Don’t Discard

Apr 292010
 

Gratitude creates it’s own attitude. It can give you a new perspective, a new focus. I am going to use this day as my opportunity to see those things.

Today, I am thankful for new opportunities, new ways to look at things.


I loved the message of this talk by Steven Tomlinson. When he asked for advice at the age of 28, about how to choose between the three things he loved, he got the answer, “Don’t discard. Find a way to keep all three of these things in the mix.” I’ll leave you with this as I found very inspiring. It made me look at issues in my life with a new perspective.


Take a few minutes today to create your own Thankful Thursday.

How:

  • Sit back and consider what you have to be thankful for. Listing three to five things is nice, but one will do.
  • Post about gratitude on your blog. If you don’t have your own blog, go ahead and write about what you are thankful for in the comments here instead.
  • If you blog, please link back here or leave a comment.
  • Feel free to tag other bloggers, if you like to do that, but it’s not necessary. This is not a meme that obligates you to do anything, but look for gratitude. Oh, and link back, and comment, that’s all I ask.
    • Visit these other blogs that often participate in Thankful Thursday:

  • Tired Dog Ranch
  • Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch
  • Earth Dancer Spanish Mustangs
  • The Pony Expression
  • From the Horse’s Back

    • How to replace cables in Renegade Boots – Part Two

    Apr 272010
     

    Continued from Part One…

    Pulley buttons removed


    Next remove the screws from the pulley buttons. Getting the cover off was a bit challenging, as they are flush with the heel captivator. I knocked the captivator against my kitchen counted a few times, until there was enough to grab with a fingernail. Once the front is off, you can pop the pulley out the back side.
    When everything is disassembled, it’s not a bad time to clean it all. I did that as I went.


    New cable


    Take a new cable and thread it through the top hole in the shell.


    Loop for the pulley button


    Run the cable into the pulley hole and back out on the bottom side leaving a loop inside the heel captivator.


    Inserting the back side of the pulley button


    Place the pulley into the loop and pull the end of the cable to seat the pulley. Replace the pulley button cover and screw.

    Cable run back through the shell


    Run the end of the cable back through the shell and into the cable slot.

    Cables run through the new cable clamp


    Place the new cable clamp in the shell and run each cable though the clamp. Adjust the cables, tighten the cable clamp and seat it back into the boot.


    The reassebled boots


    With the straps reassembled, these boots are ready to go try on Lily.

    How to replace cables in Renegade boots – Part One

    Apr 272010
     

    WordPress is croaking on the image laden post, so I’ve cut it into part one and part two.

    I traded a pair of size 0 Renegades for a pair of size 1. The 1s were too large for Lily. The cable clamps turned out to be stripped or jammed. Whichever it was didn’t matter. I couldn’t adjust them. The only way to fix it was to replace the clamps and cables. I searched the Renegade site and the web for instructions, but found nothing. So I just went for it, taking photos along the way. I thought that it would be worthwhile to post this How To.

    The tools I used


    After several trips to the tool chest, these are the tools I used: flat screwdriver for prying the cable clamp out, phillips screwdriver for the pulley buttons, wire cutters, pliers (a smaller standard pair of pliers would have been a better choice.), and the tiny allen wrench for the cable clamp, of course!


    The spart parts


    Here are the new cables and cable clamps ready to go.


    Boot- cleaned with the heel captivator liner removed.


    The liner in the heel captivator needs to be removed. You can do this now or after the next step. I also found that it was easier to remove all the straps at this point.


    The first cable cut off


    Cut the cables between the heel captivator and the shell. If your cables are just frayed and can be removed by loosening the cable clamp, you can do that instead.


    The shell with all the cables and straps removed.


    The next step is to remove the clamp. Prying it out can be challenging. Newer clamps have a small hole on the front. It allows you to use the allen wrench to lever the clamp, exposing the screws. Mine were older and didn’t have that nifty feature.


    Cable clamp pried out showing the adjustment screws (and mud).


    Once I had the cable clamp out enough to grab it with my pliers, I just pulled it out. It did look like it was ripping the boot where the cables run though, but it only stretched. No real damage was done.


    Cable clamp with stuck cables removed.


    Success! But look at all the mud that had accumulated under there…


    On to Part Two!



    Black Forest Aspen – first look

    Apr 252010
     


    I’ve had three rides in this new saddle so far, two on Lily and one on Vinnie. I think that, with some tweaking, it can work. It needs some breaking in and more trials before I can give a full review.

    I like the Grandeur pad that I bought with it. I am looking forward to trying a Skito with laminated shims though, as I would like a bit more twist. And it seems to restrict Lily’s shoulders a little more than the Barefoot I tried. I did ride that other saddle with the Skito, so it’s not a fair comparison, until I try it with that pad. The choice of pad is extremely important with most treeless saddles. I’m seeing that more and more.



    Trying out Barefoot saddles

    Apr 172010
     

    Amy Jo came down to ride and brought two Barefoot Cheyenne saddles that she got recently. The brown saddle is a size 1 with VPS. The black saddle is a size 2, older and without VPS. I had heard about the Vertebrae Protection System, but didn’t quite understand what the difference really was. Looking at these two saddles and handling them made it very obvious. The black saddle was quite floppy. I could fold the cantle up the pommel easily, while the brown saddle had much more body to it.

    Along with the saddles, Amy Jo also had 3 different Skito pads, hard and soft cantle inserts and 3 sizes of hard pommel inserts and a soft pommel insert. After trying a couple of pommels on Lily bare, I chose the medium width (pictured), as it gave her the best wither clearance. I wanted to try this before going to the soft pommel. The Barefoot London that I had tried previously had the soft pommel and it felt really wide to me. I used a Skito with wool felt bottom, 1/2″ firm foam with another layer laminated on. I also swapped out the fiberglass cantle for a soft foam one.

    Amy Jo rode Vinnie in the brown size 1. It looked great on him and he went just fine. He has let me know right away when he didn’t like the feel of a new saddle in the past.

    We took off to Pisgah and rode for 3.5 hours, mostly walking, but we also trotted and cantered and did some hills. Being young, Vinnie got tired doing hill work, so we didn’t ride on the mountain that much. He also needs a tiny pair of boots for his feet on gravel. He managed, but it was obvious that he would have done better with some foot protection. Coming out of the wet winter in a pretty gravel free paddock, there is just no way that he feet are tough enough.

    I found the Cheyenne suited me better than the London. It didn’t feel too wide at all. Lily moved out well in it. I didn’t feel as far up on her withers as I do in my FreeForm. Though we didn’t get any photos of me sitting in it, I felt balanced and comfortable. I tested wither and shoulder clearance when moving. It was excellent. And the sweat patten showed a clear, dry strip down her spine. It was pretty even everywhere else with no hair roughed up.

    I could mount from the ground, using a modified mounting technique. I reach across Lily’s back and hold the offside stirrup leather. Then I get my weight across her back as soon as possible, before I swing my leg over. This would be more difficult on a taller horse. Another reason that she is the Perfect size.

    While this might not be my first choice in a saddle, I am on the lookout for a used one to ride in for the time being. I would like to try out a Barefoot Atlanta. I like the look a bit better then the Cheyenne. One step closer to a new saddle for Lily!

    Spring!



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