Movin' On - Saddle Wise~

The Heraldic is on it's way back to CA...  I was sorry to see it go - I had such high hopes that it would work for us...  After my ride on Wed. Post~ - I knew for sure that it wasn't going to work for me.

Chloe at Reactor Panel, offered me several options.  I have to say; working with Chloe & Carmi, was great!  So professional, helpful, insightful & instructive too!  I was offered a new prototype to try!

Heraldic Prototype

We all agreed that the first problem was probably that the seat was too small - maybe a 17.5 rather than a 17.  That might have helped move me back from the rise.  I was also getting just a little pinching from the rigging -  that would have been alleviated with the prototype!  It is beautiful!  But after thinking it all over & being the sorest I have in years from that 15-mile ride - I decided that it probably had a lot to do with where I was on Farah's back - further back than I'm used to.  The seat certainly had more rise, I'm used to something flatter.

First time~

 I was struggling - but thought that with more rides, I would get used to the feel.  I didn't - my legs were more on Farah's barrel, rather than in the riders groove.  I was struggling when we galloped & her gallop was much slower than usual - I think she could feel my discomfort.  As I told  Chloe, I'm going to move on for now - but may be back!  It's hard to walk away from such a superior product & customer service!

Laying awake that night - my mind went for whatever reason - to Stonewall Saddles...  I've looked at them off & on for years.  There was always a saddle that seemed more appealing to me, maybe fancier, prettier, or more "Western".  But the riding quality that I found in Linda's McClintock has changed my views about pretty!

Stonewall Classic

Friday morning I called & spoke to Jackie.  I was very upfront with my wants & needs...  At this point there's just no other way to be.  Years ago I had ordered the boomerang fitting angles.  I dug them out of the drawer & tried them on Farah, who measured a medium tree.

Medium works~

 I tried one under Linda's McClintock - no surprise - it measures a narrow tree ...  Only the supracore is keeping us on the trail.  To think that Farah has gone all these miles in a too small saddle is like thinking of running in too small shoes...  I know she has dramatically muscled up since I first tried the boomerangs on her when she arrived & measured narrow through the wither.

Stonewall Sport

Jackie has a older Classic saddle, medium tree, 14" seat that she's now refurbishing for us.  I had to purchase it - if I order a custom saddle, those funds will be applied.  Jackie pushed it to the front of the line in the shop & I hope to get it in the next couple weeks.  From our talk, I have to hope that it's pretty darn close to what I've been hunting for.  If & I say if it works for us - I can lease it for $60. a month until a custom one can be made.  Pretty reasonable all round.

I like having the pommel, the flatter seat, dropped rigging, fenders & room for my back saddle bag.  It will be easy to outfit it with the packs that I've been using on Linda's.  I'd taken Linda's saddle back to her - so on Fri. we went to lunch & I picked it up yet again :-)  It might be jinxing my luck - taking it back twice now - both times thinking that the other saddles would work!    Now, I've told her that she's NOT getting it back!  (Maybe that will help!)

On Our Own - Victoria~

Again...  Are people able to read?

The note I found

It's just hard for me to believe that a fellow horseman wouldn't realize that just one car in the trailer parking - will multiply - as more people coming up see it & think - "Oh I can park there too."  I've seen four cars parked all over the lot - making it impossible for the trailers to pull in or out...   In the last couple weeks, there have been several days - with the closure of Mann Rd. that the lot has been totally full of trailers...  Of course, there's even more signage too - asking hikers, bike riders, etc. to park along the edge of the road, or on the new gravel area that was put in for cars.

Gray & Overcast

It was one of those eerily quiet days...  I was in an off mood. I'd manged to upset a friend & I never like doing that for any reason - even when I feel strongly about something.

The front pack started bugging me right away...  banging around too much...   I have it tied down about every way but loose - the water bottle hung too low & hit me in the knee when we were galloping...

New logging area~

 I wanted to do a decent pace, a lot of trotting & some galloping to see how the Heraldic felt.  The problem I'd first noticed, pressure from the rise of the front of the saddle, has not gone away...  Yesterday - it didn't seem as bad, but we were doing a lot of short up & downs at Lord Hill.  Today - was more of the long downs & long ups.  The entire ride, I felt the pressure - enough that I couldn't clear my mind of it.  Farah seemed to be moving fine, though her reduced speed tells me that something isn't right.  Smooth transitions, no bucking, no shoulder lifting, no head tossing.

