18 –A new Saddle in a hurry

The next ride was 41km at Taumarunui’s new base at Aria sports grounds.  Lace’s back had come up in a blister after the North Island Champs 100km so I was training her in a racing exercise saddle!  I used to ride trackwork and my friend had been a trainer so could lend me a saddle.  The reason for that saddle choice is that it was so completely different it would not put pressure on the same spot.  At first she wasn’t sure when I stood up to canter but then quickly learned how much fun it was!

I had organised to try a Podium saddle at Taumarunui, one of the vets had tried it and would have it there for me.  I was hoping another rider who was going to be there would be able to help me fit it as he was using them and would be familiar with all the adjustments that were possible, but unfortunately he had not arrived when I was needing to try it.  When I put it on Lace it looked down in front the same as the Wintec 2000 I had been using.  In all fairness she will have had major muscle wastage as initially the Wintec had not been like that.  I went for a ride, but didn’t like it much.  Perhaps if someone had been there to show me how to adjust everything it may have been better, who knows?

So I was in a spot, no saddle and 40km to ride the next day!  (I had the Wintec but did not want to use it).  A local Taumarunui rider had some South African, Liversage saddles there for everyone to look at as she was the NZ contact for them.  I remembered having put Lois’s one on Lace at AWEC and that it had looked good on her.  Lois was there… “can I try your saddle on Lace?” ”Sure”.   Another test ride around the base paddock, it looked good, it sat well.

Lois – “what do you think?” “I like your saddle… but I LOVE your stirrups!”  This was the first time I had ridden in the endurance, padded, EZ ride stirrups.  I get really sore feet.  Later I went to a podiatrist and he said that I have less meat between the bone and the sole of my foot than most people, orthotics have since helped too, but he recommends spreading the load on as wide and soft a surface as possible – my feet loved Lois’s stirrups!  Definitely on the shopping list!  Not a problem, I saw Beryl not long after and my new stirrups were soon on the way.

So I really would have liked to ride in Lois’s saddle tomorrow… but of course she would be using it.

The SA sales rep saved the day.  I couldn’t ride in the one she had there like Lois’s as it was brand new, but there were two other, older models that I could borrow.  Yay!  We settled on one, but it needed a short girth and I had only a long one.   A begging trip around trucks found me a girth, all set.

Nicola had travelled down with me and so we got to ride together the next day.  It is always special to have the chance to ride with your friends.  The course rode really well and we were chugging around quite quickly, but the final 10kms made up for it… tough and slow!  Now those of you who knew Nicola’s horse, Phoenix, will know that he was good at looking pretty but not into exerting too much energy!  In fact his preferred spot was tagging along about 20m behind another horse.  So trotting along the flat with only about 1km to go Nicola and I burst out laughing when Phoenix laid his ears back at Lace and got all competitive!  Lace and I let them cross first (well I did, to be fair Lace would rather not let someone else win!), but unfortunately he vetted out.

The test ride in the South African saddle had gone really well.  She had sweated evenly over her whole back, was a  happy horse and it stayed right where it was meant to even when the girth was very loose.  So I spoke to the rep, I would like to buy the one like Lois’s… it was sold!… and she didn’t have another right now!!!  But more were due soon.  Soon enough for Horse of the Year?  In less than two weeks?  Hopefully….

It did arrive in time for HOY – just – so I was about to ride my next 100km with a brand new saddle that had only been on the horse a couple of times.  Not ideal. Pretty much against what everyone advises, but I had no other options and I was reasonably sure it was a good fit.

The Armstrong’s weren’t going, so no shared truck trip and crew sharing!   Nicola was all set to come and crew for me again, but then she got an ear infection and couldn’t even stand up straight.  No crew!  And it was going to be a similar course to last year, so outpost vetting, making crew even more important than usual.  I started looking around for any vaguely horsey person who could drive!  A student doing her Masters thesis at the lab had show ponies and would be there… but had her own classes on that day.

We were allowed to have pens beside the trucks again, but no electric tapes only metal yards, and I didn’t have any.  Armstrongs to the rescue, as I had only one horse in the float I could fill the other side with their metal yard panels.

One problem solved, but I still had no crew!