SHIPPING your sold dressage saddle.

Yay, good for you, you sold your saddle!  Congrats!  Now here are some tips for shipping from someone who handles a lot of packages.

1- Attach your address and phone number to the stirrup bar via a tag.  In the unlikely but also possible event that your saddle should become separated from the box, an address and phone number will help your saddle find its way home.

2- Wrap that rascal!  Packing shifts during transit. Then the leather rubs on cardboard for hundreds upon hundreds of bouncy miles.  Not good. I use oversized contractor garbage bags and slide the saddle in sideways, flap first not cantle or pommel first.

3- Size MATTERS!  Certainly you don't want to roll your saddle up and cram it into the smallest box possible, but shipping companies do have different pricing for certain size boxes.  Currently, an 18x18x24 size box will be big enough for the average dressage saddle and still small enough avoid those additional oversized fees with USPS.  USPS and UPS have great website calculators where you can calculate and compare shipping charges.  You can even purchase and print out your shipping label/postage on the sites, and usually for an additional savings.   I recommend checking out all options- don't always assume that ground/standard will be less expensive.  Pricing structures change, it only takes a few minutes to double check.

4- Don't create a box using other boxes.  Seriously.  Last I knew, Walmart has a decent 18x18x24 shipping box for next to nothing.  It's worth it.  Boxes that are cobbled together tend to be weak where they are taped.  I always have a spare box in the tack room because I've demoed many a saddle where the current box will not make the return trip safely.

5- Pack adequately, but that goes without saying.  Remember that parcels are not always handled by humans and that other parcels can and will be falling onto your parcel in the sorting machines.  To see these machines in action you can do a YouTube search.  Some shippers do offer a "Fragile" handling fee for extra careful treatment if you're particularly worried.

6- Be generous with the shipping tape. It doesn't weigh much.

7- Insure it.  Again, the vast majority of parcels arrive to their destinations perfectly fine, but not 100%.

8- Require a signature for delivery.  This service may come with the insurance automatically.  Once again, the vast majority of parcels arrive to their destinations perfectly fine, but not 100%.

Thinking about selling your dressage saddle?

It seems that I'm almost perpetually saddle shopping!  As I've ended up having to spend quite a bit of time asking for what I consider basic information from sellers about their saddles, I thought I'd put together an outline that might save sellers and buyers some time and effort.

First, please consider consigning it to a reputable saddle shop.  My MO is that if I don't sell a saddle quite quickly locally or on any of the Facebook groups, off to the consignment shop it goes.  I'd like to think it supports the industry a by helping someone earn a living by being a pro at saddles.  A win/win for me as I'll never have the depth of saddle knowledge that they will.  And beside making my life a whole lot easier, I'd like to think it also makes someone feel more comfortable buying a saddle.  Rather than having to trust someone they do not know with a PayPal transaction, they have the professional reputation of a business on which to rely.

So, if you're not going to consign...

1- Try to get the manufacturing stats on your saddle.  If you didn't purchase it new, contact the manufacturer with the serial number (if there is one), and ask if they have that information.  Model, year of manufacture, original tree size, seat size, any custom alterations, etc. I've been looking for a particular saddle lately, and I find that after I contact the saddle manufacturer about 50% of the ads have been incorrect- sort of- because...

2- For some saddles, that info may have changed (adjustable trees); each individual hand made saddle actually varies slightly; or the seller's description is really using a comparison.  An example would be to say that a certain saddle has a "wide" tree compared to other saddles, but really the manufacturer lists it as a medium.  So for clarity, it's also wise to provide a couple of measurements along with the manufacturer's stats.  This is why saddle shops will state that a saddle is "Marked" a certain measurement, but "Measures" another measurement.

The two most important places to measure are seat size and gullet.  Seat size is measured from the center of the nail head to the center of the cantle.  Gullet is a less standard measurement, what I recommend is to find a landmark (lines of stitching at the top of the panels), measure evenly and include a photo of the measurement so that the buyer has a visual comparison.

3- If the size of your ad is limited, a quick side shot of the saddle is OK, but if there is room seven pictures is even better.  Please don't condition your saddle immediately before taking pictures, I know it makes the leather look great but a good ad is all about clarity and accurate representation!

Seven pics- Front, gullet measurement, left side, rear, right side, top and bottom.  All of the saddle needs to be in each pic!  Additional pics to show close ups of any blemishes are also ideal.  Because of custom alterations, many models of saddles will have variations.  Providing a complete set of pics eliminates having to ask exactly what kind of panels that particular saddle has, etc.

4-  If wool or foam flocked, describe the condition of the flocking.  An older saddle that has recently had a strip flock is worth more than an older saddle that needs the flocking replaced.  Once again, clarity! Don't make a buyer guess or have the opportunity to be disappointed.

