A Quest for the Unicorn Saddle for My Unicorn
This is about the quest for the Unicorn (perfect) saddle... for my short and stout Unicorn/Pony of the Americas, "Pepper Pony" I’ve had my Pepper pony now for 4 years ๐ฎ
In that time, I’ve been blessed with over 500+ rides with him…
I’ve been aware that our saddles (have used 2 different ones) were adequate but not ideal… he truly is the most willing little dude. ๐ฅฐ
Around September/October of 2023, even after adjusting the gullet, our Pessoa jump saddle wasn’t feeling quite right…
I knew I needed something else… as he was reluctant to move forward with me on him, despite him moving beautifully at Liberty. He even did some tiny crow hops at the canter, so he was really trying to tell me he wasn't comfortable. (He always does his best to keep me safe).
So I decided to just ride him with the bareback pads we have. And we still had fun!
One day when not looking for saddles, I was following one of the many rabbit holes I find myself in, I started looking at Working Equitation as a fun discipline to try… then I started looking at the tack that was recommended (especially for short backed guys)…
I found Hug Your Horse : Hidalgo Leather Tree Consultant was recommended several times… and then I suddenly remembered that two of my remote students actually had them! ๐
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I reached out to the U.S. rep, Tiffani Martin Radake (please listen to her podcast interview above) and she was amazing right from the start.
I was able to try the Valencia style saddle…
It has a leather tree and the panels underneath are adjustable!!
Amazing! This is what we needed! ๐คฉ
The first thing I noticed: his walk was flowing right away… his movement felt way more balanced and free… and even better: he wasn’t leaning into the right like he has often done.๐คฏ๐
Although the one we tried is beautiful, it was still a touch too big…
So… I went back to the one (dressage saddle) I was drooling over and have reserved one for us!!
(Following photo)
It truly turned out to be PERFECT for him! ๐คฉ๐๐ฆ
With the unparalleled support and guidance from Tiffani, I also decided to become an ambassador for Hidalgo.
Reach out to her with any questions about them. ๐๐คฉ๐ฆ
Here’s to happier horses and riders, always.
And...
