The message said that she knew I wasn't officially saddle shopping, but this beauty was in the warehouse in Gem's tree size and my seat size.
I told her that both Dusty and my bank account hated her.
It is a glorious saddle. She uses a similar model for eventing and let me borrow it last week to try on Gem. Did I mention she is a vendor/fitter for Stubben? The saddle surprisingly fit Gem like a glove and is made with a slot for the billet that allows the girth to shift and settle where it needs to be without pulling the saddle forward which was the bane of my existence when dealing with English saddles in the past. I walked, trotted and cantered in it without the saddle moving at all. Gem was also pretty content although the time was short and in the arena versus out on trails.
Of course, the price tag is pretty solidly out of my price range by a good margin. It is just so darn pretty and comfortable. I keep looking at it again and again and again.
With a bunch of maneuvering and conniving I could potentially pull it off, but won't for several reasons, two of which pertain to this blog.
First and foremost, Gem is amazing and I adore riding her, but she is coming on 18 years and the reality is she won't be my main riding horse for forever. In a perfect world (HA..HAHAHAHAHA!!) I would be in the position to get a young horse this summer or next so that I could get them up and going for when she retires. That won't be happening, but some day it will. Is shelling out that much money for a saddle for a horse that probably has 5 or so years left as a main riding horse really that smart? No.
Second, I want a new trailer. I already have it all picked out. Just waiting to win the lottery. The money for a new saddle that really isn't needed could go toward getting a new trailer that is well sorta needed depending on your point of view.
So there it is. A lovely saddle in gorgeous colors that fits the mare and is decidedly too much money. I hate being an adult.
5 years longer is actually a decent amount of time for a saddle. And you couldn't see it afterwards, it's not like you have to commit to it for life. But I agree that a trailer would be a lot more fun.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd be more willing to shell that type of money out if she was 10 and I could count on a solid 10 years out of the saddle. It just seems like a lot to spend at the tail end of a career. Also her current saddle is just fine so I don't actually need to replace it. I was even looking except for the BO sending me the picture. She is a bad influence.
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