an arthur kottas experience...

- always ride in such a way as to INVITE the horse to participate

- give the horse several opportunities to stretch their neck at the walk on the long rein (even if you don't get an exercise correctly, it is better to give them a break & relax than to brow beat them into an exercise they're struggling with)

- during said walk break, do not allow the horse to become lazy in the walk. You must always encourage the horse to maintain a forward, MARCHING, active walk. Active does not mean the horse rushes on with short, choppy steps. This applies to all gaits.

- to test your level of independence for your hands, seat and legs: post the trot on the buckle. how is your balance? horse's balance? can you control the rhythm w/o the reins?
Next, sit the trot on the buckle (for a quarter of the arena). Did you feel this overwhelming need to snatch the reins to balance the horse? Keep alternating between rising and sitting until you no longer rely on your reins or legs to maintain balance, cadence and rhythm.

- you are the pilot, not the passenger! Your horse has 23 hours of the day to do whatever he or she wants. Not while you are in the saddle.

Personal Discoveries...
on Tori, during sitting trot, I have a tendency to use my thighs to keep myself stable in the saddle. I need to do more work without stirrups, not only to develop an independent seat, but to make sure I begin to elongate my legs because my stirrups are still too short to allow my legs to be utilized correctly.

on Tori, again during sitting trot, I need to lighten my seat so that she can hear my half-halts... because presently, she can't hear much except a demanding drive to go forward. :/

on both horses in canter, i need to completely lighten my seat, stop driving and stop trying so hard. I need to trust that they can maintain the canter without my constant nagging. i need to elongate my body, legs stretch down, and spine stretching up.

Saddle Fitting... the glories of owning a young horse

So... growing horsie = $$$$ saddle fitting... saddle buying... sleepness nights saddle hunting.

SO now I'm doing intense research, and planning on taking a course in saddle fitting this coming winter.

anyway, it was suggested to me that i look for a saddle with the following qualifications...
• a tree with either a shorter point or a flexible point
• wither guessets
• dropped panels

and here in begins my scouring of the internet for precise visuals & descriptions of such things. (by scour the internet i mean hijack the majority of my information from www.trumbullmtn.com)

Wither Gussets

a wither gusset
(the lumpy thing next to the thigh block)

Wither gussets are also referred to as half or front gussets and because that wasn't confusing enough, there are also full front gussets!

Wither gussets are often used for many purposes...

• some horses have hollows by their withers, which sometimes need more support to keep the saddle in correct balance, as to prevent it from collapsing on the wither but allow the saddle to remain it's correct width.

• even a rounder horse, may still need the support that the wither gusset provides.

• sometimes used to anchor the saddle behind the shoulder if the horse happens to have very large shoulders. (important that the tree point remains behind the scapula)
Full front gussets work well for horses that are narrower in front and wider towards the back or whose conformation isn't suitable for the wither gusset to work but needs the benefit of added lift.

Dropped/Trapezius Panel

a horse that would probably
benefit from having a
dropped panel.

Dropped or Trapezius Panels are deeper in the area below and to the rear of the wither. It is a fitting option used (often in conjunction with wither gussets) for a horse with dips behind and to the rear of the wither.






interesting candidates... probably will update this list when i'm not at work...
• Fryso Profile Dressage Saddle
• Fairfax Gareth Monoflap
• Albion SL Dressage Saddle