I've spent the last week working Bailey in a trial Micklem bridle from our favorite local tack shop. I was just planning to shove her back into a snaffle bridle from her BS of Sweden bridle at shows and call it good, but then a friend mentioned her mare didn't like her Mick(lie)m bridle after all, and said she was going to be selling it. And I happened to have some breeches she wanted. So we chatted about a trade, and I went, wait... I should probably ride my horse in this magikal bridle and ensure she likes it before I drop monies on it.
So I did.
First things first: I hate brown tack. Especially bridles. I guess I can't complain about the brown TSF girth that I know is coming my way for Christmas (I can deal with brown for a girth. It will just get dirty anyways, right?) but the brown Micklem? HORRIBLE.
Bailey was not meant to wear brown, in my mind. It makes her painfully plain looking and a friend and I had a hard time deciding if the bridle or the color was making her head look like an anvil. She was, however, freakishly soft while riding in an arena where she was normally very stiff/looky/spooky (the upper indoor is haunted, obviously) and had tons of white lipstick after ride #1. I wasn't going to count my chickens, so we kept using it... and I even, for science, slapped the same snaffle on a figure-8 bridle to see if things felt different. She continued to be soft, less confrontational about bit-related discipline and wasn't sucking back behind the bit nearly so much. Her tongue did come out a few times, but I'm hoping with more practice at taking a firmer contact, she won't panic so much. And if she does keep acting like her mouth is over full, we can always loosen the noseband and go in search of a narrower diameter bit.
So here I go throwing more fancy spoiled pony gadgets at my spoiled red horse. Divas! I swear. Since the Mick(lie)m I am buying has a fancy dutch drop browband that is missing some crystals, I took advantage of Small Business Saturday and am working with Amelia at Dark Jewel Designs to get B a fancy beaded browband. So far, we have a "fancy" strand worked out, and I'm delighted. I can't stop checking to see if we have progress on the other strand, though... Because life is never complete without some red and green!
We continue to do a lot of work in the dressage saddle, which continues to be the love of my life. I've got it shimmed in the back, which has made it even more of a dream to ride in. I've had my front shims shoved into the back of my half pad, so I took advantage of Smartpak's sale to replace my rear shims that I (think) I sold with another Trifecta pad a few years ago. Bailey's back continues to not be sore, and while I have been (oh hai, actually doing stuff while riding) I'm happy to think that we're finally solutioning so I can just ride and not worry about equipment. The saddle still needs to see the fitter (note to self, bother fitter) but once we're there, I think I will be able to buckle down and just... ride. For once. Won't that be grand?!
So I did.
First things first: I hate brown tack. Especially bridles. I guess I can't complain about the brown TSF girth that I know is coming my way for Christmas (I can deal with brown for a girth. It will just get dirty anyways, right?) but the brown Micklem? HORRIBLE.
Bailey was not meant to wear brown, in my mind. It makes her painfully plain looking and a friend and I had a hard time deciding if the bridle or the color was making her head look like an anvil. She was, however, freakishly soft while riding in an arena where she was normally very stiff/looky/spooky (the upper indoor is haunted, obviously) and had tons of white lipstick after ride #1. I wasn't going to count my chickens, so we kept using it... and I even, for science, slapped the same snaffle on a figure-8 bridle to see if things felt different. She continued to be soft, less confrontational about bit-related discipline and wasn't sucking back behind the bit nearly so much. Her tongue did come out a few times, but I'm hoping with more practice at taking a firmer contact, she won't panic so much. And if she does keep acting like her mouth is over full, we can always loosen the noseband and go in search of a narrower diameter bit.
So here I go throwing more fancy spoiled pony gadgets at my spoiled red horse. Divas! I swear. Since the Mick(lie)m I am buying has a fancy dutch drop browband that is missing some crystals, I took advantage of Small Business Saturday and am working with Amelia at Dark Jewel Designs to get B a fancy beaded browband. So far, we have a "fancy" strand worked out, and I'm delighted. I can't stop checking to see if we have progress on the other strand, though... Because life is never complete without some red and green!
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| The top one will be coming to a showground near you next year! |
We continue to do a lot of work in the dressage saddle, which continues to be the love of my life. I've got it shimmed in the back, which has made it even more of a dream to ride in. I've had my front shims shoved into the back of my half pad, so I took advantage of Smartpak's sale to replace my rear shims that I (think) I sold with another Trifecta pad a few years ago. Bailey's back continues to not be sore, and while I have been (oh hai, actually doing stuff while riding) I'm happy to think that we're finally solutioning so I can just ride and not worry about equipment. The saddle still needs to see the fitter (note to self, bother fitter) but once we're there, I think I will be able to buckle down and just... ride. For once. Won't that be grand?!
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