special delivery: saddle style

My trial saddle is here - yay!! It arrived right on time and is even better in person than expected! 

Opening the box was a very exciting moment - somehow it seemed different than standing in a tack shop browsing over a whole wall covered in saddles.. lol

The leather is in excellent shape, and actually not what I would deem slick or slippery. It's very red, sure, but the color isn't as bad as I expected. It definitely needs a good conditioning tho - however that will have to wait until I decide whether or not to buy it. 

The rep wasn't kidding about the saddle being barely used. There are some marks on the seat and stirrup area, and the billets have had a girth attached... but it's all very minimal. I found the serial number tho and plan to call Stubben North America for a little more research. 

Naturally I took it out for a test ride right away - with my nephew doing the honors of the inaugural ride haha. 

Then it was off to the barn to try it out on Ms Isabel. It seems promising - tho I'll hopefully be able to get an appointment for the fitter to look at it during the trial period. 

It's interesting - the saddle actually seems pretty small given its measurements. The points fit well behind Isabel's shoulders (with no rocking!!), but the rear panels are still in front of the rubbed down hair from the Wintec. So perhaps the geometry of this saddle will suit Isabel better?

(she's standing 18 kinds of weird in this photo - but she's cute so i included it anyway lol)

There isn't really anywhere to ride at the farm and dusk was fast approaching, but I couldn't resist at least sitting in the thing. So I pulled Isabel out and walked/trotted back and forth on the short gravel path you can see behind her above. 

Right away I noticed that my stirrups were lonnnnng - even tho I started on the same hole I used with the Bates and the Wintec. A barn mate said it could be bc Stubben typically places the stirrup bars farther forward? Not really sure... 

My initial impression of sitting in the saddle is very positive. There was a moment when I felt slightly pitched forward - but it's hard to tell just walking back and forth and only really trotting in a straight line for 8 steps. The proof will be in the pudding lol. So I'll try to withhold judgement until after some actual full rides.

It's funny tho - I stowed the saddle in the tack room and got a kick out of my seemingly growing collection of saddles (none of which actually belong to me). That's Isabel's owner's Wintec on bottom, with the trial Bates in the middle and the Stubben on top. Should probably return that Bates soon tho...