Resolved:
we’re going with the Eurolight. The
other demo saddle impressed me and was well-made and –designed, but Tucker made
it very clear that he hated it and I can’t argue with that.
Decision
made, we can get back to a normal rotation of work – and on to tweaking our
gear! (I guess this is the “reward” part
of selling two saddles and buying one.)
I
guess my main question right now is, what do I want to do in terms of saddle
bags? I don’t think the bags that I have
will work for this saddle and I have a much less-clear sense than I feel like I
ought to of how much volume I want divided into how many pouches, etc. I am kind of intrigued by the screw-on
Specialized water-bottle holders; has anybody used those and do they really not
bounce? But I also kind of feel like
versatility is a virtue and maybe I don’t want to assign any particular part of
the saddle to only one particular item.
And on a third hand, I’m still thinking of trying to copycat Mel’s water-delivery
system and am pondering how to set myself up for that option without committing
myself to it totally. So tell me about
your stuff-carrying set-ups! Name me
some names!
Would
someone who ties a raincoat or whatever onto their saddle please explain to me
how? Slowly, in words of one syllable,
and possibly with diagrams?
One
nice thing about the Eurolight demo – and we are keeping the demo saddle; it’s
not my favorite color but I would much rather stick with the saddle that’s here
right now and that has passed my tests on top of my horse than swap it out for
one that might be a little prettier but for which I’d have to wait and might be
a little different in a way that makes it less workable; always buy the demo
saddle when you have the option! – is that it came with one of those
equalizer-buckle girths that I’ve always been curious about but could never justify
buying on account of my existing short girth refused to die. Turns out I like that buckle system for Tuck’s
conformation in practice as much as I liked it in theory. That girth was longer than I’d want for a
permanent solution and Tuck has been unthrilled to have my old girth on again
in its place, so I went ahead and ordered the Thinline endurance girth (which
is just the Thinline dressage girth with a couple of added dees, far as I can
tell) that I’ve been coveting.
Mid-demo,
I swapped out the Specialized pad for, of all things, my Matrix sheepskin
cross-country pad, which actually works okay with the shape of the saddle and
stays up over his withers better than the fleece pad did and Tuck seems to
appreciate it. I kept thinking that we
were just trying it out and that if we stuck with the saddle, I’d get a pad
specially for it…and aesthetically this kind of hurts me…but I think we may
just go with it after all? Because I’m
just not seeing any reasonably-priced alternatives that seem like quite what I have
in mind. At some point I want to put my
hands on a Woolback, but I really like actual sheepskin against this horse’s
back (and his shoulders) and I’m feeling a little if-it-ain’t-broke about the
whole situation right now.
A
Facebook thread last week helped me narrow down my opinions about gear colors
going forward, mostly by watching my own reaction when somebody argued against
one of the colors that I hadn’t been sure about and I think I know what I want
for the non-leather bridle and breast collar set that I promised myself at the
end of last season. I am feeling a
little ambivalent right now because Tuck’s jump bridle matches the new saddle
pretty nicely, but that will change the second it gets warm enough for him to
turn back into a sweating machine! Just
need to take some measurements and place the order.
I
know roughly where I want to start for The Great Hoof Boot experiment but am
thinking we’ll table that until roughly March so I can get a better sense of
foot size (and because the entire world will be covered in ice until then
anyway).
And
at some point I need to swing by REI and pick up a couple of biners for
whip-clipping purposes. And
helmet-clipping, and headstall-clipping?
So many dee rings! I don’t even
know what to do with them all.
Ooooh what color did you settle on??
ReplyDeleteTiny bits of red, tiny bits of yellow, on the tack. Yellow boots! And if the Renegades work for us and we end up needing a different size behind, I'll see if I can get a two-tone black/yellow yet for the hind feets...
DeleteI'm so happy you guys have a saddle that suits both of you now!!
ReplyDeleteThat makes at least three of us!
DeleteHooray for new saddles!
ReplyDeleteI actually have one of the Eurolight water bottle holders. Want it? I'll ship it over!
I like my pommel bag. I think it's an English Snugpax or something very similar. I use big Nalgene bottles for regular rides and managed to rig it to be remarkably not-bouncy with the help of a carabiner and two zipties; I think I'm at the point of using a Camelbak (or maybe Mel's system?) for 25s/longer training rides, just because it means I'll be drinking more and that's been an issue for me.
I'd like to get a few of the leather strings to add to back D-rings so I can tie a jacket (or, in theory, a raincoat, though that's never come up) across the back. Cantle bags are probably great, but I just don't carry that much stuff on most of my rides.
Zip ties cure everything!
DeleteI used a Camelbak a few times last year and hated it...too heavy, too bouncy, and had a bite-valve failure that would have been disastrous had it happened earlier in the loop or on a hotter day. Love the convenience of that bite valve/tube delivery system, though. But hate cleaning the bladder, so...torn!
sounds great!
