Tuesday, January 31, 2012

New Blankets (question) & Mounting Practice

Faran's adorable snip.

We stopped in town today to pick up a couple of thin saddle blankets for the boys. I don't like to share pads and blankets in case of rain rot or some other contagious skin disease. It's just healthier that way. So we got their own blankets for wearing under anything they might share (or just by itself). The blankets were too long though (but too small folded in half), so we may have to do some creative sewing (that would be removable if needed). I also tried something interesting with Chrome's.

I LOVE the color. We have to match hehe.

What I did was put the surcingle over the blanket and then folded it back over. I'm thinking it could be a good way to secure the blanket for bareback riding. The blanket would protect my legs from being rubbed by the surcingle (I won't be sitting on it obviously, but my legs my overlap it a bit) and further down is protected by half chaps. So do you see any reason this wouldn't work? It would just be for keeping sweat off my breeches. Regardless of if it works or not he is cute! One more picture.

I put two more holes in his halter and tightened if up some more. Look better? The throat piece is still a little loose, but there is no way to adjust it so he will just have to grow into it. :)

Also, quick funny story before we move on to Faran. Our neighbor stopped to say hi so my husband was showing him the new Aussie saddle while I played with Chrome. I was letting him see the blanket for the first time and we were having fun with it. He threw it in the dirt lol and I put it over his head. Then I led him blindly (well he could see a little in front of him, enough to tell when I stopped) over to our neighbor. He was hesitant at first, but he trusted me. :D Good boy!

Now Faran.

See how large the blanket is when place correctly?? Chrome's dwarfs him. I think if we sew up the sides a little just to shorten it enough so that it's not in the girth that it will be okay. :)

Gorgeous!!

My husband main intent with putting the saddle on was to see if the breastcollar that came with the dressage saddle that was given to me would fit Faran and it does! Yay! It looks handsome on him too. Then we were standing there talking and I suggested he try putting his foot in the stirrup like I did the other day (click here to see the first time I put a foot in the stirrup http://rdxhorses.blogspot.com/2012/01/faran-wears-our-new-aussie-saddle-video.html). Unfortunately I didn't get video this time. Too bad because his reaction was explosive lol.

The first time my husband put his foot in the stirrup Faran was fine until he reached up to grab the horn and then he literally flew sideways about three feet (without ever hitting his rope good boy!). Upon finding his trigger (reaching for the horn) we got out the clicker and went to work on it. He was very nervous (in fact he spooked at the first click lol), but he quickly settled down. We watched specifically for relaxing signs (ears, snorts, licking, etc) to click and in no time he was even offering lowering his head (his current default behavior lol) when my husband put his foot in the stirrup. Win!

A couple more pictures of my cute boys. :)

And a couple more of my cutie colt.

Yes I was leaning on his haunches lol.

Loving my boys (all three of them)!! :D I hope everyone had a fantastic January!

P.S. Oh and I almost forgot. My husband worked on Faran with his hooves too and he did fantastic on all but his right hind. He was very resistant with that one for some reason. My husband gently persisted though and Faran finally gave up. They are both getting a bit thrushy from all of the wet weather, so Faran is about to get a lesson in spray bottles on the feet hehe.

11 comments:

  1. Chrome and Faran look awesome in their blankets. I love the colors on them.

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  2. The halter fits a lot better, and it should give you a lot more control should you need it.
    They both look adorable, and you sure picked the right colors for both of them. They look adorable. I wonder if you can put a few stitches across the blanket, and run the through the pocket. That way the lose top layer will not make the entire thing slide around. And you can then take them out later when you need to. Just an idea.

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  3. Hey Chrome!
    Wow, you look wonderful in your blue outfit! I think that setup will be perfect for comfy bareback riding.
    Hey Faran!
    Wow, red is a perfect color against your dark furs. Very sharp look my furiend.
    Grr and Woof,
    Sarge, COP

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  4. Their blankets are soooooooooooo cute!!!!!

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  5. Emme, that's a good idea. I don't think it's going to be very slippery because of the texture, but just in case I'll probably do something like you suggested. :)

    Thanks for the compliments guys!

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  6. We used to use Navajo pads (the ones you got) at my college eq center. We would fold them in half as you did, but they were always used in conjunction with shaped fleece saddle pads (the cheapo fake fleece ones work just fine for schooling and are easier to wash). As I recall, if you place them on the back with the folded side on one side rather than at the withers, the pad will be a bit longer. The idea is that the Navajo pad keeps the fleece somewhat clean, and like you said avoids transferring nastiness between horses.

    The boys look very handsome in their coordinating colors!

    -DS
    Adventures In Colt Starting

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  7. One hundred percent agreed about not sharing blankets, pads, bits, etc. Silly question... why put a surcingle on when you ride bareback? I understand having the blanket to protect your breeches from sweat/dirt, but I'm lost about the surcingle. Haha.

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  8. Dom, the surcingle is over the blanket and then the blanket is folded back over the surcingle and itself. My thought it that it would prevent the blanket from shifting if the horse were to turn too quickly. That's what I was asking opinions on. Is that safe? Would it serve the purpose I'm hoping it will? Is there a better way? Sorry I was not really clear in my question on my blog lol. :D

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  9. It sounds safe enough to me. They make bareback pads, which serve the same purpose and won't pinch your leg.

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  10. I love that he let you lead him around blind. Pippi does to, kinda. Well we put her blanket on over her head and sleezy as well. She stands there and waits for me to be done (:

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  11. Chrome looks just gorgeous in BLUE and Faran looks very nice in red.

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