08/27/2026
Starfox and I have been at a bit of a stand still in 2026. After back injections in January, three sequential rounds of shockwave treatment between April/May, the best farrier ever and LOTS of rehab work on the lunge, she has been deemed sound to ride pending a new, professionally fitted saddle.
The problem is that when she would be put back into work under saddle, she wouldn’t be “sound” off the bat, even with the most expensive saddle in the world, because she has no muscle. Like any athlete, her “bad” side, which has since been treated, has to build back strength (after years of compensation) before the saddle even gets a chance, and in this particular case, there is only so much strength building a lunge line can do. How is one to gauge how their horse rides in a well fitting saddle vs. an ill fitting saddle when there have simply been soo many other variables? How does one rule saddle fit out?
For us, the answer has been ba****ck riding. I have done a lot of ba****ck riding in the past, but never on this mare because she has always had such a mean spook and thus NOT a horse that one would normally consider riding ba****ck. And let me tell you that in the beginning, after having had 4 months off after a string of bad rides, she was VERY defensive. She pooped getting the bridle on. She wouldn’t stand to be mounted. But here we are now having had a handful of successful ba****ck rides, and all of a sudden, things are getting…easier? The horse is moving better. She is finally building muscle. The behavioral issues that prevented me from continuing to ride her earlier this year (with a saddle) have evaporated.
Kids are speeding down the dirt road on 4 wheelers. The mail lady is slamming packages around out her jeep. I keep holding my breath yet somehow, this horse that would never have been a candidate for ba****ck riding before, has now become a joy to hop on straight out of the field and from the bed of the truck 🤯
The best part of all? Now I have a baseline for this horse. NOW I can truly be an advocate and participate in the conversation. Thoroughbreds are the best ever and I am here to prove that this horse has been misunderstood from the jump. Stay tuned.