ReplyDelete*\o/*
DeleteOH and bags....stowaway or snugpax pommel bags and cantle bags I have used and love. The pommel is what I'm transferring to using for most everything instead of the cantle. Though for when I want water bottles instead of camelbak I will use both.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense! I am really looking forward to figuring out a system for a saddle that's actually designed to carry stuff. I was never really happy with the way the bags that I had worked with the jump saddle.
DeleteOne point - Woolbacks are real wool woven into some kind of nylon fabric, so you get the benefits of wool against skin (and they're easier to wash than leather-sheepskin). Coolbacks - the ones in the pretty colors! - are synthetic fleece on synthetic fabric. But hey, if the Matrix works, keep using it!
ReplyDeleteI am really, really unpicky about how my shit is tied on to my saddle. For 50s I use a Griffin's bag that you probably can't get anymore - Henry is semi-retired and his website is awful, but you may be able to call and get one, if you like the style. It's got one huge zipper pouch on each side, with smaller velcro pockets on the outside of the pouches, and a small pocket in the part that goes over the pommel. Yes, it bounces; it's just not something that bugs me. Each pouch holds about four pounds of carrots or a wadded up flannel shirt or a 100oz camelback reservoir or a bunch of smaller items. The side pockets are great for vet cards, food wrappers, a tiny emergency kit, and a multitool. It attaches with velcro over the pommel and D-rings all over the bags.
I don’t like trying to access stuff behind the saddle, so I don’t do a lot with the cantle. For 100s I use a Stowaway cantle bag (tiny flashlight, trash bag/space blanket, spare boots).
I use a lot of double-sided velcro, like this. I keep an 18” loop of it hanging off one of the back D-rings. When I get hot, I take off my outer shirt, drape it over the pommel, and wrap the velcro TIGHT around the pommel and shirt - that way I’m pretty sure I’ll notice if it falls off. Easier than twisting around trying to do up snaps or loops on the cantle bag.
If you want to try out Mel’s water system on the cheap, go to Walmart and pick up a replacement water reservoir for their shitty knockoff Camelbacks - they kinda suck, but they’re only $5 or so and you’ll be able to get a feel for whether you like having your water on the horse. If you like it, you can spend the extra on a nicer reservoir.
Tucker absolutely loathes synthetic fleece, worse luck! I've heard all sorts of great things about woolback and it's certainly more affordable than sheepskin, but I'm worried his synthetic-fleece hatred is a texture thing rather than a synthetic thing. May see if I can grab a super-cheap used one somewhere to try or something.
DeleteDouble-sided velcro! That's genius. And thanks for the tip on the cheapie reservoir. I should have one hanging around from last year, unless I lost it somewhere in a fit of rage, which is possible.
Sometimes your posts make me dizzy, lol, I can only imagine all the planning and organizing that is going on inside your head. Tucker is very lucky to have you!
ReplyDeleteOh and yeah, what color??
Yellow-gold on the boots! And yeah, my brain is a very busy place. That's one of the nice things about the trail-riding -- kind of quiets all of that down. XC does the same, but in a much less savor-the-moment kind of way, which is both really cool and kind of stressful. LOL
DeleteSorry I'm late to the party on this one - I'm having trouble keeping up with Life these days:) Anyway, for the saddle bags, I use the Snugpax Slimline Deluxe English Pommel bag. It's got enough room for plenty of water, grain, apples, hoof pick, etc., plus it works really well to strap an Easyboot bag right in front of the pommel over top this bag. I haven't noticed significant bounce with it and the way the fastening straps are set up, I think if the bag is full, it works pretty well. A fairly empty bag does move a bit, but I don't find it distracting. I like to carry all my crap in pommel bags because I think some horses can be sensitive to extra weight from cantle packs. As for fastening the jacket, I've got a picture of the Snugpax bag with a jacket fastened on this blog post: http://www.fit2continue.blogspot.com/2013/09/breaking-10-mile-barrier.html. There are two straps on the pommel bag itself that are short, adjustable loops near where the d-ring fasteners are, and they looked perfect to use for the jacket. Basically, I just rolled the jacket and stuffed one end through a loop on one side, tightened it, and then repeated on the other side. However, I note that I don't see those straps on the picture that is on the Snugpax website, so maybe they are new...or old? Alternatively, you could just use the straps that go around the pockets on the bag and then under the flaps of your saddle to prevent bouncing to secure the jacket. Just run the jacket through the strap and then tighten. I hope that makes sense - I did use some words with more than one syllable:) If not, let me know, and I'll try to do a blog post about it and see if I can get better pics.
ReplyDeleteOK, I totally was wrong about what bag I have - it's the Deluxe Stowaway Pommel Pack from Easy Care (I should have read my own blog post...) That probably explains why the extra straps I mentioned weren't in the picture of the Snugpax bag...Like I said, life is a bit hectic right now:)
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