Saddler #2

If you are stumbling upon this post without warning, please feel free to refer to this post for background... and it might be useful to read this post too: Saddler #1

Saddler #2

The second saddler came with recommendations from another friend at the yard, so I thought it must be a good sign. I contacted them in early April. They took a while to get back to me and in the meantime another friend was due to have her saddler round and offered to share an appointment. So I left the booking the appointment with this Saddler 2 until I knew when my friend's appointment was going to be. Hers was taking a while and as these guys could come sooner, so I decided to pay for the whole call out myself (£45 for just a call out!) with this saddler that had been recommended. 

Last week they came and basically looked 'horrified' and said it's not suitable for R at all and I should take it up with the original saddler, as they don't want to do anything to it. They said the panel below was too hard and there was not enough material for them to flock it, etc. They said I'd done the right thing by padding it up with a gel pad which improved the fit.

I was obviously quite upset and shocked having had such a condemning assessment of the saddle. After all, I had spent a lot of money only about 9 months earlier in getting it specifically made for Rainbow, so I felt a little hard done by. I wasn't expecting such a total dismissal. 

So asked these saddlers if they had any saddles they could recommend/sell to me while I was going to take up the issue with the original saddler. I wasn't really in the position to buy a new saddle, but if our current saddle was so unsuited and I was to get any money back for it, or if it was going to take a long time to get it fixed by the original saddler I would need a saddle in the meantime. They said they would get back to me with quotes for a Thorowgood dressage saddles, as I had expressed interest in getting a dressage saddle anyway. I felt good about the appointment and their way of dealing with me during the appointment, but what has now transpired is their total lack of spur. The appointment was over a week ago and they still haven't emailed me information on saddles and prices! They know how 'desperate' I was for a fitting saddle and almost prepared to spend the money, so this should be just an easy sales follow-up from their part. But I have not yet heard anything. And I don't feel that I, as the customer, should have to chase them up for prices for a saddle – especially when they wrote in the invoice they also gave me, that 'follow up with prices for a Thorowgood saddle' and took measurements of Rainbow for it.

I have now also spoken to yet another lady at the yard, who has been their customer and she's said they had never got back to her about various items she'd ordered from them. She has heard nothing! And she was prepared to spend a lot of money with them, having already spent a lot as well. I run a business and I don't let my clients wait one single moment if they contact me for my services. Totally baffling to me. It only makes me think that they must be really busy with more important clients... So, no, I don't think I'll be dealing with them either.

Saddler #1

If you are stumbling upon this post without warning, please feel free to refer to this post for background...

Saddler #1

I contacted the first saddler in mid-March (I won't mention names), or went to their shop in town, as I was in the area. I don't know what it was but when they spoke to me, as I explained why I thought I needed a saddle check, etc., their tone was quite forceful, and something gave me a feeling of almost being talked down to, which instantly put my back up. My default mode, when talking to strangers, is polite and calm, but something about the way they instantly lectured me about how I should have had the saddle checked then and then, and how this and that, that I just retorted back, 'Well, this is my first horse and first saddle, I am doing my best!', after which they toned their all-knowing attitude down a bit. Still, it left a bad taste in my mouth. However, it happened that one of my stable friends was having her saddle checked the next week by them, so I did book a shared appointment, for convenience... 

But after the weekend (which was Easter weekend, another bank holiday Monday), I was forced to phone them first thing on the Tuesday - after the bank hols - to cancel as I had agreed to go work in-house at a client's. I realise it was a short notice to cancel, but they had told me explicitly that they would go and see my friend first and, if they had time, they would see me on the same visit. This had been agreed in the shop on the previous week, so their visit to see me wasn't absolutely 100% certain anyway. The lady on the phone,when I phoned to cancel was again quite brusque with me and said it's really a bit too late to cancel. I said, I am very sorry but my work situation has suddenly changed and I would have phoned them earlier but it was the holiday weekend, so assumed they were closed. They were closed, so she couldn't say much. Then she went on to say how they have a long queue of people trying to get an appointment, so cancelling wasn't really wise or fair on those who are trying to get an appointment. I pointed out that they had told me they weren't even sure if they had time to see me, as I was kind of an additional appointment alongside my stable friend's appointment, so from my point of view, I wasn't even sure of if they'd see me. 

Also, having spoken to others in the yard, I now hear that the same saddlers have upset quite a few people there and they regularly talk down to people and are a bit rude, and to top it off, the friend who has used them, isn't very happy with her saddle at all and feels that they have sold her an expensive saddle that still isn't suitable for her horse despite having been checked and improved.

Anyway, needless to say, I am not going to be using them. I never phoned back to make a new appointment.

About saddles.... strap in.

It's only so much I can adulate the beautiful weather, taking pics of Rainbow in the field and posting them for all to see. Also my horsey time with Rainbow has been a little limited over the past few days, as it was a bank holiday weekend here and to take advantage of the extra days off, I summoned my other half to a DIY weekend – finishing bits off that have remained after redecorating the living room nearly 18 months ago! The sunny and warm weather meant that Rainbow went to the field.

