Breaking in a new saddle

Just like a pair of leather boots or a baseball glove, a new leather saddle has to get broken in. The more it gets used and conforms to the animal and the rider, the better and more comfortable it feels for all concerned. Lucy and I are having lots of fun putting many miles on our new saddle, but I'm helping the process along by following the tips the saddlemaker gave me when I bought it.

When the saddle is not in use, I twist the stirrups into the position they would be with my boot in them and insert a stick. I had been using my snake pole for this purpose but now that snake season is upon us, I'm using a designated stirrup stick. It would be just like me to forget where I put the snake pole at the time I needed it most.

My new saddle did not come pre-oiled, as do most off-the-rack saddles. The idea here is that unoiled leather more quickly conforms to the shape and position you want it to take, then you oil it once everything is where you like it. You can speed up that process by watering the underside of the leather before every ride.

Ok, so I missed the underside a little bit in this picture. I was looking through the viewfinder and my aim with the squirt bottle was off. Anyway, the squirt bottle is filled with water and a tiny bit of dishwashing liquid, which helps hold the moisture in the leather. You squirt the underside of the jockeys and the fenders and really saturate the stirrup leathers.

Then you go for a nice long ride and by the time you get home, the leather has dried into shape. I'll keep doing this for a few months, then oil it with Lexol once it has conformed to my leg and boot position. The stirrups already are hanging where they need to be, and my knees and ankles aren't sore from getting torqued in the wrong direction. So we're well on our way to the perfect degree of comfortableness.  After all, Lucy is the perfect saddle donkey, she deserves the perfect saddle.

How perfect is Lucy? I will share a little story from yesterday's ride...

We went in a new direction and were about two miles from home. We came upon three horses who came running toward us. There was no fence between us and the horses. I whistled and used the end of my mecate to chase them away – they meant no harm, but I didn't want Lucy to have to defend herself against all three if they got too close. We walked down the road a little ways to a cattle guard that would separate us from the horses –  if we could get through the barbed-wire gate that was next to it. I dismounted and told Lucy to stand while I wrestled with the gate...and while three pesky horses kept harassing us. I finally got the gate open and we walked through, leaving the horses on the other side. Then Lucy patiently stood while I wrestled with the gate to close it. Then we rode off down the road with smiles on our faces. There were any number of ways this encounter could have gone bad, but it didn't because Lucy is so darned calm and sensible, and perfect in every way.