NOTES FROM NATALEE
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Trials Tribulations I
f you have three horses and two adult riders, how many saddles do you need? I’m sure many, if not all of you, can relate to the dilemma of saddle shopping. The shopping part is rather easy as manufacturers have provided endless options – adjustable trees, custom fits, various flap lengths, a variety of colors and styles, the list goes on and on. The hard part is getting the saddle to fit both horse and rider while keeping the bank account in the black! To make it even more challenging, the most recent addition to our equine family, a five-year-old Half-Arabian/Oldenburg cross gelding is still growing, gaining muscle, and therefore, changing his body shape. The equine chiropractor keeps reminding me that the saddle that fit him six months ago is on borrowed time. Keeping him comfortable so he can learn his job without soreness issues is a top priority, and so the saddle search continues. In an ideal world we would have one saddle for each horse, but what I find comfortable to ride in doesn’t work for my daughter, Jenn. It’s too bad that there is no such thing as “one size fits all” with saddles! Reader feedback via email and Facebook messages has been fast and furious lately. We posed a question online about what changes you would like to see in Equine Journal. While it’s not always possible to implement changes immediately, there was one change that we were able to accommodate. You will notice that within our regional breed and discipline news section, the photo size has been increased. This gives the pages a whole new look, and I’ll admit that I find it easier to see who is in the photo now. Let us know what you think at editorial@ equinejournal.com or Fan us on Facebook (Equine Journal) to post your comments. The response to the August 2011 Pamela Mansfield article, “A Closer Look,” on ways to determine lameness, has been positive. Inevitably, horses will take a funny step at some point. Keeping them sound isn’t an exact science, but science can help us determine how to get them sound again. If you missed the article in print, you can view it on equinejournal.com in our digital flipbook at no cost. As I write this month, we are more than halfway through the calendar with finals, national championships and world shows heading our way. We are pleased to have partnered with many different events this year, including Fidelity Jumper Classic, New England Equitation Championships and the USHJA Zone 1 Championships. We were also sponsors of Lendon Gray’s 13th annual Youth Dressage Festival. This year was the largest turnout ever with 268 competitors and a higher percentage of first-time exhibitors – an encouraging indicator about the growth of the sport within the ranks of riders 21 and under. Equine Journal has supported this event for many years now and we are thrilled to be part of the progress. What is even more rewarding is how much our support is appreciated. Every year after the event, our mailbox is flooded with handwritten thank-you notes from the competitors. Often, they will even include drawings of their favorite horse. This is what makes it all worthwhile!
Yours In Sport,
20, Equine Journal, September 2011