Truthful Tuesday

 

I don't know about you guys, but there are some lessons that I just can't seem to hang on to. Like, I do think I do a decent job of learning (and embracing) my mistakes. But like... sometimes there are really simple things that help my confidence as a rider that I just can't seem to remember make a difference. Want to know a big one that's really easy to stay on top of? Cleaning and conditioning my saddles. Yep that's it. Simple as that. 

So Saturday it rained again, but it wasn't raining that hard and I planned to ride anyway. I got Al tacked up and took him out to the ring. Unfortunately, his little dragon brain was spinning in circles so I figured I'd lunge a bit and see what I had after that. Well. It took a lot of lunge work to get his focus back. He wasn't wild at all, just really anxious for some reason. (October. The reason is October.) Anyway, by the time the hamster stopped running wild in his brain, we'd been working out in the rain for close to an hour, and I decided that was enough for the day. It was also raining a lot harder and I decided instead of riding the other two, I would get to cleaning and oiling saddles. Al's was going to need it after all the rain, and Eros' saddle has been looking pretty thirsty. I generally oil once or twice a year, but both my Butet saddles are pretty new, so they need it a little more often still. Especially with how often we've been caught in the rain this summer. I started with Eros' saddle while Al's dried off. Sunday I felt weirdly strong riding Al. I was applauding myself for feeling confident and like I was capable of hanging on to all the spooking when I realized some of this "strength" I thought I was feeling was actually just the fact that my saddle was conditioned and therefore not slippery. Oh yeah. Imagine that? 

I rode Eros in the bareback pad Sunday, so I didn't sit on him again in his saddle until today. And I had that same feeling on him. Like I could ride through anything he might throw at me. (Not that Eros throws that much at me.) I just felt very centered and strong in the saddle. And again, it was completely because my saddle was feeling grippy and soft. 

So WHY do I let them go so long between conditioning treatments? And I don't just mean oil, I get the same feeling when I use cream conditioner too. I just need to remember to apply it more often. It's these silly little things that can make a big difference. So the moral of today's confession? Clean your tack kids!