Re: sweating, dry... - alternative excercise

[Annette Gordon <agordon@worldofwonder.net>]

Hi 

Speaking as someone who has and continues to have saddle problems if you're
worried about the saddle causing damage then try not to ride in it. There
are other ways of keeping your horse fit which I employ. They aren't enough
to achieve real trail fitness but they will keep your horse ticking over. 

One method that I use even when the saddle is ok is long reining,
particularly over poles. You don't have to be on board for this and provided
your horse is carrying himself well in a proper shape it will do his back
muscles a lot of good and excersise everything else. I also use side reins
at the same time for about a third of the long reining session - the session
is never more than 45 minutes and often less than 45 minutes. 

The other thing I do because luckily I have a very good natured second horse
is ride and lead, or ponying as you call it over there. This I find gets my
horse trail conditioned without the burden of me on top. I also think she
really enjoys it too. She doesn't have to go in front and even when working
hard she seems to have a serene dopey relaxed look on her face as my other
horse faces tigers and monsters for her. 

I have also a stunning aray of gel pads and saddle pads the best of which is
the Proteq saddle pad, there is a US version. Basically the Proteq is a pad
filled with polystyrene balls, you suck the air out and it interfaces
perfectly between the saddle and the horses back. Mine really works
brilliantly once the saddle has stopped fitting so well due to weight
changes etc. I use it as a substitute to a well-fitting saddle when my
saddle doesn't fit well (generally needs re-flocking although I'm not
totally convinced). I don't  think this kind of pad would work with a
panelled saddle like Ortho-Flex etc. 

Anyway there are ways around not being able to ride depending on the
facilities you have. 

Annette
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