Two of my favorite guys (not Brian and Blue)

I was visited today by two of my favorite guys: the FedEx guy and the UPS guy. They're basically the grown-up version of Santa Claus...right?

One box was the big one from Schneider's. The blankie is a beee-yooo-tee-ful shade of emerald green with black, and it could not fit Blue any better had it been custom made. If anyone's shopping, it's a StormShield VTEK Marathon, and the contour wither alone was worth the money.

Sorry about the color. I didn't realize how much of a green/yellow cast the barn lights give off!

The other box was something I forgot I ordered: the Specialized Fit Kit. Now, I already have a specialized saddle that is perfectly adjusted to my horse, but it's old. It's approaching 10 years old, if I remember correctly. Specialized has made a lot of changes (dare I say "upgrades"?) to their design since then, and I want to be sure that if/when I order, I get the correct thing.

Here's what comes in the box. I think the gullet gauge is the same one you use for the changeable gullets on Wintec saddles. The back templates are clearly homemade from masonite.

It took WAAAAAAY too much effort to get his front legs square for the wither measurement. It would have been nice to have a helper!

It's hard to see here, but Blue's angles go right down the middle of the black wedge, which makes him exactly Medium.

Lifted it off for a better pic.

 Next it was time to do the back of the saddle. To get an accurate measurement, the horse needs to stand square.

(Sigh. This is NOT square.)

 It took an embarrassing amount of wrangling to get Blue square, then get the step ladder next to him, then start in with the templates, but it was pretty obvious when one fit. It fit so perfectly that I didn't have to hold it up!

So now, armed with information, I await word back from Specialized about the possibility of a 17" demo. That's not standard for them, but I figured I might as well ask. I'll keep you posted!