yesterday's plan today..

yesterday's plan was ride Monfils, but that was stymied by the rain

so rode him this evening, in new second hand vogue gp that i bought from my friend Steph - and after a lovely afternoon in alnwick catching up and spending money...(that is, on top of the money i spent on the saddle, oops!).

made a start on partner's xmas box in the farmway sale (nice jacket).  Monfils also got a new nuumed shimmy numnah for the new saddle (to which more shims had to be added), a pair of cob cheekpieces (current ones are really too long for his head...) and i got  a new AGA kettle to put on the AGA.

and books, from our favourite Barter Books - a first edition of Elwyn Hartley Edwards Saddlery (to add to the two later editions i already own, it is different and will be interesting to read) and the Marquis MacSwiney of Machanaglass book Training Horses from the Ground with an intro by Sylvia Stanier; have wanted that for ages, hard to find. and neither of those were expensive... with a Patricia Cornwell Scarpetta that i didn't have, under £19 the three.

Monfils was pretty good for the saddle trying on ... a shade sticky on the first mounting attempt, but then fine round to the arena ... where i got off after two circuits as not only was it more than clear that i needed more shimming, but it was also clear that he had been disturbed by YO + YO's wife + there two dogs in field... back round, find the extra shims, sort out, re tack up , stood perfectly, then pottered round the yard to try the saddle out with the new arrangement..

the idea of getting a GP is that, really, a dressage is hopeless given all the hills we have to go up and down on the land.... not really secure enough when going down! legs can't go in right place, balance goes awry, etc...

see how we do, but i might sell the dressage, as really the GP does as good a job, and its a VSD style...

have decided to get one of the tack lockers that people buy to put in trailers - will take two saddles (and my other stuff) is lockable and will be able to be locked to wall as well...and will protect them from spiders and damp!