Sidney has had a heck of a time with saddles. She has been spending a lot of time and money on finding a good fit. Not a perfect fit, but a good fit. FINALLY after this last go around, I decided to kick in and take a visit to Rick Bean. He does saddle fitting and had been recommended to us. To tell you the truth, I was a little worried about going to him. I had made a deal with Sidney that she needed to buy all of her own tack, as I was taking care of the board, etc. I was worried that Rick would recommend a saddle completely out of Sidney's financial reach. For those that do not know, saddles start at several hundred dollars and can go up to five figures.
Noel called Rick and got us a Saturday morning fitting. We drove up there and were pleasantly surprised. Rick was the most humble, most knowledgeable man. Most of all, he took an inventory of what we had and was able to work with one of Sidney's existing saddles and pads. In fact, when all was said and done, I asked him what she should be saving for. He told us that the saddle she had is a good quality one that he sells brand new and this set up she has should serve her for many years. Of course, if Pigeon's body changes, it may need some tweaks, but she had a solid set up. His knowledge and modifications were worth every penny!
Sidney and Jayde wanted to take their horses to a fall classic jump show to get ready for this winter. The week before the show, I volunteered to go out to the ranch and set up jumps for them. We spent a few hours at the ranch with them mostly knocking the jumps down and me picking them up. The next day it felt like I had done a mean squat workout. They truly looked like a train wreck, with both riders and both horse out of jump shape.
The following weekend they headed to the show. Sidney told me that all the stars were aligned and the two pairs were on fire. I did not get many pictures. She said the show arena was amazing, a lot like you would see on television with the giant flowers, rocks and other large distracting features. I did get this one video of Sidney and Pigeon in the warm up arena. Yep, they look good.
Turns out they did amazing, and both her and Jayde walked away with a number of ribbons. They were super encouraged and excited for the winter series to begin.
While Sidney and Jayde were off having fun, my dad and I decided to put a wind break in Pigeon's shelter. I have to laugh, because I am not sure Pigeon 'needs' this. It is more about what we think he might want. It turned out pretty nice, and he has really taken a liking to it.
The following weekend, Sidney and Jayde took Pigeon and Kaycee out to Parma for a flag clinic. They had a blast. Fell off their horses a few times and generally acted like a couple of goofy teenagers, while the other ladies took themselves very seriously. These ladies are living their best lives!
Sidney has been getting on Levi a bit more and casually riding him in the arena. He has been a sweet and gentle boy so far. He did get a bit excited one night and did a bit of crow hopping (this is what Noel tells me), but Sidney managed to ride it out.
This girl has a lot of patience (or perhaps it is just relative, because I have none). She sat with the boys one night and tried to get them interested in the large ball.
Levi seemed way more curious than Pigeon. Pigeon really only wanted to engage if treats were involved.
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