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!



Lily Update

Apr 072010
 

Lily listening to me back in 2007Lily is feeling much better. I don’t know if it is the MSM, the change to her own paddock and only my hay or her just being happy that I now know what’s going on with her, but she is in great spirits! She’s perky, walks off evenly and is a bit more settled.

I’ve been easing into riding since last Friday’s vet visit. We started off with a short walking ride. The next time out, I let her move into some extended trot. Today, we were out for an hour and a half and she wanted to do more. We did quite a bit of her big trot, on and off and some canter in there too. I am working on sustaining her trot, as it’s faster than her regular canter and pretty smooth to ride. I actually want to get it on video, as I wonder quite what it is. She gets into a speed that’s actually hard to post to, so I wonder if it really is a trot. Lily was feeling very strong and willing to go!

The size 0 Renegades that I traded my size 1s for needed the cables replaced. Now that’s done, they seem to be working well. Today’s ride was a pretty good test, as we went through mud, water, up and down a few small hills at all gaits. Lily was comfortable and moved nicely. I do want to get her booted on all fours eventually. I’m also considering trying some thin pads to stimulate her sole and frog while riding.

For now, I am not going to shoe her. As long as she’s comfortable in the paddock and doing well booted for rides, I don’t feel shoes are needed. I picked up a bottle of Durasole and am treating her feet with that most days. It’s pretty much the same formula that my vet said he uses to toughen feet. I’ll likely use up this small bottle and then reassess.

I should hear about her selenium test by the end of the week. And I am planning to stop by the vet’s office this week to get some Thyro-L and start her on that too. My plan is to treat her as highly prone to laminitis, for as long as I need to. It may be for the rest of her life.

Back in Wyoming, where Lily was born, she would likely be just fine eating dry land prairie grass. Here in lush, western Oregon, most pastures will be too rich for her. So, it’s time for me to start talking with my hay supplier to find out when they will start cutting. I will then get a batch to test for sugar/starch content. The mixed grass I still have from last year was nice and under 11%. More about the intricacies of hay can be found at safergrass.org, an excellent resource. I want to keep her off of any lush pasture and stick with free choice hay though the summer.

So that’s it for today. I have more to say about saddles, but I’ll leave that for another day.

A vet visit for Lily

Apr 022010
 

Wet Lily checking out the equipment


Lily has been showing a lot of symptoms of mild to moderate lameness and just not quite right on and off over the last few years. In December 2008, she was acutely lame. The vet did flexion tests and x-rays then, but there was no diagnosis. She improved somewhat, but not entirely. Now that she’s done having babies and back with me since November, I’ve been watching her closely. And I’ve been reading a lot on the net, researching. I had myself scared into thinking that she might have the early signs of DSLD/ESPA. Instead of continuing to worry, I hauled her into the clinic for some tests today. I was all prepared to have three or four of her legs ultrasounded.

It started to rain, as I left the barn and the wind whipped up. By the time I reached the clinic, there were gusts that blew the rain every which way. This is what we had to work in for the flexions and movement portion of the exam.

Dr. C spent over an hour with us. First palpation of her legs. No sensitivity found in the lower areas, but some in the upper hind tendons. Trotting out, she showed 2 out of 5 lame on the right front. She was sensitive to hoof testers in the heel and frog, so he did a low nerve block after some discussion. Wait for it to take effect and trot out again. This time lame on left front, but not quite as much. Sedate and x-ray. Her bones looked very good.

What he saw and explained was a very thin sole in both feet, .5 cm, when it should be .6-1 cm. The hoof wall was overly thick 1.7-1.8 cm, but parallel to the coffin bone. Coffin bone was not rotated at all, but Dr. C thought the thick front wall was a sign of past laminitis, as was the overly thin soles. He also drew blood for a selenium test. I’ll know that in a week or so.

He said that her condition and weight were perfect and that the low sugar/starch local grass hay with a little TC Low Starch feed with flax, Equerry Plus and MSM was good and to continue. Based on the blood test, I may add a Selenium/E supplement. He also wanted me to consider giving her Thyro-L medication and to shoe her front feet for the summer to give her soles a chance to thicken. I am considering plastic shoes. Most important, Dr. C saw NO signs of DSLD, though we did not do ultrasounds. He did think that she has IR tendencies and that I should treat her as such. In other words, no lush, green spring grass. She is back in her own, peaceful, near dry lot.

I AM RELIEVED! I have to thank a good friend for coming out in the pouring, driving rain to video the whole thing. (you know who you are!) I am going to watch it later to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. This is a first step. I know that there may be other issues, but I feel that I can now start treating my wonderful Lily. We might yet ride at Bandit Springs in July.

Sensation Demo

Apr 012010
 

I saw the sun yesterday afternoon from my office window. I finished up, hoping that it would stay long enough for me to get in a ride. Lily looked pretty good when I got to the barn, so I took her out to groom and try the Sensation on.

