I am Riding Mia Again!

When I stopped riding Mia three months ago, she was not pleased with the way that my new saddle and pad combination was working on her back.  She “muttered” under her breath that she was too old to put up with such shenanigans, that the shifting saddle was just TOO IRRITATING, and that she would appreciate me not riding her until I figured out how to keep the saddle stable.  So I worked on figuring out how to stabilize the saddle on Bingo and Cider, and when I accomplished that I asked Debbie if it would be all right for me to ride Mia again. 

Yesterday I went to the stable and Mia was brought in for me.  Because they were waiting for a load of hay I could not use the wash stall, and we were back at the other end of the barn.  Mia was in pretty good shape, she may have gained a few pounds and her thick winter coat did not have any fungus in it.  My son did have to put in some thrush medicine, but other than that I was amazed at her condition.  She is 30, slow moving, and looks her age, but she just keeps on plugging on, meeting life as it comes to her.

I did not trim her hooves because she was unsteady behind and it is not as easy to brace her rear end in the barn aisle.  Otherwise she accepted her grooming with good grace.  She did brighten up some when I put the Contender II BOT/ThinLine saddle pad on her, I do not think that she liked the Pegasus saddle pad since it did not make her back feel better like the BOT pad does.  I had the bridging shims (1/4” and 3/16”) in the pad pockets, and I put the extra Pegasus shim in front since her back is lower up front.  Since the wind was from the North and rather brisk, I put both butt blankets on her.

When we started riding Mia felt a lot more vigorous that I had anticipated.  A lot can change in three months and Mia wanted to check it all out.  She looked at everything, the geese, ducks and heron walking at the edge of the pond, the dogs, the other horses, and everything that was changed in the ring.  I had her stop several times so she could take a good look at something, and she finally accepted that the changes in the ring would not harm her.  Unfortunately she is still coughing, but they were surface coughs instead of the deep wrenching coughs she used to have. 

The Pegasus Butterfly saddle was much more stable on her back.  I did have to tighten the girth once, but that is normal for just about any saddle.  Next time I will probably try it without the extra Pegasus shim in front since the saddle did shift to the side some, but nowhere as bad as with the previous pad.  Mia strode forth freely at the walk when she finally settled down, and she was quite willing to keep contact.  I think I was more stable on her back so she trusted my hands more.  On the turns she was a little bit stiff at first then she warmed up and improved.  I did one short trot in two-point to see if she coughed any worse from the exertion.  I did not work her hard since I am sure she lost condition during her vacation and I did not want to make her muscles sore.

I am so glad that I am finally figuring out how to shim my Contender II saddle pad correctly for my new saddle!  All these years I have felt guilty because the saddles I own really did not fit the horses I ride.  My Corrector pad helped protect the horses from the bad physical effects of my saddles on their backs, but the horses never moved quite as freely as I desired.  Now I can use ONE saddle on three horses, and I can use it on many other horses as long as I learn how to shim the pad correctly for their backs.  The horses seem to LIKE the Contender II saddle pad, the BOT warms their backs up nicely and even Mia, the most ancient and arthritic horse I ride, moves her back more freely with the Contender II pad. 

I am happy, in my opinion Arab mares are the highest form of creation and I get to ride one!  Mia is my proving horse; if she likes a new piece of gear it is likely that other horses may like it too.  Her sensitivity ensures that I use tack that does not irritate horses since she does not just put up and shut up when something is uncomfortable.  Mia is infinitely willing to tell me when something does not please her! 

Mia makes me a better rider.  What more can a rider ask of a horse?

Have a great ride!

Jackie Cochran       

 

Views: 56

Comment

You need to be a member of Barnmice Equestrian Social Community to add comments!

Join Barnmice Equestrian Social Community

The Rider Marketplace

International Horse News

Click Here for Barnmice Horse News

© 2024   Created by Barnmice Admin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service