Overcoming Fear and Fitting Saddles

It's kind of a big deal

The Old Crosby saddle that I had been using could not fit Auggie properly without some modifications. I spent hours researching how to fit his saddle the right way, and ultimately required professional help.  Smartpak saddle fitting guide

        The next day I dusted myself off and resolved to begin again. I had been told countless times what I could and couldn't do with my life and none of it ever helped me evolve. I was not where I wanted to be in life, and it was my fault for listening to the wrong people; I had to own that part at least. The times when I did pursue my goals against my mother's advice, happened to be some of the best times of my life and I needed a whole lot more of that. I could only hope that Auggie wouldn't toss me on my head and prove her right.

    I had to get Auggie acquainted with the wash stalls before the dentist came to the farm, so I figured I would start with that for the day. The wash stalls were a bit suspicious for a horse that was unfamiliar with them; the floors were slippery concrete and every little sound echoed off the aluminum sides and high ceilings. To make things worse, the bathroom and laundry area was also housed in the same part of the building, so there was a constant parade of people in and out of area, bustling about noisily. It was a sort of confined, panic box for a new horse. 

    Auggie was nervous on the walk to the stalls, as he hadn't been down that particular aisle yet. He walked hurriedly, almost clipping my heal as he glided. Other horse pinned their ears and bared their teeth through the bars of their stalls as we passed by, until we came to the big sliding door at the end of the hall where the wash area was. I was prepared For Auggie to blow up as we stepped onto the concrete floor of the wash stalls, but to my surprise, he remained fairly calm. He snorted loudly at the Groom-a-Vac in the corner, but he didn't try to bolt or panic. He was nervous and tense, but at least he was agreeable.

    It was apparent that he could not stay still for long when I clipped him into the crossties in the middle stall. he danced side to side, back and forth. He wanted to see everything around him, and the crossties were infuriating to him. He quickly began to paw the ground. He didn't like the sounds, and he didn't like staying still for too long. This was going to take a lot of practice to break these old habits, but at least he could be safely led into the stall without throwing a massive fit. After about fifteen minutes, I took him out of the ties and walked him back down the aisle. He was going to need more time to settle in order to be on crossties for any substantial amount of time, so I advised Amy to give Auggie a sedative for the impending dentist visit.

   Back in his stall, I turned my focus towards the saddle fit. It seemed logical that a poorly fitting saddle could be part of the reason for his resistance to go to the mounting block. I always wanted to rule out pain as a cause for a behavioral issue. I had scoured the internet for reliable guides to saddle fitting and found several videos that explained the important anatomical points for a correct saddle fit (Smartpak saddle fitting guide   Han equestrian channel  ), but I was still a little lost when it came to Auggie and his unique anatomy. 

    As I placed my Crosby on Auggie's bare back, I felt all sorts of lumps and divots between the leather and his body; it seemed that his physique was not consistent with that of any other horse I'd ever encountered. I felt for the anatomical markers that were mentioned in all the videos I had watched, but his Standardbred body was so different from the models shown in the demonstrations.  The saddle just flat out did not fit him the way it should, but I didn't know how to adjust it. I tried an old Stueben that I had taken from home and found similar problems; nothing felt quite right with either saddle no matter what I did.

A dirty Auggie! I took pictures of his back ahead of his saddle fitting appointment.

           

        I felt a little sense of relief, knowing that the saddle could be fixed and possibly solve some of the issues I was having with Auggie, but I couldn't think of anyone who could actually come over and properly fit a new saddle for me. His body was so different due to his breeding, I wasn't confident that I could find the right saddle to match it without professional assistance. I felt a wave of panic come over me as I realized that I may need to purchase a new saddle all together. I needed help before things got any worse.

    I approached Amy as she was sitting in front of Rich's house with all the IEA kids congregating at the picnic tables on what was left of his lawn. Rich's house sat smack in the middle of the farm, and for decades, kids (myself and my friends included) have gathered under the trees around his kitchen door where the picnic tables were. There was nothing left of the grass from all the years of children stomping happily about; just a finely ground, ubiquitous dust and the bare roots of the maple tree that shaded the area. 

    "Hey Amy do you know anyone that does saddle fitting? I think my saddle isn't fitting Auggie very well," I asked as I walked into the chaos.

    "Oh sure the vet can do that when they come to give him his booster shots for the fall. Why do you think the saddle doesn't fit? Is he tripping a lot?"

    "A little here and there, but mostly I think he refusing to go to the mounting block because it hurts and now he's scared of that whole area now."

    "Ah I see! Well, leave the saddle outside his stall and they can take a look when they are here next week," she said.

    "Ok great! Also, I would definitely give him a little sedation for the dentist tomorrow, at least until we get to know him better. I'll leave the bottle of Ace on the trunk across from his stall."

    "Ok how much do you think he needs?"

    "I'm not sure. Probably five tablets, he's got to be at least 1250 pounds, if not more. I definitely don't want him to fling Mark when he tries to open his mouth."

    "Sounds good, I'll let you know how it goes," she assured me. 

    I was hopeful that between the horse dentist and the vet we could find some solutions to help Auggie make the adjustment to his new life. I continued my quest for knowledge on subjects like mounting block issues, saddle issues and pawing while tied. I found many excellent sources online, but none of the examples or advice given seemed to match Auggie exactly. It was going to take patience and the more time I spent with the horse, the more I realized there were multiple issues to work through. He still had plenty of baggage from wherever he came from, and now it was all mine to figure out.