Big Cedars went down~

It started drizzling on us - once we were all the way to the bottom of the mountain.  The roads are just as hard as concrete now... I won't do this loop again for a while.  We did go off onto the trails for the return, but the surface even there is very hard packed, lots of bike use & so very dry. 

A gray horizon~

We returned to the trailer just as the drizzle was turning to rain.  We'd covered 15-miles at a good pace, probably too good for the hard footing...  Disappointed that I can't make this saddle work for me :-(  I'll be calling to discuss my options tomorrow~

Lord Hill - Revisited~

OH MY GOSH!  There are Sheep over there!

It had been a long while since I'd ridden at Lord Hill...  When Lynn & Amanda invited me I was looking forward to seeing those trails again.   Yes - we're stylin' now :-)  While we wait for the new breast collar, using our western one :-)
The giraffe look was evident - the neighbor's sheep were making sheep noises through the trees :-)  Today - our third ride with the Heraldic.  When I saddle Farah up at the barn, then go to walk her down to the trailer, she has always waited until the pressure hits her halter before stepping forward.  This morning, I said my usual;  "Let's Go!" & she moved out instantly!  Such a small thing - but it blew me away!

Farah & the handsome Cato!

Farah was very pleased to see her friend Cato again!  Sophie was the third wheel as far as she was concerned & she made it very clear - if Sophie even tried to get close!  So, Cato led on the way out - Sophie, as usual on the way back.

A very dry wetland~

Even though this park has so much shade, leaves were falling & the drought conditions were evident.  This was a good test for the saddle.  Farah being in the rear - she did do a few of her antics, but no bucking & only one shy.

Relaxed~

Both Amanda & Lynn said that they really thought Farah was the most relaxed they had seen her.  They were with us on some of our very first rides, so should know.  I didn't feel quite right though.  The saddle was comfortable, but the pitch of the seat didn't put me where I like to be.  We were walking & trotting, both of which are not the same as riding in competition.

Another very low river...

Farah's face is the driest I've ever seen it - she has matured & come into her own this year...  The horses really enjoyed standing in the river, the morning clouds had burned off & the humidity had gone up.  All three had a sheen of sweat.

Great Blue Heron

 We were thrilled to see this Great Blue Heron enjoying the extremely low water in the wetland.  I'm sure food is getting scarce, but what there is - probably easier to catch!

Amanda, Cato, Lynn & Sophie

We were heading back when Amanda & I realized that it was the first time this year we've ridden together!  Even Lynn & I haven't gotten in that many miles, I've been staying closer to home.  Hopefully cooler weather isn't too far away & I'll feel more like traveling farther.  I've yet to ride most of the Fall City trails~

Heading back down~

Once home, Farah enjoyed her bath.  Afterward I turned her loose, she had one big roll in the yard, then took off at a full trot to her pasture, where she rolled again, leaped five-feet in the air & took off with a short burst of speed!  I don't think I have to worry about any pain issues!

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!

Second Ride with the Reactor Panel - Bracken Rd.~

Sharon, Pat & Donnie

Pat planned to get us all out this week, for me - before the heat turns on!  We headed out from Bracken Rd. - Donnie again ponying Cam on her second time away from home.  Sharon was riding her new mare, who'd been a pasture ornament for a while & was pretty new to trails too.

Why is the water tank spooky?  :-)

I saddled Farah before we left home, as is my usual routine.  Tightening the girth in increments - still getting used to the stretch in the billet straps.

Crossing Tin Bridge

Everyone was nice & let Farah lead - she did do some bucking when I would end up in the rear.  Now, I know it's not the saddle! :-)

Pat walks Cam across the bridge~

It was the first time for Cam, Destry & Sharon's mare.  Once across we were on the heavy rock, it was interesting to feel Farah's movement - more than I ever have before - on the rock it was accentuated.  We let the horses graze at Cloverdale, then headed over to the river.

In the North fork of the Stillaquamish

The water is SO low!  Scary low - but still flowing...  The bank going down was short & steep.  Farah stopped & dropped her head to check it out.  I was thinking;  "Hum... nothing to put my hand on for balance..."  I didn't need it!  I felt totally balanced as she dropped down - hardly moving in the seat!  Yes!

