I had my saddle worked over. After getting it in the early 2000s sometime it has been working and going about life with really very little care from me. I feel a little guilty admitting that.
It has had some damage. There was the time Rusty took out the clothes line with it. The time Rusty hooked it on the trailer while unloading. It has had other wear besides damage Rusty did to it. Dragging calves, riding in mud and dust. Normal saddle wear.
So I took it to the lady with the new saddle shop in town. She was very nice saying nice things about it. She polished it up until it glowed. She made new bucking rolls custom to match my color preferences of purple and orange and my cinch of those same colors. They really are gorgeous with purple pin-striping and purple thread. She insisted that my latigos, the same ones that had been on the saddle for the last twenty years had seen better days and needed replaced. The whole thing was shiny and gorgeous and as good as new.
I couldn’t wait to try it on Sunshine.
As we were standing there talking when I picked up the saddle I said something along those lines. The lady said to be careful about putting it on colts. Don’t want to ruin a great saddle on a young horse. That’s silly I thought. I’m only putting it on Sunshine. He’s fine. It was one of those moments that hang in the air taking more space than they ought. Sticking with you as the day goes on.
Back home I rushed through the things i had to get done. That saddle was burning a hole in my mind. I had to see how pretty it was on my horse.
Finally I was able to get away. The warm day meant I could get out there still at dusk. Sunshine was happy to come in and work. Even if he spooked a little walking through the yard to the trailer. We have been working on the other side of the house and he hadn’t been back that way in a couple weeks.
She had polished up the rear cinch and put a new connector on. I thought I should probably make sure Sunshine was used to a rear cinch. I’m too lazy to use one regularly. So I left it on as I saddled.
That new latigo on the near side was shiny new and stiff. I snugged it up, but not too tight. Still trying to figure out new settings to get the cinch just right.
Then I untied him so I could let him circle and not beak leadropes or my trailer if the rear cinch bothered him when I fastened it. I have spent lots of time getting him used to ropes everywhere and He’s kind of going under saddle. It shouldn’t be a big deal. But, better safe than sorry.
As I loosened the lead and asked him to step away the rear cinch brushed the back of his front leg and Sunshine exploded. I was between him and the trailer. Luckily he went the other way. Those tight places scare. Watching him leap and kick and buck I also saw the saddle with the not so tight cinch working further and further up over the withers.
My saddle. My saddle that felt like a brand new saddle after all the work done. He was going to destroy it before I ever even got a picture. Holding tight to the lead I managed to circle him. He spun and spooked and finally held still a little. The saddle was still on his back. At least partially. It was just as much on his neck as his back. But. It wasn’t underneath him being kicked to pieces or drug through the gravel.
Easing up on his right hand side I debated what to do. Reaching for the stirrup caused him to shy and pull away. Slowly slowly I stroked his neck and worked my way down his neck to his shoulder until I could touch the saddle. He stood still quivering and sweating. The shiny new strap was holding tight. If I could undo that I could get the rear cinch off. Knowing that underneath this big spooky horse who didn’t think he had ever been saddled before was my brave quiet well behaved horse I normally ride and work with I held the lead tight to keep his nose towards me, which hopefully means the hind legs will be away. I reached under his belly and fumbled at the latch. Luckily the new smooth leather unhooked easily in my hands. I suspect a bit f help from God because those types of latches never come undone easily. With that loose the buckle came off easy and he was free.
From there we worked on calming enough that I was able to undo the cinch and work the saddle back into place. A whole lot more slack got pulled out of the latigo as I tightened it as much as I could. Then we spent the next hour learning how to be a horse again. I grabbed my rear cinch and touched his front legs to make sure my theory about the cause was correct. He tucked tail and bolted. In a circle as I held him tight but let him move his legs. We worked with the cinch. We traded that out for a long cotton rope. We worked on having legs touched. On his belly. On roped around his belly, under his tail, around each leg. Worked on reminding him of all these things he already knows.
Should I have kept pressing even though I knew he was just having a day and this was not my normal horse? I did debate that as we went. In the end I decided that we needed to figure out how to deal even on bad days and that he could not be left with the memory of the spook. We needed to find a place where he could soak on the memory of it not being awful.
When he was finally calmer. Licking and chewing as he got over the stress. Not giving huge flinches when the rope touched him. We stopped. We went to the pedestal and played. He happily offered all four feet up on the small pedestal. That was a first for him and I didn’t ask for it. He thought about it and tried. I just rewarded. This was my horse back again.
Back to the trailer I held him as I unsaddled. Ready to grab for the saddle if he should spook. He stood mostly quiet. I turned him loose to graze.
Lessons learned? Non really. It wasn’t like he hasn’t had all the ground work. He’s normally a steady well behaved horse. You never know when some strange thing is going to set a horse off. That is why we are always careful no matter what.
Today I will saddle him with a different saddle. At first at least. Work again on touching those legs. Make sure we have more good memories to over lay the bad.
My saddle is still gorgeous. There were a few normal scuffs added from ropes flopping about. The dust he raised means it is no longer as sparkly. But the most important thing is that it is still in one piece! And so is the horse. and so am I.
