THANKFUL THURSDAY

Remember a couple weeks a go I received a couple really exciting emails.  Well toward the end of that week or early the next I received another very exciting email.  It was from someone in California who had been following my blog, and other internet Spanish Mustang and saddle discussions.   The subject line simply read “Saddle” .  What I found inside the email was this…

“As a Spanish Mustang fan, I have enjoyed reading your posts on the various message boards over the years and also enjoy your blog. I also would like to get into saddle making and following your saddle journey has been very cool. There is a small package on its way to you with a couple things I had on hand that may (or may not) be useful to you in your saddle making endeavor and wanted to pass them along,  as well as say thanks for sharing your experiences and your horses with all of us.” 

Okay it’s a simple email. It’s an email I will print off and keep in my cherished items. It amazes me that a person I have never met would bestow this selfless act of generosity upon me.  It really makes the hours spent sitting here sharing my thoughts and experiences with all of you worth while and truly mean something.  Someone is interested in my world, and through this email I have made a new friend.

Well yesterday I finally made it to the Post Office to pick up the package sent from California and was pleasantly surprised to find that Paisano’s tree had also arrived.  First I opened the smaller package to find several rolls of beautifully hand cut latigo, and several bundles of strings also hand cut.   With them were too large rigging rings as well.  The stranger from California who has now become a great email buddy sent me the rigging for my saddle.

California, I am so grateful to you, and humbled by your generosity.  Your gift means that I will be able to ride Paisano in his new tree sooner than I had thought possible.

As many of you know I have waited 16 years now for this tree.  It fits!!! 

Well sorta.

It fits well in the loins…

…but seems too wide in the shoulders and not tall enough for his withers. 

It’s close enough that with padding I can make it work well for Pai.  However, when he raises his head into his natural high head carriage (which he will need in order to perform garrocha or just collect and round up) the tree bridges at the sweet spot almost an inch.  I don’t think any tree could be made so that it would not bridge when Pai’s head is high and still be comfortable for him when he is relaxed,  his lordosis is just too extreme.  

All in all though this is probably the best fit Paisano has seen to date.  The seat sits nice and level and when Pai is at rest there is no bridging.  The bars fit his loins like a glove and there is plenty of room for his shoulders to roll under the tree if not maybe a little too much room. Paisano is just very (A) framed in the shoulders and very, very round in the body with little to no graduation between the two.  Once the skirting and felt lining is added to the equasion and then a pad with shims for the sweet spot I think it will all come together nicely for Pai for pleasure riding.  He’ll still be able lift his neck nicely, but just not as comfortably as I had hoped. I think if the fork had been more straight up and down it might have elivated some of the problem.  That was a style mistake on my part.

 I’ll be sending the pics to the Nikkels to see what they think.  Regardless I am so thankful this tree will allow me to ride my horse, although I wonder about his ability to do distance riding of any kind due to the conformation of his back.  I already have $1190.00 into this endeavor and my dream  seems to conitnue to elude me. Yet I am thankful, that I have such a beautiful horse entrusted to me by a dear friend, and a tree that was lovingly made to fit his needs as best as can expected.

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