Donnie on Rao with Cam

Donnie found the one deep spot & I missed getting a shot of Cam swimming around Donnie!  She loved the water!  All the horses really enjoyed the coolness on a day that was rapidly heating up!
Needless to say - we didn't go looking for deep water with the RP saddle!

Young fawn~

On the way back, this fawn caused the only spook of the day, Farah was in the lead & jumped sideways - I easily stayed with her!  Yes!  Big move up on my confidence level!  Pat was riding Cam - who followed Farah's lead, spooked & whirled.  Pat only lost a stirrup & Cam settled right back down.

We ended up doing ten-miles in four hours, not a lot in mileage, but a long time for only the second ride in the RP.  I dismounted - again so pleased to not be sore!  Once home, I unsaddled Farah & though I know the value of even sweat patterns is often debated - Farah's was perfect!  No soreness anywhere.  The waves on her withers had been getting better with the new Supracore pad.  They were certainly no worse.  With the way the panels go over the withers, I hope to see them less & less!

It's not as though I do two or three Endurance rides a month - as many do.  This year, with the continuing heat - it may be that the only one we do, is the one we did!  What we do - is miles...  Lots & lots of miles over varied terrain, technical trails, slow, fast & sometimes very fast :-)  I need a saddle that will hold up to that over the long haul.  I do so wish RP had a version with some skirting - somewhere to hang all my stuff from...  But something that works physically - for us both is the goal!

Another very positive ride, this time for comfort over hours of time on the trail~

Saddle Fitting & First Trail Trial~

Checking the tree~

Thursday...  The Reactor Panel Saddle arrived!  First, we were to have a Skype fitting on Fri., my appointment at the Optometrist ran long... & no, the news of another eye surgery didn't excite me.  Next, we scheduled for Sunday - communication was incomplete...

Heraldic - Side view~

 Monday, I had to run Grandson Ben to his drivers training in the morning - by the time we'd finished lunch - I wanted - more than anything - to get the saddle on the mare & Ride!  I tried putting it together on my own & my frustration level went up accordingly...  I called the office & as luck would have it, Carmi was available & kind enough to fit me in to her already full schedule.  I ran down the hill, caught Ben's attention as he was mowing the front yard & he was my horse handler!

Panel's on~

Rather than Skype, which didn't seem to be working for us, we used photos, text & calls... Whatever works - right?  It did - Carmi was precise in her directions, watching all those You Tube Video's really had helped me - we got it done!  Pat came up with a bowl of watermelon just as I was ready to head out from home.

On the trail~

All the photos are with my smartphone, I didn't want to put anything on the saddle, scared to death that something would scratch it etc.  As usual, I walked on foot up the first big hill.  It's a good warm up for us both & gives any saddle time to settle a bit.  Stepping up into it, it didn't roll, no problem with it staying put - good!  The next thing I noticed was that Farah had her head & neck lower than usual, certainly walking in a more collected frame.

New "View"

The View - I admit was a little strange!  The seat though - what a relief to be able to sit straight - without the constant correction that my poor back has had to endure for a long while now.  I felt relaxed - even without the big bucking rolls that have held me in the seat of Linda's saddle for over a year now.

Heading back

Carmi advised me to keep the first few rides short - short?  :-)  Our short is six-miles - so that's what we did.  Farah offered to trot!  Offered!  She loves to trot - I know that well, she loves to Go - but over the past months, I'd had to ask.  She gave every time, even if it was with a buck, or lowered neck, then tossing her shoulders up as she went into the gait.  Now, I had several smooth transitions.  When I asked for a short gallop, she tossed in a buck - almost as though she was checking out how the saddle felt.  :-)

Once back home, I stepped off & have to say that not feeling the pain that I always do through my pelvis was just Grand!  Butch & Ben were both waiting when we returned & I think we were both smiling.    It was short, but it was positive...

