suberpad first trial

Well, that was interesting.

I'll come to the suberpad later (with pictures) but Molly was good. Firstly, there was no one to ride with. I thought, I'll try to go round the 20acre by myself, see how we do, because she's been leading the way down there no bother.

So we went down the hill from the barn no problem whatsoever - but my heart sank, the gate through into the field, which is normally always open, was very firmly shut and it is VERY difficult to open mounted even on a horse that will do gates no problem. The catch is on the field side, i.e. the other side from where Molly & I were, and behind the fence post. So unless your horse will get right up to the gate at exactly the right spot, it can't be done. So after various attempts to do it, Molly getting more and more uptight the more I turned her back to it, I had to give up (bear in mind, she still won't stand to be mounted and in any event there wasn't anything to stand on if I had got off).

So we cantered back up the hill, which was good and she was sound. I decided I had no option but go through the yard. Got her through, she trotted through the yard along past the house and part up the drive.

Went back to the barn and then turned round and did it again; and again, and a fourth time. The second time we went past the geldings field, through the coppice and back, and the fourth time we got up the grassy track up the side of the geldings field, she went past the bogey log (which in the past has been a 'block' for her, and would have got to the top but she clocked a landrover coming down the drive the other side of the hedge and I found myself doing a trot u-turn. At least it wasn't a canter u-turn, they're not so easy to sit!

Oh, and I had gaynor watch her trot a few times, and she was sound - in a straight line. not in the arena though, I tried her once. Think she might just be telling me she's sick of the arena!

So, the suberpad.

At first I thought it wasn't long enough.

like this:




as you can see, the pad doesn't look as though it is right at the back of the saddle, it seemed too short.








but it was fine at the front; it's meant to have an inch showing at the front.








but when I got off - as you see, it had slipped to the left at the back.

And I certainly felt as though the saddle itself had slipped to the right.


I expect it'll be a little while until it beds down properly; apparently, they shape themselves to the horses back and take on its shape.

I wasn't totally convinced I'd loosened all the innards (cork granules) up properly before I put it on, but we'll see. And there's no means of fixing it at the back, which i think is a lack - seems to me there should be straps to fix it to the back D's on the saddle.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it pans out.

One things for sure, there was no sign of a rub.

And thinking about that, I think it was the sheepskin on the grandeur that was causing the rub, rather than the grandeur itself, if you see what I mean - i think possibly the same pad without the sheepskin wouldn't have had the same effect.

Anyway, hopefully we'll get round the 20 acre tomorrow, in the lead if I'm not on my own, and with no arguments about going down the hill.


(and the late hour - we've been putting our bedroom back together (it now has been painted, has wardrobes, and finally has a carpet, so we rebuilt the bed tonight, a nightmare, we always make a meal of it and have to re-do bits!))