Farah in Black~

Tacked up~

Now that I've decided on a Stonewall Sport & am currently leasing the Stonewall Classic, it was time to get the accessories to go with it!  It took three breast collars to get one that fit!  The first from Hought was too small, the second too big & I couldn't reach Gail to figure out the third.  I called Diana at American Trail Gear, who had one in the mail over the holiday weekend & surprise!  It fit!

My new reins, are identical to my old, except for the color.  1" wide & 6.5 ft. long just as I like them & work well with the running attachment with 2" rings - both made by Gail.  The headstall I ordered from Tory Leather - leather conforms to a horses head & is my personal preference.  I'm still trying different pads.  Today I used an inexpensive one that I found at Bony Pony, made by Cashel.  It's called a "Soft saddle pad liner" & works well with the shape of the Stonewall - fitting under the dropped rigging.  What I didn't like was that it keeps slipping out the back.  I'm going to end up ordering one from Stonewall & those don't cover the rigging.  That's why they have sheepskin on the back of the ring.  Jackie says that these saddles work best with only a 1/2 inch pad.

Another "Oh No" moment...

We'd gone right past the Cottonwoods that Butch had cut out for us & another mile when we came to this :-(  Too high to jump, too low to go under.  I busted up the hillside on the right, Farah followed, once up on top, there was a place to get over it - Farah did that - then I let her go & she made her way back down to the trail.

Tops broken~

Over at the far Wetland, we found a mess.  The wetland itself is totally dry - it's the first I've found that is...  Two of the big Cottonwoods that are along the creek, had broken off & their large tops crashed down. 

Dry Wetland~

What a mess & it will be interesting to see if anyone cuts them out - or if they're covered with water as the wetland hopefully fills again this fall & winter.  Either way - we turned back here.  Farah was in a nasty mood today...  Threats to buck, grunting - rushing - just generally ornery.  It has been a week since she was out - so maybe that was her problem.

Our way back up!

As we started up, she made a very strong threat to buck & got the stick!  Once at the top, she settled back down & we did our woods loop, until we were again stopped by another tree down across the trail...  I turned back - deciding to check out the big wetland.

Peace & Quiet

We made good time heading home, until we came to the tree & hillside to climb.  This time I just let Farah go.  She went right up the hill - a little too far up - but then looked, jumped over the top of the tree & crashed back down the far side in a rush!  That left me to just walk under the trunk & mount.

Once home, I untacked her & she hadn't even broken a sweat under the pad!  No waves on her withers, not a hair out of place :-)  I brushed her & turned her out - where she tore around the pasture, back through the gate, around the back yard & back to the pasture - bucking & blowing off steam :-)

Outfitting~

Up front~

Well, it's been HOT!  Just too hot for me to want to ride...   There's Tevis - my favorite horse/rider team were unable to start, but I still have several friends riding to keep an eye on!  One of our WTRDD riders, Lisa Preston is currently at 89th!  Go Lisa!   Bare Bones going on down in the Capitol Forest - the first time since it's inception that I've missed it.  The heat of course is a factor, not having a saddle ready is the other.

Rear of the panel~

Reactor Panel asked Tolklat to make fitted booties/pads for the panels.  Woolback on the bottom, with a Cordura top.  My saddle came with a used set to try & they seem to work great.  The best aspect is that they completely cover & protect the panels.  Once the break-in period is over, I plan to keep them on & start using the Supracore pad under - next to Farah.  Still love the way the Supracore performs.

Front of the Panel~

I couldn't get the Stowaway front pack in black, Riding Warehouse said the manufacturer is unable to get black fabric currently, so had to settle for brown :-(   Could not find it through any other source either...  It's almost more bag than I want - but that's the choice if you want to carry water bottles up front. 

Yes, brown trial fenders don't look good... Will replace with black.

There was more than enough room for the stuff I carry.  May order the streamlined version - if I can get it with a bottle holder on one side.  Bony Pony received my order from Tory yesterday.  Love the grab strap, the headstall crown piece has to be shortened - that will take a full week.  I returned the breast collar - holes were punched unevenly & just didn't like the "English" style. 

Spoke to Gail Hought just before she left for Tevis & if you can believe - she was out of black beta strap!  My reins - are special order, since I like 1".  I added a breast collar & running attachment.  Hope I don't have to wait forever for those.  It's a good thing we had our booth at the tack sale this spring & made enough money to cover all of this!

From the front~

I decided to insure the saddle too...  My insurance agent with State Farm, was able to offer me some comprehensive insurance at a reasonable price.  Call Andy @425-742-9304 - (tell him I sent you) if you would like more information.

Look forward to my next ride to see how all this works on the trail!