not a winner

The Barnsby trial did not end the way I had hoped - and in fact appeared to be over before it really began. I like this saddle, I really do - but it just isn't right for Isabel.

It seemed to sit well enough on her without a girth, tho oddly I didn't like how far back it came on her spine and yet somehow the flaps still seemed too far up her shoulders. 

The first indication of an issue - there is not even contact down the front of this panel across Izzy's shoulders. 

Girthed up, things are still looking pretty ok from the side. I also liked that the billet straps on this saddle were a little longer compared to the Fontaine, so I didn't need to really wrench it up just to get the damn thing on. (Isabel also appreciates this!)

But yea, the problem of uneven contact down the panels persisted. My hand shows the point where you get 'stuck' when trying to slide a hand down between the horse and the saddle. 

Things felt a little better with the sheepskin on there... Tho the saddle perhaps looks a little less nicely balanced. 

I rode anyway tho - gotta give it the old college try, right? The ride itself was really nothing to write home about. Isabel had a day off to think over our last lesson with Dan, and then it was right back to work. And honestly she did not really want to play. She was very resistant and very against my hand. To the point where I just stopped in the center and alternated pressure on each rein until she would give through her poll and jaw a little, then lavished praise on her. 

She eventually softened up, but it was evident that I couldn't/shouldn't really drill the downwards transitions the way I planned. Instead we recreated some of the same collected canter and popped back over all the same jumps (now all set to cross rails). Isabel thought that was quite acceptable and made very nice work of it - perhaps even better than how we did in the lesson. Good mare. 

And we finished off by playing a little bit with a lengthened trot across the diagonals (pictured). I really have no clue if we're doing them 'correctly' or whatever, but I love love love feeling that moment of suspension and Izzy kinda thinks it's fun too. So at the end of a ride we sometimes give it a try down a diagonal or two (collecting back up in the corners) and call it a day. 

But when I got off, it was pretty clear the saddle had crept forward a bit. Also I had been able to feel Isabel's left elbow occasionally through the ride - something that seems like a red flag. So.... yea idk. It just doesn't seem to be quite the right fit. And I'm a bit frustrated that I went up a tree size and yet this 'medium' saddle is too narrow in places. Makes no sense to me. 

So the hunt continues. Le sigh.