Ask Taco: Saddles and Movie Viewing Preferences

These just in!  See Taco's responses, below.

Q:  Dear Taco,
I've noticed that your mom is trying out new saddles. How are you weighing in on her decision? Which brands and saddles have you liked most and which least...and WHY? I value your opinion, Taco.
L. C.-B.

A.
Ah, yes, the saddle search.  I hope that Stacy gets it settled quickly, because I don't like to have a bunch of different saddles on me.  I like to have a couple that fit well that I wear all of the time.  The three saddle brands that I have liked the best are Albion (Annika had one of those), Passier (my dressage saddle is a GG model), and Black Country (the jumping saddle that Stacy has is their Tex Eventer model).  All of those saddles are well-made and good quality, but the most important part is that they match up to my back very well so that I am comfortable.  This does not mean that I could not like another kind as long as it fits me.  I have heard that Stackhouse saddles feel really good when the maker comes to measure the horse and rider, for example.  Stacy says that they are very expensive but I do wish that she would get one of those.

An extra-forward BC Tex Eventer-- my current saddle

I have a typical Thoroughbred back in that I have a reasonably high wither and a slight curve to it, but I don't have shark-fin type withers like some other Thoroughbreds.  I also have a medium wide angle to my back, although I got a little bit narrower when I was really fit for my T3D.  Our main fitting problem is my rider, Stacy.  She is not too tall but the top part of her leg (from hip to knee) is very long compared to the rest of her.  So when she is sitting in the jumping saddle with short stirrups, her knee goes over the front of the saddle if the flap is not forward enough!  Then when she rides me over the jumps I can feel her leg slipping back in the air.  I am very patient so I let it be unless she happens to bump me with her spur.  Then I let her know that she is poking me!

We tried a Frank Baines Extreme last week and right away I could tell it was not wide enough for me.  Stacy did not seem to pick up on this fact at first.  She can be a little bit slow sometimes.  She rode me in it and it wasn't terrible, but I did express my reluctance to leave the barn for the trial ride.  Luckily she figured out something was not quite right and sent some pictures to the saddle fitters, who told her that it was too narrow for me and too small for her.  Now it sounds like she is going to try another, bigger Black Country and then get a flap that is customized to be more forward.

By the way, she is working with Trumbull Mountain Saddlery and Kate Wooten and they are very helpful, so I am reasonably hopeful that she will get it right.  Otherwise I might wind up with one of those Western saddles like the one Tidbit had to try on last week!

Poor Tidbit.

Q. Dear Taco,
I am curious about your movie viewing preferences. Do you have netflicks and do you watch on TV in the barn or do you go to the movie theater? Do you bring your own carrots and do you ride there in your car if the movie theater is your preference?
Love, Grandma

A. Hi, Grandma.
Yes, I do have Netflix.  I just have the two-DVDs per month plan.  I have a home theater in my stall, because most theaters discriminate against horses.  This is actually a pet peeve of mine, because all kinds of destructive humans are allowed into the theaters, but not respectful horses like me.

I prefer hay to carrots for movie food because I just like to munch on something without ingesting a lot of carbs in one sitting.

I watch a lot of drama, suspense, art films, and even some mainstream comedy.  I also like horse-themed films although the horse parts have to be reasonably realistic.  We don't all neigh compulsively for no reason, you know.