Need a boot up bottom - riding for saddle fitting

Nugget La Poneh

Nugget La Poneh

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I am cacking myself.

Last couple of times I have got away with only doing walk and trot as always managed to suggest cantering was not possible as Fat Boy hadn't learnt to canter.

However Fat Boy is cantering under saddle not only on hacks, but in the school as well. And the fitter knows this as he's a friend on FB.

But not only has Fat Boy learnt to canter, he has learnt to buck (which to be fair, I'd rather a bucking haffy, than a bolter which is another haffy trick).

And I have to walk trot and canter for the fitter tomorrow and I am feeling like I do when I am about to go into the show ring.

Don't know why I am writing it, I think possibly so I can read it back and wonder why I am being such a wet weekend :D

Not even after the softly softly, there there...But is this normal? Should I really be this scared of riding my horse? Even though I went out on a hack yesterday with a friend and went round on the buckle, and even had 2 wicked spooks which didn't even bother me (well, once I worked out which way round I was facing :D)?
 
Inserts size 7 boot firmly up NLP's backside ;)

Presumably it is you usually doing the walking/trotting/cantering in the school on a normal day?
 
Saddle fittings scare me witless. Last time I had one I managed to fit the bridle so it was only on over one ear - first and only time I've done that in 25 years of riding.

You'll be fine - just pretend no-one's watching!
 
Ahh I know how you feel, I HATE road hacking and on Saturday I have to hack my youngster to a dressage competition and I am dreading it! Not the actual competing, I couldn't care less about that as it doesn't bother me but it's the actual getting there and back which is freaking me out!

Sadly though we have to take a deep breath, pull up our knickers and march on!! :p
 
My saddler told me that lots of people want her to fit saddles without them even sitting on them never mind cantering!
I'm sure you'll be fine!
 
I will join you tryin some tomorrow not looking forward to it as he has a way of showing me he doesn't like something but only once on board. I am also going to be in field as school been dug up to be re done as been down years and membrane been damaged! So hoping i don't have to canter tb in field not braved that yet!
 
I've never been asked to canter for a saddle fitting yet - just walk & trot. I'm sure it won't be a problem at all if you don't want to canter. BTW, my friend's haffie wears grass reins to stop his bucking in canter.
 
We KNOW that most of you are a little more nervous with a saddle fitter present, we're not judging you at all. Things can of course go wrong, and if they do we're usually even more mortified than you are, we try and keep things really safe and comfortable for all concerned!
 
I hate riding at saddle fittings my fitter wants to see the horse worked for twenty minutes I hate it , and worse of the lot she once asked me to jump a horse during a jumping saddle session I had to lie in a darkened room after.
Seriously OP just get on with it.
What I reallllly hate the most is trying second hand saddles on young horses where you have to try several that's really the pits.
 
Borrows dads size 9's and boots your back side! You will be fine!!

Oddly enough the saddle fitter is one of the few people I wouldnt be nervous of riding in front of, aside from appologising for how badly schooled the beast is :o, a new instructor how ever.....
 
Ahh I had that feeling as was the first time I'd ridden new horsey so was a bag of nerves. I didn't canter actually so I suspect they can tell if something fits from walk and trot so if you really don't want to canter that should be fine. And sounds like there are plenty of stories on here of people having unplanned dismounts in front of saddler so they have seen it all I'm sure :)
 
Well, I survived - I wasn't made to canter :D

And I noticed a difference after it was all adjusted - he got a right old power trot on, I dont know who was more surprised out of the pair of us!

How much of it was actually the saddle, or a placebo effect. It stopped shifting over to the right which no doubt helped, so probably wouldn't have got the reaction to canter I thought I would get had I've tried.

And we didn't get tail swishing in the medium trot either like I was in the vids I posted a couple of weeks ago.

All is good in t'hood!
 
Well done! :D

The saddle fitter I use for my horses told me that he's been asked not to watch people riding before (!) so I'm sure you did just fine!
 
i remember the previous post and video. Glad that you had a good result.what adjustments did the saddler do to your saddle to make it fit better?
 
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