Stand for Tracing Please

I took some advice yesterday; from Val at Memoirs of a Horse Girl. She suggested to send in some tracings to this saddle site and have them recommend a saddle for me. Genius idea!

So, I followed the little video and got her back all traced up. I'll send them out at soon as possible, I can't wait to see what they say.

"Hey mom, look at my weird back!"

Ava's tracings. #1 is for gullet width, #2 is the lowest part of her back, and
T18 is the slope of her back.

This is helpful too. Ava only measured barely 6"! That is quite strange...
I found this picture from this site [here]

Ugh I Need a Wintec!

Haha, I have just realized that 95% of the time I post on here is of me complaining about something. I can't help it, I love to complain!

After riding today I noticed that the saddle Ava's using was rubbing her pretty bad. It's rubbing on both sides of her withers and where the cinch is. After seeing this it made me think if this is why she hasn't been performing as well. She has started to canter really fast and she won't soften as well either. I'm getting FED UP with this saddle business. The only saddle that came even close to fitting her is now sold, so now I need to find something else. I'm thinking to get a Wintec with a changeable gullet. The other saddle that fit her was also a Wintec. So, maybe that is the way to go for a saddle. I'm going to search around; eBay, the local paper, and local tack shop, hopefully I'll find something. Although, since Ava is so wide I don't know if I'll be able to find anything with a fixed tree. Oh boy, we'll just see how this goes.

Until then, I don't know what I'm going to do about riding. I will feel horrible putting either of those saddles on her. Hopefully something comes up soon.

Something like this with a changeable gullet and a size 16" would be amazing

!

Some Oldies (Photo Overload!)

Here are some old photos that I found. They aren't organized but I'll label some of them. Have fun!

The very first picture I took of her.

First time sitting on her back.

Before I adopted her.

One of her first rides with all gear.

At district

In other news I think I will be renovating my blog's layout. I think it needs something different.

It's a Matter of Teeth

The title doesn't lie.

Just another thing I need to worry about. I guess I should have seen it coming though. Miss Girl hasn't had her teeth done since *checks records* October 2010. So, her due date is right around now. I was just hoping that I could push it off for a while, guess not.

I have been noticing that she has been yawning a lot more than usual. I also began to notice her slightly shaking her head (slightly meaning like she had a fly on her ear) when I ride. She takes the bit fine and eating doesn't seem to be a problem for her. Those were the only things that made me stop and think if she really needed it. But I know she does. So, guess what? I now get to spend a ton of money on more medical needs! Yay...

Sometimes I wish life was easier or at least I wish I had enough money to make it easier.

Why Am I Still Debating Over This?

I can't remember if I've already made a post like this... Hmmm... Anyways!

Good lord, this is driving me insane. I've been trying to decide (for years) whether to ride english or western... I can't pick, I just can't, I need help! So, hopefully this can help me decide over the two. I want your feedback also! I already asked Ava what she likes better and she many times said english. I think it's because english saddles fit her about a thousand times better. I've never found a western saddle that will leave an even sweat mark on her back whereas almost all english ones have. I've tried a lot of different western saddles too! It's weird. Ava has a short, wide back with high withers. So, it sounds like an easy answer, maybe it is.

Now I'd like to do some pros and cons about each.

English

Pros:

•Shape of saddle fits Ava a lot better

•LOVE the look of english saddles

•Pricing is a little easier for me

Cons:

 •I don't feel as secure in an english saddle (mainly because I hadn't ridden in one for a while)

•Usually have to mount up with a mounting block

Western

Pros:

•I feel more secure riding western

•The horn makes me feel safer

•Being able to get on without a mounting block

Cons:

•Can't find one saddle that will fit her (this is a big one)

•I can't afford a custom saddle. Not for a VERY long time

So, looks like they are opposite of each other. Western saddles won't fit but I feel secure in them whereas english saddles do fit but I don't feel as secure in them. I haven't ridden in an english saddle for a while so it would just take some getting used to. Hmm... Possibly english? All I want is to feel confident that she is comfortable while riding. I can't stand seeing those dry marks on her back anymore, it starting to drive me a little crazy!

As for showing I don't think Ava could get very far in anything. I would love to do jumping but she doesn't seem to like it; I would love to do reining, cutting, roping but she could never get to a high enough level. The only thing she would be good at is showmanship. Overall, I think she just wants to be my horse; take me on trail rides and adventures. I don't know, I could be completely wrong! Ava never tells me these things, haha!

Anyways, does anyone have any insight on this? Everything is certainly appreciated.