I’m not used to using Skito pads. The foam was really stiff from being in the tackroom, so I put the saddle on first, then went to do boots, comb her mane and brush her head. By the time I was done, it had warmed up somewhat, so that I could adjust the girth.

For consist testing of saddles, I’m developing a list of things to check. It’s mostly so that I don’t forget something and then wonder about it after I’ve shipped the saddle on.

General

  • Quality
  • Weight
  • Places to attach gear
  • Adjustability
  • Design features

    • Rider

  • Mounting from the ground
  • Stirrup placement and swing
  • Seat twist
  • Seat comfort

    • Horse

  • Wither clearance
  • Sweat pattern
  • Back condition after riding (sensitive, hair ruffled, rubbed, flat?)
  • Underside of pad
  • Demeanor/attitude


    • Is there anything else that you would add? Please let me know in the comments.

    Here’s how the Sensation rated after a short ride. We mostly walked on local roads, no real hills and only a bit of trot and canter that Lily offered. I was just glad that she was feeling good!

    General

  • Quality – Excellent
  • Weight – I didn’t weigh it, but it’s light enough!
  • Places to attach gear – I didn’t notice a lot, but there are rings on the back and front, no saddle strings.
  • Adjustability – Good. It came with a bolster in the seat cantle, as the demo is a large seat size, equivalent to 17″ western. I removed it right after I got on and was comfortable without. There is no adjustability for the horse, but it’s all soft, so not really needed.
  • Design features – I like the adjustable nature of the seat!

    • Rider

  • Mounting from the ground – It slipped big time, both mounting and dismounting. I didn’t have the girth very tight though. While riding it felt secure, not slipping at all. I mounted from a tailgate.
  • Stirrup placement and swing – I might move the stirrup hanger back a bit for my next ride. And I’m not sure that I like having the stirrup leather attached to the bottom of the saddle flap. The stirrups also pulled my toes in some. That might make my knees hurt with a longer ride.
  • Seat twist – I will try a small bolster of my own making next ride. I would like more twist.
  • Seat comfort – Very nice!

    • Horse

  • Wither clearance – Fine.
  • Sweat pattern – Not enough riding to tell.
  • Back condition after riding – The hair was smooth and I didn’t find any sensitivity.
  • Underside of pad – Not enough riding to tell.
  • Demeanor/attitude – Great!


    • I am going to try the saddle on a longer ride with Vinnie this weekend, so the jury is out at this point.

    Here are a few more photos. The rest are on Flickr here.

    I love the pear trees in the background. Not planned, at least by me! Rachel took the photo.


    I would like to be able to bring my feet back under me more, if I wanted to.

    December & a change of plans

    Dec 052009
     

    I had planned to ride Lily three to four times per week and work Vinnie twice a week, including some arena work, both under saddle and in long lines for both of them. I was considering doing a trace clip on Lily, so we could continue conditioning towards endurance next year and the possible blanketing changes that might entail.

    Well, other plans were in store for me. For those who don’t know me on FaceBook or the SM message boards, my back was tender last week after lifting some hay bales and last Sunday at the OHC trail course, it really did go out. I’ve been down resting and taking painkillers all of last week and missed quite a bit of work. I also missed writing my Thankful Thursday post, as I was in a mental fog.

    “Getting old is not for sissies.” ~~ Bette Davis

    After resting and a couple of chiropractic adjustments, my back is better today. I am mobile and not taking painkillers any longer. The trick for me now, will be to take it easy and come back to activity slowly. I need to start walking regularly, stretching and doing some non-horse related exercise. I am also considering taking the month off from riding. That is hard for me to think about. I’ve been pushing to spend every daylight opportunity in the saddle.

    If I am not going to ride for a month, what to do with the horses? They are getting their stalls cleaned now, so I don’t even have a reason to go see them every day. All I have to do for them is make sure that their daily feed bags are made up and stocked. Other than that, they really would be fine to just hang out. But would they get bored?

    Do horses get bored? Lily and Vinnie have a small paddock of about 1/3 acre to themselves. They have water, a tiny bit of grass and three trees, along with their breakfast hay out there. I can tell that they use the two smaller trees to scratch on. I found black hairs from Lily the other day, coated in ice. I wish that I had had my camera. It was quite interesting.

    Anyway, I usually feel that I need to do something with them. To keep moving their training forward somehow; Lily getting back into shape and Vinnie with his basic ridden work. Then I remembered a day when my children came out and played with Vinnie. Neither of them are knowledgeable in traditional horsemanship. And they had fun and taught him things anyway. He learned quite quickly to push a barrel with his head. And they had fun playing with him and the hula hoop. It is good to remember that sometimes, it is worthwhile just exploring with the horse and not fitting him or her into a ‘program’ or a plan. They don’t make plans. Why do I?



    I know that I could teach them some tricks. But then again, what about just being with them? I haven’t taken much time with that recently. And I do miss it. I think that Lily, at least, does too. I guess I will just take this month one day at a time and try having no goals. How about that? I think that I will take some toys and props out there though… and see what happens.

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