If you have no saddle...

After further discussions with my saddle fitter, I've decided to sell the County Eventer and keep looking. She'll be out next week with more saddles for me to try, especially the Reactor saddle that's so interesting. After making that decision, I spent some time pondering how the hell I'm going to ride my horse when the only saddles I have make him sore, and I don't even have a hope of finding a new one till next week sometime. Sure I can longe, but I want to RIDE.

The first thing that comes to mind when you have no saddle is riding bareback. I used to do it quite regularly when I didn't have much time and just wanted to bop around for a little while on horseback. I can walk and trot bareback, and if I'm feeling really brave, have been known to canter. When Cash was off some years ago, I started to bring him back riding bareback, and that was great fun because I really got to feel his back. However, let me show you Exhibit A:

Exhibit A: Cash's back. Sort of looks like a couch, eh? Notice the complete lack of a backbone.

Next, we have Exhibit B:

Exhibit B: Red's back. You can see his body is the approximate shape and size of that round bale he's eating his way through. (Photo credits go to azulox, thanks!)

Please notice how both Exhibit A and Exhibit B bear a striking resemblance to Exhibit C:

Exhibit C: 55 gallon drum. Notice how nice and round it is! (Photo credit to Google Images)

Now, let us compare these lovely images of round comfiness to Exhibit D, Saga's back:

Exhibit D: Saga's back. Yeah, he's thin... I need to take new pictures!

Notice how that lovely protruding wither and the matching spine sort of resemble Exhibit E?

Exhibit E: Shark fin (or is it Saga's back? They're SO SIMILAR!). Photo courtesy of Google Images.

In other words, Saga is not the type of horse you want to spend any time on bareback. Trust me, I tried it and barely survived. I thought about bareback pads, but to a one they're almost all completely flat with no room for the withers. I'm guessing a pad like that would sore his withers in no time flat. So, I thought about how I might be able to make something that worked like a bareback pad, had room for his withers and spine, and was padded for me.

Having said all that, I have just realized that it's after midnight and I'm getting up at 6 a.m. I'll have to save the juicy details (and pictures) of this evening's bareback pad making experience for tomorrow.