5- Double check the tree condition and possibly have it verified by a reputable saddle fitter.  I've received "flex tree" saddles on trial that really had broken trees.  The first test I do when pulling a trial saddle out of the box is to double check the tree.

6- Allow trails.  I know it sounds scary.  Probably so scary it's easier to just consign the saddle and let someone else deal with it.  But there are a lot of people who rightfully will not consider buying a saddle unless they can ride in it first. If you're confident that you can sell your saddle even after eliminating those people from a list of potential buyers, then by all means don't allow trials. 

7- Be savvy about pricing.  What other saddles just like yours are listed for might not be what they're actually selling for.  For this reason I also always entertain offers, and if someone catches me on a day I'm feeling cash poor, they could get a very good deal!   

Good luck selling your saddle and happy riding!

Pancakes!

It's  been even less exciting around here than normal, and normal is never that exciting*, so I thought I'd share my pancake recipe.  Gluten free, dairy free, high fiber and surprisingly tasty.  If I could figure out Pinterest I'd put crap like this there, but I can't so it goes here. 

1/4C coconut flour
1/4C oat bran (gluten free)
1/2t baking powder
1T arrowroot powder
1T chia flax blend, ground
1/8t salt
1/8t cinnamon
1/2C almond milk
1 egg
1t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and mix again.  Makes two pancakes- small so they flip easily.


*thank goodness.

Pumpkin lovers, check this one out too!
http://terragarcia.blogspot.com/2014/10/pumpkin-all-things.html

Pumpkin all the things! PALEO PUMPKIN WAFFLE RECIPE!

Even in the throes of a Whole30 I treat myself to a waffle on Sunday mornings.  Go ahead, judge me. :D

To help offset all the pumpkin angst I've been having (those Pumpkin Spice Oreos, Pumpkin Pie Dunkin'Donut) I made a simple pumpkin waffle.  I googled and all the recipes seemed to be just too many.  Too many waffles, too many ingredients. Not simple enough.

So here is mine:

Paleo Pumpkin Waffle

1/4 C coconut flour
1/4 C pumpkin, canned or roasted/mashed.  Roasted/mashed would be more exciting.
1/2t baking powder
1/2t pumpkin pie spice
1/8t salt
1T arrowroot powder
1T ground chia/flax blend*
1 egg
1t lemon juice (optional)
1/2 C coconut milk

Mix, cook in waffle iron. Is difficult to lift out, be careful!  Eat.  Makes one.  I think it's a winnah!

*I bought this stuff at Walmart?!  I suppose one could make their own as well.

Vermonters in the Olympics.

Sochi, 2014.  Vermont represents.  Per capita Vermont produced more Olympic athletes than any other state, with one out of every 48,000 participating.  Second place New Hampshire had one out of every 147,000 residents.

I'm kinda not surprised we Vermonters outrank Florida in the winter Olympics.

But wait...

London, 2012.  Per capita, Vermont ranks third in producing Olympians with one out of every 313,216 residents.  Not very far behind first place Wyoming with their one out of 284,079.

For a small mostly rural state, I think that's pretty impressive. Is it a coincidence or a distinct byproduct of the lifestyle and sense of community we have here?  I prefer to think the latter.

Then I throw a wrench into this...  I can't find the current data, but as far as per capita ownership for horses, VT ranks very high.  At one point I think VT did have the most horses per capita.

Sooo...does VT produce more equestrian Olympians than any other state?  Denny Emerson and Mara DePuy are the only natives that come to mind.  I can think of a couple of people who are trying their best to get there, and I most certainly hope that they do!

Is the community and culture the same for equestrianism as it is for other sports here in Vermont or is there somehow a disconnect?  

The Kingdom Curve

Many years ago my mother thought I might enjoy having a running companion.

So she suggested that I should contact a woman working in her office who "ran cross-country", thinking it a good match because I didn't like to run on roads.  Through various circles I did know Sue and thought her to be a super nice person.  I didn't end up contacting her because I was being obsessive about my training schedule for Mt. Washington and felt that "cross-country" (running through golf courses, right?) was something I should do after the race.

A few weeks later, I'm eating lunch while reading a running article in Outside magazine, and all of a sudden there's a picture of Sue.  A picture of Sue kissing a really big, hard, rock.  Which is what is expected of one once they complete the Hardrock 100 Ultramarathon.  She had actually won.  She's won it more than once as a matter of fact.

So I show the picture to my mother, and say "cross-country"?  "Did you know that this is what she really does?" She did not.  Apparently Sue didn't really talk about it around the office.

