The surgery, err saddle fund...

What does one do with a $10k check they didn't end up writing?

Spend it of course.  Which is why on this gorgeous thursday afternoon, I threw my current saddle (I love it, P hates it) in my car and headed for the tack shop. 

I spend money easily. very easily. and if I feel like I have a little extra to spend, I'll spend all of it. Oh, and if it's nice out, I get a little punchy and just start waving my credit card around like a fly swatter.

Hence, what ensued was a Pretty Woman-esque scene with saddles flying everywhere, testing leather, looking at catalogs and discussing the next big purchase.

Here's my justification:

P is already tight and weird due to the wobbles, which means an even slightly ill fitting saddle will exacerbate an already tenuous situation and cause balance issues that I really don't need to create.  Control the controllables, I say.

So there we have it.  Justified.  Sure there were some decent consignment options, but why stop there! My leg is retardedly long and difficult to find a flap for.. that right there screams custom!

So here's what is currently sitting in the back of my car awaiting P's long unused back:

The Prestige Optimax.  I'm not wild about the goofing scrolling in the panel (thank you Italians), but its really super comfy and pretty close to what I've always enjoyed riding in...

The other saddle up to bat is also a Prestige, but its the D1 model:

Pro's for this one?  An elastic front billet to keep from restricting the shoulder along with a cutback panel that takes lots of pressure off the top of the shoulder/wither.  Neato.  It's on trial right now though so I don't get to play with it yet, but it's also designed for serious collection and weird things that I doubt will ever affect me or Pia in our lives. 

Anyway, I'm excited.  I like Prestiges, they're a good value for what you get, and I can get one here in less than the typical 4 month wait for a new saddle.  

P's going to be so excited when we tack her up this afternoon, I bet she squeals...

I wish we got to play more, but we will be restricted to walking due to this nasty little bit of flesh:

(Before you freak out, it looks WAY worse than it is)

What it is is the result of "fixing" one of P's self inflicted seizure wounds.  This is the little scrape that looked superficial and like a thin scratch, but in reality it was a deep slice that basically left a flap of skin loose over the top of it.  It didn't get infected, but it wasn't closing up (cause she rips it open with every step), so stitches were not a solid option.  Instead, we just doped her up, blocked the joint and cut the whole flap off so that now it's a huge flat wound, instead of a huge deep wound.  It looks extra gross in the pic since I snapped it RIGHT after the vet removed the flap, which basically created a whole new cut.  Sick. I know.

Anyway, P got lots of nice drugs, drooled all over me and was a total wobbly mess for the process.  I find it a little disconcerting that I find my horse the most adorable when she's drugged.  I'm sure that says something about my maternal instinct, but I'm just gonna ignore it. 

(P stoned out of her mind, found the wheelbarrow exceptionally interesting...)

For now, I'm just thankful that everything is healing well, we have great saddle options, we move to our new home next Wednesday and our barefoot adventure is proceeding nicely. :)

Sleepy-P says enjoy the weather....