A new sidesaddle candidate?

I rode Brigit in my C&W last night with the Cashel wedge pad underneath, it really made a difference! The saddle wasn't nearly as uphill as it was. Success!

We played around with the dressage tests a bit more again and all went well until our second time through it. First time through I trotted the whole thing. Second time through I added the cantering bits. It started off not too bad and then kindof went into the pot. Brigit does this thing when she isn't paying attention. She drifts to the wall, ends up off-balance, jams her head up which results in a loss of power from behind and we end up in a nice discombobulated mess and then she lurches back into a canter with her head way up there. This is something we definitely need to work on some more. All in all though she was good and we ended on a good note.
I'm humming & hawing over whether to enter in a dressage schooling show in 2 weeks. I really want to but not if we're going to have issues like the one above at the show. I have to decide by Friday....

After my ride on Brigit my friend I jokingly said to a friend "Hey lets try the sidesaddle on your horse!". She willingly obliged and we swapped the sidesaddle onto her gelding. He wasn't very sure of the sidesaddle at first, mostly you could tell he felt a little lost without that right leg to guide him. But in no time at all we were trotting and cantering around the arena! What a good boy!

What do you think? Should I steal him and make him into a sidesaddle pony?

Here's a short video of us trotting.

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Pretty good for his first time!

Do you really wanna know why I teach lessons?

Because the kids bring me all kinds of goodies.... Candy at Halloween, Easty chocolate & my favorite.....home made cookies!!

Plus they're usually accompanied by a cute not like this!

Adorable! And as you can see, the cookies were quite tasty!

Want some more cuteness? This is Jolie on Cody. He used to be a stud but is the sweetest thing you've ever seen. Just loves the attention the kids give him.... And he puts up with a pink saddle pad & polo's, what a good guy!

He's a little on the tubby side.... We're workin' on that!

Snow, snow & more snow!!!

Ok Mother Nature, it's almost April and it's still snowing and below 0 temps. Really? Please please please can we have spring??? I'm so sick of winter. We haven't even seen the sun in DAYS it's been so foggy and rotten. I'm about ready to go into hibernation....

Went for some therapeutic tack shopping today. A local tack shop was having a big anniversary sale so I stocked up on all kinds of good things! Breeches were 50% off, got a wedge pad to try under my C&W, some hoof polish, shampoo and some other odds and ends. Successful shopping trip!

I'm determined to get a ride in tomorrow, snow or no snow.

Show pictures!

I have a CD full of photos from the show and figured I'd better share them! They're MUCH better quality than the blurry ones my camera took.

Sidesaddle in the Hunter Under Saddle Class...

English Equitation...

And on to the jumping!

Tuckered out pony.

Getting our cooler....

A new show to get addicted to!

I can't remember what I was looking for but I stumbled across this really interesting BBC series called "Edwardian Farm". Three historians go to live at an old farmstead in England (for a year I think?) and they live just as the Edwardians would have.

I've only just made it through the first episode but I'm absolutely fascinated by it!

All of the episodes are available on Youtube. Have a watch if you've got some free time!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H10TJT87BaU

Pony Club!!!

Pony club lessons start in April! I'm really excited to have been asked to teach the club again this year. Should DEFINITELY keep me busy & help support my sidesaddle fetish! They have close to 20 kids this year ranging from very beginners to those jumping 3'+. I had a lot of fun teaching them last year (learned a lot myself too!), they're a really fun bunch of kids & parents.
The arena we're riding at is top notch too! So big I usually end up hoarse by the end of the night from trying to talk loud enough so everybody can hear me at either end lol. Lots of jumps to use too!

Very exciting! 2011 is going to be a great year! (Already is!)

A thought on different saddles

Yesterday at the show I rode in my Aulton & Butler saddle and it just felt right. Now that I've done some more riding in my Champion & Wilton and swapped back to the A&B, I really notice a difference between the two and really like the A&B so much better. Brigit seems to like it better as well. I'm going to keep riding in both and see if the C&W becomes easier as I get back in sidesaddle shape. I have a feeling the A&B is just the one for me. Not sure if I'll send the C&W down the road or not. Have to mull that one over for awhile.

Still not sure what to do about this whole jumping aside business... I really want to do it though!