To me, this is Kingdom.  We have a lot of people who live here who do some very incredible things, but don't really talk about it much.  I've never felt that it comes from people being so egotistical that they feel others would be jealous about their accomplishments and therefore spare those others the humiliation of not being as worthy.  I feel it comes partially from people just doing what makes them happy every day and aren't seeking outside validation. The bigger part of it is that it's a small enough community everyone usually already knows anyway and one would be considered a bore to bring it back up.  Best to avoid that.

I think that people moving to the Kingdom have a hard time seeing this.  In more populated areas, one needs to advertise themselves more to get ahead in life.  An introduction to a Kingdomer?  You'll discuss road conditions, weather, maybe that there are now less hermit thrushes than in years past due to haying practices.  An introduction to someone from outside the Kindom and they will, either subtly or not so subtly, include their resume and life achievements in short order.  Highlighted will be letters that stand either before or after their name.

A Kingdomer perceives the Outsider as being a braggart and is put off.
The Outsider perceives the Kingdomer as being someone who has accomplished nothing and is put off.

Each in their own element is served well.  Each outside of their own element is not served well, and there is a learning curve.

The Outsider in the Kingdom learns that they need to stop ADVERTISING to fit in.  To chill, pay their taxes, work hard and stop trying to impress everyone.  To expect that their hard work will be noticed but not noted.  To also learn to respect that there is often more under the surface of Kingdomers than they realize, because Kingdomers are quiet.

The Kingdomer in the Outside, needs to learn how to effectively advertise themselves or they'll be passed on by.  They need to stop being offended by people whose custom it is to provide a life resume in conversation.

The Kingdom Curve.  It's painful to watch people go through it.  The Kingdom certainly spits out those who fail here and sucks back in those who fail there.

Loco loci.

So what are the chances I'm going to keep my right fingers closed during my ride tomorrow?  It's one of my bad habits.  Slim to none?  None at all?  Should I just leave the horses alone and sit inside sipping coconut rum instead?  (Wait a minute, now I wish I hadn't thought of that last one.)

Over the years and over many lessons, I've noticed one clear thing.  Some position corrections stick quickly, others linger for YEARS despite conscious practice.  Plus, I've noticed what seems to be a clear cause and effect as to what sticks and what doesn't.

Worst case scenario is that  make a correction and I feel that nothing changes in the horse. Either I've blocked out the horse totally by focusing too hard on what that change feels like to me internally, or nothing really did change in how the horse goes. No reward, no punishment, no improvement, a correction that just floats in a sea of nothingness.  The correction is not going to stick.

What could be somewhat better, is that I make the correction and I "feel" that things get worse.  A punishment.  Not so good would be pain in my body (rode my @ss off, AGAIN.) or too much the feeling of discomfort that can come with a physical change.  Better though, it could also mean that technically speaking I'm headed in the right direction, but that something else also needs to change.  As in, I close those fingers, use an appropriate rein length, and all of a sudden I can actually feel how heavy the horse is in that rein, rather than having abandoned the rein altogether.  BUT, as a temporary quick fix, instead of addressing the hindquarters of the horse, my brain lets my fingers open and the rein slides.  Until I can diligently focus and process the various things that need fixing, my fingers are consistently going to slip and slide right off that rein as their own personal evasion.

Best case scenario, there are the corrections that I make where I am able to feel a positive change in the horse.  Reward!  These corrections are the most likely to stick, and almost become less of a personal correction and more of a tool. It still takes time to practice this and let it sink into subconscious competence, but the process is a lot faster.  Horse nose push/shoulders back to soften.

Given the worst case scenario of no feel, for a long time I've felt that other than practice, it's very important to open up one's peripheral feel to include what's going on in the horse when making those position corrections.  To make that mental link of "Horse nose push/shouders to soften, rather than "I need to remind myself every other stride to put my shoulders back."  I think it sounds simple, but the reality of it for me is that I can easily turn that intense focus on and block that horse right out. (yes, this does relate to http://terragarcia.blogspot.com/2014/01/ride-like-pro.html)

What got me even more excited was that while doing some reading about skill learning and automaticity, I found a study that I feel backs up my experiences in the saddle.

http://www.castonline.ilstu.edu/smith/257/pdf/ws%2009%20paper.pdf

"In these studies, the effectiveness of directing the learners attention to their body movements (internal focus of attention) was compared to that of learners directed to focus their attention on the effects of their movements on the apparatus or implement- that is the environment (external focus of attention)  Even though the actual differences in the loci which attention was directed were sometimes very small, an external attentional focus consistently resulted in learning benefits (as measured by performance in retention), relative to an internal attentional focus."

So there you go.  Some food for thought.

Happy riding.

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