Last week I mentioned about my saddle having been 'condemned' by a saddler to be so ill-fitting to Rainbow that they wouldn't touch it but told me to contact the original saddler/maker. I was quite taken aback by this all, as it's my first saddle and while I had expected it to be needing e.g. some re-flocking and padding a bit, I didn't think it was totally unsuitable to Rainbow. I had noticed, last autumn, when had been using the saddle for a 2-3 months that Rainbow had lost condition, or just toned down a bit... Bit of both, I think, now on hindsight, as I re-read my post from November. I think Rainbow has also just 'grown' a little, too. At least her withers seem more prominent. She's also in good condition at the moment and I think she's looking good overall. Granted, I have been waiting for quite while before getting a saddler out, but I have been using the gel pad under the saddle to help with the positioning and I think it has worked. 

... As this is in danger of becoming a very long post, so I have decided to split it into sections, individual posts, so you can read all about my escapades in the world of saddlery... Consider it a bit like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy...! 

Saddler #1

Saddler #2

Saddler #3

Our saddle - Paul Jones GP saddle. Pictured when I had just bought it.

Sunny disposition

The good wind seems to be continuing and things seem to be running smoothly with Rainbow at the moment. It feels as though we are progressing in our work (flat, but I am thinking of starting jumping again) but also, out of the saddle, I am feeling quite calm and confident with her. I am touching wood, so everything that I've just said here isn't going to shatter around me. It's hard to describe but we seem to be gelling together a bit better, mutual respect and all that, I guess. Next month, it'll be a year since I started with her (I bought her in July, but started loaning, 'test driving' in June)... So dare I say that we are now finally getting quite familiar with each other? She's felt familiar a long time, yes, but recently I just feel a bit more rounded about it within myself. Very hard to explain! 

I also lunged R yesterday on my own, well the friend who's been helping was riding herself at the other end of the school, keeping an eye on us, but I had to deal with any issues myself. And Rainbow did throw me a turn-towards-me stop, and I managed to get her going again. My friend just shouted some instructions but I got her going by moving by her side and then sending her forward. My friend also said that if she does that perhaps I should sometimes get a little cross with her, like with a child, as I have asked her to do something but she's played up so she needs to know it. I think it's a plan, if I know I can win the battle, but at the moment I am still leaning towards resolving issues 'peacefully', i.e. being cleverer than her. But I will keep that in mind, as I think I can start asking for a certain level of behaviour from her.

Today we had another school lesson, dressage, with our instructor, and this time we concentrated more on me and my seat. In the last couple of weeks I have really noticed that I seem to be losing my stirrups, especially on the left. I am particularly struggling in canter and in trot too.

So, to improve it, we looked at how I am sitting. My instructor asked me to take my feet out of the stirrups and let them hang loose, then ask R to walk on. We noticed that my legs moved up a bit when I kicked her on. I grip with my knees. So my instructor made me think about loosening my knees and let my legs hang loose, and when I tell R to move forward I shouldn't really grip with knees but make the lower leg to wrap around her and kick her on. (I don't like the word 'kick' as it sounds a bit abusive, but I hope you understand.)

When I went on to put my feet back in the stirrup, they felt really short, so we lengthened them by one hole.  Seems like a very contradictory thing to do when I had complained about my stirrups coming off, but it was amazing; with a little re-positioning and working on keeping my knees 'loose' I was sitting better and the stirrups no longer moved under my feet. I have been struggling with cantering for this reason as well, but when I went on to raise canter – keeping my knees loose – I managed to canter around beautifully and I was no longer going against the movement, as I have been feeling that I inadvertently do for a while now.

As a reward for a great lesson, I decided to let Rainbow out in the field with friends. The weather really has been gorgeous this week here – it may be our summer, as usually the floods start by June, so better take advantage while we can! 

In search of friends

Happy horses

Herd life

My new riding boots, junior style (not really for walking in the field but left others home...). Thanks Hööks and Mum!!

Our stables and the show jumping field which is currently empty, but very much ready for this summer's action :)

Here a little video from today. I do apologise for my slightly homely and sweaty look, but it's all about the horse anyway!

Ditto, just look at the horse, not the sweaty owner, please :)

Can't decide!

I am sorry for the recent changes in the look of the blog. I thought I'd try a 'dynamic' view, but I have now gone back to the old look. Hope you are not too confused and disappointed. I'll try and keep changes to a minimum, but I am also working on making the images, etc. work a little harder. Please bear with me :)

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On a horsey note, it's been a gorgeously sunny week, so I have asked Rainbow to be put in the field again today. I'll ride/exercise her in the afternoon. Yesterday I was also expecting to bring her in from the field, but when I went to her stable she popped her head up, rather surprising me. I was looking for the telltale signs of her having been out, muddy feed, muddy back, stains on the neck... but she was looking suspiciously clean. So I had to ask someone who could talk and I was told she had been out. Loving the dry fields at the mo!! Now, instead of mud stains, she is now proudly donning some green grass stains on herself. Summer is here and better get the Cowboy Magic out again...