the l'apogee trial

Last weekend after dropping all that consignment stuff off, I found myself putzing around the rest of Maryland Saddlery's consignment section. I was just aimlessly prowling, sure, but then found it impossible to leave empty handed. Isn't that always the way?

in't she purdy? 

Luckily, the reps likewise agreed that I really ought to leave with something, and were eager to usher me onto the saddle stand for some test "rides." So after casually browsing the used saddle section and sitting in a few things, this lovely little French close contact saddle came home with me for a trial.

my next saddle will have blocks for sure

Maryland Saddlery's trial policy is extremely liberal and accessible: virtually unlimited trials at no costs at all for a week, provided you leave them your credit card information.

i like the rich dark color too

I've taken full advantage of this policy over the years, and have trialed probably dozens of their saddles. Tho it's kinda funny, I've been a bit picky about actually *riding* in anything if I don't think I'm likely to actually buy it.

my poor beloved bates always looks kinda ugly in these comparison pictures....

Even the last saddle that I trialed, I didn't even jump in it. Which I kinda regret, honestly. Even if I'm already pretty sure I'm not going to buy a saddle, maybe it would be useful to ride more in them so I can really figure out what I like (or dislike?) in each one?

but wait, what's that? up there?!?

Anyway. Back to this particular hunk of leather: it's an 18" L'Apogee LXP close contact with a MW tree, a forward 2AB flap, front and rear blocks, a flattish seat, and foam panels. And I actually quite liked sitting in it at the consignment shop!

lol barn cats always be creepin

The feel was in some ways very similar to my Bates (which I continue to love, despite its imperfections), but also some of the same elements from the Beval that I really liked. Namely: it put my seat at a slightly different and improved angle from the Bates, and I liked the really close feel down through the flaps.

anyway. not a fit. le sigh. 

So I took it back to the barn to try out in our weekly jump lesson with trainer P. Unfortunately right away after putting the saddle on the horse, I could tell that this particular saddle was not going to be a winner. It's just a little too wide up front, and had barely 2 fingers of clearance from his withers without a girth or rider.

nice even contact all the way down the back, unlike my bates

Obvi the clearance issue is a deal breaker, but it's still interesting to assess how this saddle fits differently from the Bates. Most importantly? These panels seem much better suited for Charlie's back compared to the Bates' more swoopy panels that lift off his back under the cantle.

more clearance (tho slightly uphill) with shims

I figured I'd try to ride in it anyway just to test it out. Honestly thinking back, I can't remember the last time I jumped in any saddle other than the Bates. Might actually be back when I was riding Dan's P / 1* horse Lion in lessons, and rode in his Stubben. So yea. It's been a while haha.

maybe worth a whirl anyway?

The saddle looked good enough with the shims for me to figure it was worth a shot. Tho uh.... once I got on it was pretty clear that there still was not sufficient clearance. Luckily after conferring with Trainer P ahead of our lesson, she was able to find a giant chunky ass sheepskin half pad to get the job done.

It was interesting too bc I was just sorta walking and trotting Charlie around a little bit while she went looking for the pad. He wasn't bad or grumpy or anything, but didn't really feel great. Then when we swapped pads he was definitely much happier, and eager to stretch over his back. Yet another reminder that it's worth it to keep him as comfortable as possible!

ha but the shims weren't quite enough so we switched to this massive sheepskin lol

So anyway you already saw my post on the lesson itself. It was a good one! And Charlie felt good, and clearly could perform well despite rider error and a less than ideal saddling situation.

The real question was how did I feel in the saddle? And?? I really liked it. The saddle gave me a really really really close feel all the way down my leg against the horse's side. Like it was easier than ever before to really put my upper calf on the horse, instead of always trying to curl my leg up to nudge with my heel.

i liked the close feel my leg had on the horse through this saddle! esp my upper calf!

I also felt very secure. No matter what Charlie did, it felt very easy to ride with a long leg underneath me. And even some of our funnier jumps, I always felt very secure, while simultaneously not feeling reliant on the blocks.

Honestly I was pretty smitten with the saddle. It wasn't in the best shape (some rough patches and nicks on the leather, and the foam panels were pretty well smooshed, further contributing to the overly wide fit) so there might have been some room for negotiation on price. But alas, the fit is just not close enough for even a negotiated price.

It's given me a pretty clear idea of what I like tho, and what I could maybe look around for. Honestly I don't *need* a new jump saddle. The Bates has worked out just fine. But especially with my hopes to keep challenging ourselves with more difficult courses this year, some improvements in saddle fit for both horse and rider would not be unwelcome.

We'll see what happens haha. I never expected to even be interested in shopping for a French saddle but things change I guess lol.