Saddle woes

Dawna stopped by tonight to clear up some nagging questions I have. Am I saddling Sparkler correctly? How can I get her to overcome her headshyness? Why is this girth strap so long? First we saddled Sparkler with the Abetta saddle I bought in Kentucky. I had no idea how high up or back to place the saddle, but Dawna gave me the lowdown. The saddle should be placed with the pressure point (the point of most pressure on the shoulder under the saddle) about an inch behind the shoulder bone to allow freedom of movement. This is a lot farther forward than I'd thought.

We slid our hands underneath the pressure point to make sure it wasn't too tight, and lo and behold it presses harder on one side! It also sits crooked. It's as if the saddle is twisted. Try as we might, we could not relieve the pressure. Sparkler is wide in the shoulders but narrower in the chest - typical of Tennessee Walkers. The conclusion--not a good fit for her.

Note: later I found this site with excellent information on saddle fitting.

Dawna went out to her truck and brought in her gorgeous Circle Y and we tried that. It, too, was tight, so back to the truck to get her Wintec 500 English saddle. It fit really well! So I'm on the lookout for one.

Bridling is a problem. As soon as we get it near her ears, she spooks. Moving your hand near her ears is troublesome. So Dawna did the approach and retreat method of rubbing up the neck but back down as soon as she showed signs of freaking. Eventually, and ever so slowly, you can win her confidence with this.

She rubbed the bit with a chunk of apple (what else does Dawna carry in her truck?) and Sparkler readily licked it. So if she sees the bridling experience as safe and good tasting, she'll like to be bridled? I guess time will tell.