The girl-child has been in Northern California for the past three weeks visiting my mom, stepdad, and sister and cousin. She's been living it up, trail riding, hiking, camping, etc., etc.
And apparently, riding up and down the mountains on mom's trusty mare, Rock. In a western saddle. As a result, the child has informed me no more than four times now that she wants to ride western rather than English, because it's "easier." Which is kind of funny, actually, because we went to our county fair on Friday and watched pole bending and barrel racing and my significant other commented about how much he thought Kayleigh would kick ass riding Calypso at speed events.
She is a little daredevil, just like her mom, and Calypso would probably thrive as a speed event pony. And while I'm an English girl through and through, (western saddles make me feel trapped...there's far, far too much leather between me and my horse and all around me for my taste), and would really like it if she and I went to horse shows and the occasional fox hunt together, I suppose if my kiddo wants to ride western I'll do what I can to make that happen.
However, I have no western saddle for the child to use. I have a buttload of English saddles, and one teeny tiny little western saddle. But none that will fit her or her horse. Guess I need to start going to auctions again (which is always a bad idea for me! I come home with more than I really need) or perusing eBay and Craigslist to see what I can find for her. I guess that's what I get for selling off the only larger-sized western saddle I owned. Ugh! Oh well.
Oh... those auctions can be killers! Around here I've found a few good saddles at pawn shops! I have also found that the pawn shop owner usually has no clue as to the value of the saddle - I've gotten GREAT deals! I'm not sure whether there would be that many in your area... but it's worth a try!
ReplyDeleteHope you can find a western saddle that fits your horse. Your daughter will likely have a lot of fun if she gets involved in gymkhana events.
ReplyDeleteI have a ripin' (very brief)video of our ride on the narrow rocky ledge above the roaring canyon river, but can't get it to load on my blog.
ReplyDeleteWe have tack swaps out here and you can get saddles almost for free. Can we just keep her out here?
@Dreaming...yes, they can! At least the last couple I went to I didn't come home with another horse..hehehe!!! I don't even know where to find a pawn shop around here, but that may be a good place to look.
ReplyDelete@Shirley...I think so, too. I did some gymkhanas when I was a kid and had a blast; I can totally see her getting into them big time.
@Kathy...can't wait to see it! Hope you figure out how to get it loaded soon. You can keep her only if I can move into the guest room... :)