Saddle breakthrough and first ride!

Shazaam had just about a month off before I started messing with him again and honestly I think he thought about his lessons the whole time because I was able to pick up where we left off and he was much more comfortable with the whole process.

I work in just about 1/2 hour increments with my horses every day. It forces me to take small steps and be very conscious about ending sessions on a successful repetition and a positive note. I say these two things separately because they are indeed separate. A positive note can mean simply quitting when a fear is overcome or a horse having decided to quit you for the day gives yet another small try. I may not always get a successful repetition to end on or I may flub things by not stopping when I get a good repetition but I can just about always meet a horse on a positive note.

So I come back to Shazaam after a month and we spend about 20 minutes getting half way up on him one day and petting him until he was pretty comfortable with that.

Then about a week later, I got my trainer who is a light rider (I ain't light at this moment in life) to get on and just sit while I handle him from the ground and then just get up and lay across the saddle while I lead him around a bit. At first his feet were sticky but once he realized he was able to move he didn't protest at all. I got his feet unstuck by going back to the basics of teaching to lead, using the pendullum method to get one foot step with a reward. That and a verbal cue to walk on which was taught in the round pen. He still was not real comfy with the saddling process.

Five days later, being yesterday, I noticed a breakthorough in saddling! Shazaam just stood there like he was bored with the world. He still gets just a mite worried when I do the last tightning of his cinch but over all he is relaxing much more. Then, Jessica, my trainer got on him and I led him around the round pen, slowly working to a longe position. He did great! Jessica is pretty experienced and light with her aids so I trust her to help out where I'd have to fumble with it a bit. Anyway, I wonder if this saddle isn't pinching his withers a bit... It sits off him in the rear a tad with no rider on him. It's a very light saddle with a synthetic tree (semi qh bars). He's not painful when I check him but I'll watch it very closely. I have a wintec dressage saddle too with all the gullet plates- if that doesn't work I may be on yet another saddle hunt. I don't necessarily have an English or Western preference- I have a "get on down the road nice & comfy-like for everybody" preference.

Danged skinny, narrow horse!