Sota bucked me off for the first time, today. :shock: My ribs are a little sore but I'm no worse for wear. :oops: A little wiser. Should have known if new tack was bothering her in the round pen, it would out on the trail too. Also changeing too much new tack all at once keeps a person from pinpointing a problem piece of equipment.
I had got a new saddle pad that has a neoprene layer under the felt. It is suppose to add a lot more cushion to absorb the shock of saddle and rider.
I notice when using it on my old saddle yesterday that the saddle bounced a lot and bothered her when going from a trot to a lope. She would buck a little bit when transisioning. I thought she just needed to get used to it and it would bounce less as it broke in.
Then today my new saddle finally came UPS. Halter-bridle too. So I threw them on her. Added a breast collar, my rifle scabbard on the side, and saddle bags on the back. Everthing seemed to fit just fine. When I ground drove her in the round pen I notice the new saddle bags bounced more than usual due to the new pad and the bags being a little stiff. It bothered her a little when she transisioned, but not bad.
Anyway I went for a short trail ride. Sota seems ancy the whole way out. The saddle fits her great, but the pad is a little bouncy and unstable. Soft, like I am on a real fat horse.
I'm on the way back, about one and a half miles for home, in the woods. My wife calls on the cell phone. I had left a stall door open and she had left a barn door open and the other mule and horse got out. Marcia had them cornered but didn't want to leave them to get the halters in the barn. Come home quick.
So, soon as I was out of the woods, I put Sota into a lope. As we passed a gate something spooked her and she jumped to the side. Well this bounce the saddle bags and they slapped her. Then she bucked while still running, the more she bucked the worse the bags slapped. Then I started bouncing off the saddle. Finally off I went. I grabbed at my get down rope but missed and she ran on home. So she shows up without me, finds the other two that were out, and waits by them and Marcia. Marcia calls to see if I'm ok. I walk the last half mile home.
I put the two loose ones away, then changed Sota's pad to her old felt one. She transisioned from a trot to a lope much smoother when ground driven in the round pen. The bounce was gone. I then got back on her and rode her around in the round pen and then through the obstical course. The old pad feels much better to both of us! Really like the new saddle though.
Hud
