Whew!

Okay!  The week is over, thank heaven, and I'm just about back to my regular self -- after going to bed last night at 8:30 and getting up at 8 this morning!  Whew! 

It's too bad that I had to have that kind of week last week RIGHT after I bought Arthur.  It would have been so much better if I could have spent a lot more time with him last week.  But there was no way.  I did spend a half hour or an hour each evening, but all I did was brush him and pet him and talk to him -- no ground work since I was always exhausted.

But Jan came by yesterday and brought a saddle over that fit a small broad horse she used to have, but doesn't fit any of her current horses.  That's incredibly lucky for me because -  amazingly - it DOES fit Arthur!  It's a very nice Crest Ridge saddle.  Mark's is a Crest Ridge, but I can barely lift that one!  This one is MUCH lighter.  And it fits Arthur's broad flat back pefectly even though it's not a regular "mule saddle."   He looks like such a little guy from a distance, but the fact is, he's got a really sturdy build that's about the same size as Ladybug was - he's just shorter!

I couldn't try the saddle out to see how it feels for me to ride in it, though, because it didn't have all the necessary billets when we tried it on Arthur.  (It needs four so I can use that "X" shaped cinch I bought, or both a front and back cinch if that doesn't work, in order to keep the saddle from sliding forward.) 

But it definitely looks like it'll be perfect.  I may miss those poleys on the Aussie saddle I used on Bug, but this one does look equally secure.  Nice deep rough-out seat.  No horn.  I will need to find a way to turn those stirrups around 45 degrees.  I like to be able to get my feet in instantly without having to turn my (arthritic) ankles.  If nothing else, I may haul it over to the local saddle guy and get him to fix it so it will take English leathers so I can use my old stirrups.  It doesn't look all THAT western anyway so I don't think it would look too odd.  And if it does - well, who cares.

Anyway, after we found that the saddle actually did fit Arthur, we drove down to Sacs and I bought all the necessary billets.  Now I just need to put them on the saddle and see how it feels to ride in it.  I AM going to put it back on him and walk him around and do some ground work.  But before I try actually riding him with it I'm going to wait until Buddy and Lisa are here again.  After seeing Arthur throw the fit he threw when Zoilo trimmed his feet I don't trust him like I did when I bought him, unfortunately. 

Not only that, but Lizzie is in high heat at the moment and Arthur is IN LOVE -- he insists on hanging out next to her whenever she's turned out.  And I'm not strong enough to force him not to.  And I wouldn't want him to get away from me when I'm trying to get him to do something, because he's bright enough to figure out then that he would ALWAYS have that option.  So . . . next week will be better.

I left Lizzie locked in her paddock this afternoon so she would have some peace and quiet for a while, anyway (Arthur was actually mounting her yesterday and obviously still planning to this morning).  I thought he'd go on out to the pasture with Duke once I locked her gate, but instead both he AND Duke have been hanging out in Duke's paddock, staying near Lizzie. 

Both of them were nodding off when I checked to see what they were up to a little while ago.

Look at this! . . . and he was just brushed!  Sigh.
(Look how broad his back is for such a short guy.)

Arthur was sleeping in Duke's paddock -- he absolutely loves that one little bitty sandy spot there in Duke paddock just to his left in the picture above.  Not sure why that is -- although it IS just his size, isn't it?   He does have the exact same sand over in his own paddock, though, but he always comes over there to that spot in Duke's place to roll around.  Fortunately, Duke doesn't mind in the least.   NOTE:   Arthur may look quiet in these pics, but just watch him head back to his own paddock when he gets done rolling in this video!  

He's going to be a lot bigger challenge than I imagined!  But I still think he's adorable.