smell, yet your horse smells different to you.  Or the way they probably know more about you than anyone else on this planet.  They way they trust you even when they have every ability not to, because you've taught them that you're trustworthy.  The way that they become reflective of you, and people could learn a heck of a lot about you just by riding your horse.

It's funny how I rarely seem to think about the negatives with horses.  I know my horse is expensive, yet just this weekend I spent over a hundred dollars on her at Dover in 5 minutes.  I have to budget my money carefully, but every penny spent on her is worth it.  I know my horse could dump me, and believe me she has, but that's never a thought when I swing my leg over the saddle.  My horse frustrates me weekly, yet I spend all week waiting for my rides.

There's just something addictive about horses.  And that's why I go back.

 

Photo credit to Knoopdawg Photography

No Words

I'm too tired to write words, but I think the pictures will suffice.

I hate rising trot photos, but meh.

Love her little face 

Mollie pre-jumping a ditch she could have easily walked through.

Date night :)

Sunday night.  Happy weekend everyone.