Olive on the side

When you're friends with Fabian, it's not so much if your horse is going to go sidesaddle as when your horse is going to go sidesaddle.

For the last month or two, Fabian and I have been trying to schedule a Sidesaddle Day at my barn. It's been surprisingly difficult. We've both been busy, we've both been sick and then there was that whole BreyerFest thing...

In the meantime, I've been practicing.

Yesterday, the stars aligned. Fabian - and his sidesaddle collection - made an appearance at Kenlyn.

I could not wait to put one on Olive. 

So cute!

Of course, I also wanted to ride in it... If only I could figure out how to climb aboard!

Fabian gave me a little lesson.

We tried trotting.

I look like an old style Brenda Breyer with my legs all over the place, but Olive was really good. With a little bit of practice, I think we could do this for real.

After I was done, Karen,

Therese...

and Fabian all took Olive for a spin. 

She was good for olive all of them.

It was very hot, so I gave her a little break. Then it was time for the Spanish saddle.

So freaking cute.

I wanted to ride in this one, too. This time I knew how to get on.

This saddle was so comfortable. It felt like I was sitting on a pillow!

My budget Andalusian. 

All told, Olive wore two saddles and was ridden by four people in ninety plus degree heat. It was a long day, but she was willing and cheerful throughout. What a good pony.

And what a fun day! In the next post, I'll share pictures of some of the other horses and riders who participated in our Sidesaddle Day.