New Year's India

Here The Shadow takes a picture of India this afternoon. India is wearing her new Nunn Finer breast plate and Circuit sheepskin half pad that I bought for her at Dover's Saddlery yesterday. I went up there to purchase a 17" Wintec All Purpose saddle with CAIR panels and interchangeable gullet that Dover's was advertising on sale, but came away empty handed. I'd called about a week earlier asking if they had one in stock and they didn't, but that they could have one shipped down from their store in Chantilly, VA, so I asked that they do that. I would drive up over the long holiday weekend and get it and I made up my list of other things I wanted to buy, too.

India may have her mother's coloring, but she's not got her shape. Asia is much narrower, more Thoroughbred in appearance than her daughter. India is round. India says, "My daddy is a Foundation Quarter Horse!" and my Stubben, which fits Asia so nicely, is too narrow. Jenny and I noticed last November that when we'd untack, there would be two dry patches oval in shape below her withers on both sides, and fairly large ones at that, so the Stubben is not going to be a long term solution. India's not been ugly about being ridden yet, but it's just a matter of time before she would get tired of wearing a saddle that doesn't fit.

Got to Dover's and saw the saddle and it turns out it's the Wintec with the regular flocking, not the CAIR. Although I want a new saddle, and especially one to take to South Carolina this weekend, I decided not to buy the CAIR-less one. *g* Dover's is getting the correct one sent to me, but it will take about three weeks. I called around to Horse Town and Atlanta Saddlery and they do not have that saddle either. SmartPak advertises it, but it takes a minimum of two weeks, maybe longer. I looked on the website for a tack store in Camden, where I'll be, and they don't have one, either. I've decided that these saddles are rarer than rocking horse poop.

On my list of other stuff to buy at Dover's was a breast plate and a sheepskin saddle pad. Here India is wearing both. I got the Nunn Finer because they had it in her size, which is cob. I debated getting the full sheepskin pad, but went with a half pad. Not only is it cheaper, but it's less bulk under my leg, which means that I can apply my leg more effectively. However, I just may breakdown and buy the full pad in a month or so. *g*

Fortiflex buckets were on sale for $8. Bought!

Finally, the Mountain Horse winter jackets were marked down from this price on their website and I looked and looked at it and then bought it. I LOVE IT! No buyer's remorse as it's warm, it's got lots and lots of pockets, it's got great ventilation, and I rode today in it and it didn't interfere with riding her at all, didn't feel bulky, just worked. I bought it in the green. I think I'll end up wearing it to work on cold days. It's good looking and it's warm. I wish I'd bought one years ago.

But enough about shopping, let's talk about India. How did she do? She did really well for a pony that's not been ridden in just a few days shy of a month. She was so nice and quiet while I tacked her up, not concerned at all that her friends were no where around. I'd had to fetch her from way far away in the back pasture and her herd stayed up there while India and I worked, not coming down until I was untacking her, which allowed me to easily get Asia and groom her. She's fully recovered from her sore leg, btw.

I tacked India up and adjusted her new breast plate and took her in the ring for some ground work. She was very quiet still, and after a few minutes I put her bridle on and mounted. She was full of go, but she listened to me and we spent a lot of time on transitions: walk, halt, walk, halt. I focused on keeping my aids as minimal as I could, but still had to use my reins to reinforce that I wanted a halt the first few times. She got better about that as we went on, or I got better at sending the signals for a halt just using my core and visualizing "halt at this pole." We did a few turns on the forehand, too.

At a trot she was very zoomie, so I did a lot of serpantines and circles to keep her mind on trotting. I used trot to walk transitions, too, to keep her slowed down, but used them less than the direction changes. After about ten minutes, I let her pick up the left lead canter and I was sure we were going to have several laps of the ring, but she was tired and after one and a half laps, including some large circles, she brought herself down to the trot and I then asked for a walk to a halt and she was happy to oblige. That was a good note upon which to end, so we did. I hopped off, petted her star, and then took this picture with my cell phone.

Sweet POTU. She's certainly growing up! It was so nice to have the day off work (the state celebrated New Year's today, not last Friday, which was the 31st) and I got so much done with her. Just imagine how wonderful the world would be if I could get off work at 3 every day! Oh, the riding I would get done!!!