Back to Bracken & Saddle Trial~

Linda & Count in Harvey Creek~

I talked Linda into trailing over to Bracken Road for a ride today.  Several trucks & trailers were already there, it was early too.  Everyone had the same idea we did, to take advantage of a cooler day!
On my way up Burn Rd., there were actually about 100 sprinkles of wet stuff that hit my windshield!  I was wishing that they would continue - but no - it was even clearer in Arlington...  I'm having a tough time of it, watching our yard & plants drying up here at home...  To see the large trees starting to show signs of stress - I think we're all wondering when it will end & praying we don't end up like CA.  When you think back, we really had no rain last fall, not much rain during the winter - we were happy to have all that fine riding weather, after all.  We went into Spring already dry & now I think the word parched about sums it up.

The north fork of the Stillaquamish~

There's still flow in the river, but nothing like in a more normal year & last year was drier than usual for us, plenty of sunshine days.

 Last year on the 19th~

Linda enjoyed her first visit to the Whitehorse Trail!  Count started over Tin Bridge just fine, but was busy watching the swirling water below :-)  The yellow jacket sign is up - but we didn't see them today - I hope they've moved on!  We had our lunch at Cloverdale & the horses enjoyed the grazing.

Linda & Count

When we turned toward Arlington, Count hit his turbo walk!  It ended when we turned back, but he sure seemed to enjoy seeing new views :-)  Even though cool - it did warm up when the sun broke through & the humidity went up.  I was stiff & got off to walk part of the way back.

Heraldic, No fenders yet~

Arriving home, I received an email from Chloe at Reactor Panel, my trial saddle has shipped.  I'm hoping that this saddle will be the one, if they work - you keep them.  Taking a saddle on trial - costs too - shipping etc., but still better than the year long wait I had last time, for a saddle that I would have never bought had I seen it first!  Both Linda & Diane have ridden years now in RP saddles - so that helped me decide.  It will be a change - but again - if it works, I'm ready!

A few days & we'll be using Skype for the fit session & Ms. Farah & I will be trying it out! 

Baby Bears at Victoria~

The Tree Farms reopened today!  The humidity has gone up enough that even with the on-going drought - DNR dropped the fire danger level to two.  Linda & I had planned to ride, maybe driving up to Harry O's, so it was sweet to be able to ride closer to home!

We start down the trail we'd completely cleared last Summer~

No one knows the trails like Linda, so today we took many - that I anyway - hadn't been on for a while.  It's just crazy how fast all our work from last season, has disappeared under layers of green growth & nasty blackberry vines...

Views west~

The trail through one of the latest clear-cuts is at least being used, so we got through it pretty easily.  The view is worth it!

Mt. Lumi

The air was the clearest it's been in weeks - a relatively cool morning with a very nice breeze.  Farah started out with her bug mask, but once we were in the woods, she let me know - with incessant head tossing - that she wanted it Off!

Grasses

The tall grass is the driest I've ever seen it - beautiful beige's moving in the breeze.  As Linda lead us from trail to trail, we went up Baby Bear Trail & from there headed up toward the Monument.  Farah was in the lead, we were going fast & were cresting the top - when she made a sudden shy to the right!  In the next second - I heard Linda & Count doing the same!  Before I could cuss Farah out for the shy - Linda said;  "Bears!"

First of the young Bear cubs~

Both horses had whirled to face the far side of the trail & here was a bear cub!  The noise of his claws on the bark as he climbed as fast as he could was loud!  Before we had time to think about it - a second bear started up the tree behind his brother!

Second cub behind the branches on the right~

With Farah moving & my heart pounding - it was hard to hold the camera steady :-)  Linda said;  "We need to Go!  Momma Bear has to be close!"  Go we did!  Too fun!  It's been several years since the last time we saw two cubs peaking at us over the ridge on Ridge Trail.

Whitehorse

The views from the top were just Grand!  I unsaddled Farah at the Monument.  She's fine at the walk, but it's obvious that she's Not at a trot, even with the new Supracore pad.  Linda's saddle is pinching her now...  I'm waiting for a Reactor Panel to arrive.  I loved Diane's Heraldic when I sat in it - so I'm going to take the plunge & see if it will work for us.  I can get it with fenders & it's very similar in shape & style to Linda's.

Our track

  Today, for whatever reason, Garmin allowed me to view our track on Google Earth!  I've been waiting months for them to fix the glitch that has Not allowed me to do this.  It really gives you an idea of how many trails there are.  Like Linda said; she could use a crew of 30 volunteers for at least three or four trail work parties a season to keep them all passable...

Really beautiful day & what a charge to see the bears!