A New Saddle and a First Ride

There have been a handful of times, more so in recent conversations, when I have tried to explain to someone who has never been on a horse what it feels like. Often times I liken it to that of being on a motorcycle (in some ways), though for many reasons it is a bad comparison. Sometimes I describe the feeling as akin to flying. This is closer, but still not the same. There is something about the horse-human connection that happens when you are on in the saddle that I haven’t found an adequate way to describe. I’ll continue to work on it.

I am laughing a little as I write this, mostly because of where this entry is headed. This is a bit of a dramatic instruction but I am going with it.

We had a big day on Saturday. Day 42. First, Bowdy and Kim from Rawhide Saddle Company came down to fit Oliver for his saddle. Second, I had a chance to sit in that saddle. On Oliver. I am going to qualify this quickly by explaining that Sean led us around (this was not a planned). The short version is that when I realized I might be buying a saddle, I insisted that first I would sit in it and, at the time, it was on Oliver. But we will get to that in a minute.

Auggie and Dani kept Ollie company while he waited his turn to be fitted.

Before Bowdy and Kim arrived, I spent time working with Oliver in the round pen with the surcingle. I figured this would be a good warm up to trying on different saddles and I wanted him nice and relaxed before they got there. He did well and it was my first time doing that type of work alone, so, as always, that felt really good. I was grateful we chose the folks from Rawhide to come down--this is another one if these situations where I really need to trust those who know more than I to help me to make decisions. Western saddles are decidedly new territory for me and these guys clearly know their stuff. Both Bowdy and Kim also work well with horses and are not at all pushy. All of this I appreciated.

Oliver was a little unsure of Bowdy’s saddle fitting device (I can’t find the name of it online, but this video explains its use), but once I introduced it to him a few times he was more amenable to having it on his back. When he learned Oliver is only two, Bowdy was honest with me; whatever saddle I get for him now likely will not fit him in a few years. I expected this and the hope is that the saddle we chose may do well for him in the meantime and, possibly, work for other horses once Oliver outgrows it.

Bowdy and Kim were great and took the time to find the saddle that was a good fit. Unfortunately, none of the used ones worked, but we got a great trail saddle that is comfortable for Oliver, and, as I learned, for me as well. They were both impressed with Oliver’s demeanor, especially knowing his age and that fact that he has only been handled for 6 weeks. He’s a great horse and while I know this, it is always good to hear when others see it, too, especially those in the business of saddle fitting, and thus working with, lots of horses.

If you had asked me how I imagined my first ride on Oliver it likely wouldn’t have been in this circumstance, namely because it was something I figured I would plan. I am glad I didn’t. Sean had gotten on him first to test the saddle (sort of like having someone test your food for poison?); he moved Oliver around a little and Oliver was much more willing to go forward than he had been during his first ride. Sean didn’t blink when I said I wanted to try it out and he led us around much as one might leading a kid on a birthday party pony ride, with a few bonuses because, well, that’s Sean.

Dani took some photos and the one I am choosing to include below I think captures best how the three of us function as a team. I just sums things up. Sean and I are both laughing (I don’t think I stopped smiling or laughing throughout the duration), but the look on my face is more of a “Are you fucking kidding me?” expression. This is because he had just taken us both over the bridge obstacle that was out from an earlier lesson (we walked over a jump, too). During training and riding lessons, we often work at the end of my comfort zone and generally once I have settled in, we take one step out. I am grateful for this. Sean sometimes has a little more confidence in what I can handle than I do, though I am getting there.

Being led around on a horse many would argue isn’t really riding. Though I might counter that statement by arguing that many a kid has fallen in love with horses and "that" feeling while taking their first pony ride. While I am far too old for pony rides, sitting atop this young gelding who I hope will be carrying me for the next 20 or so years was quite an emotional experience. One similar, perhaps, to what a kid might feel when she (or he) finally gets to sit on the back of a real equine, albeit twelve hands high. To steal a section of one of my favorite quotes from Joyce Gibson Roach, “From the back of a horse, the world looks wider.” It is so true, and perhaps that best captures the feeling of riding--a sense of so much possibility and impending adventure. Oliver and I are just at the beginning, but each baby step offers a brilliant view.