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Thread III: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1311311/posts |
Posted on 04/26/2004 12:06:41 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?
A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. We may not ~always~ have a lot of activity, but when we do, it will be fun. I will put a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I will also develop a ping list for horse threads that are of interest. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
I am hoping this thread will be a fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
If I could figure out how in the world to get on, I wouldn't mind trying bareback (in the round pen at a walk ) I think it would help my balance. Not right now though.
English vs. Western, but I just don't see the point to it, other then to say you got the horse to do it.
They're all that way really. It doesn't really matter which discipline you are into. nothing in particular is gained from running barrels either.... unless you can win money.
And jumping can not be any harder on their legs then barrels or roping.
All hard and fast horse sports have the potential to wear and injure horses. I don't think jumpers deny that.
events as not good on a horse, how can going in the wrong lead be good for one?
That is an uncommon way of going, Done for one circle of a movement or so, it isn't their natural way of going, just part of the whole.
I've seen trailer-tying phobias like that. I have a friend who will never tie to the trailer because her horse will break the trailer pulling back and hurt herself. Horses have often times had a scare or gotten caught up from being tied wrong or too long before, and it takes a while to undo that.
being tied wrong or too long before...
Meaning the rope too long! (not length of time)
Being off on wednesdays sounds good!
Our little local fair starts today... Going to go Saturday. I love to watch the kids show their animals, and the horse championship classes and the drill team demonstration (which is always chaotic) is Saturday.
I tied Okie to the trailor (when I still had it) awhile back and went to the barn to get something. I turned around and he was following me. He popped the clip in two. I've mentioned If I leave him too long with a slip knot he'll try to untie himself. I have to keep it up high because he will try to use his foot. He hardly moves once he's loose. I think he just likes undoing them. When he was sitting back at the wash rack I would wrap the rope several times. One boarder was fussing because she said if he tries to sit back I should undo him and should be able to untie him and always carry a knife. To me letting him go would defeat the purpose and let him know he could get loose. I figured if he fell he could get up and would just let him tire himself out. It worked because he doesn't do it to me anymore but was that being mean to him? The ferrier didn't turn him loose either and Okie was raising his legs for him before he quit.
I just got back from town with him. It's been raining really heavy the last couple of hours. When I pulled up in the driveway he started trying to get out of his seat and I said "easy boy". He responded indignantly with "I'm not a horse":')
If he is a horse that will pull till he breaks something, I wouldn't leave him unattended at something like that bar at the wash rack, and I wouldn't assume if he sat back to the point of falling that he could get up. The warning to not leave him unattended and always be able to untie him is advice I'd also give. Yes, if he fell at the wash rack, he might be able to get back up, but if he has scraped off a bunch of hide from his legs on the concrete in the process and needs the vet, it is a pretty darn expensive lesson, and some down time for recovery. Tieing to something low like that wash rack, and on slippery footing like concrete, is a fairly dangerous situation. They can get quite a bit of leverage tied low, and may bend that rack bar right over or sit back on their hocks and fall.
Right now it would be sortof trial by fire, and may not be the confidence builder that you want it to be. It's hard, hard for grownups anyway. Kids can do all the stuff easier than we can, dangit.
I have left him tied up unsupervised at the fence or in the barn short periods of time though. Never been a problem. Not a good idea, IYO?
I was just joking. I could never get up. Maybe in the future. I can't even practice bailing yet because I keep dragging my right leg getting off. It will come but even though I'm curious it isn't a high priority for me right now. I want to get where I can keep my balance with trotting without hands and move on to loping. One of the boarders has been wanting to ride him and he's going to lope him so I can watch how Okie responds first. I need to try in the round pen but....
Whether leaving him tied is safe or not depends on where he is, what's going on around him, and what he is tied to. If he is someplace safe, where he can't get away or hurt himself, you should be able to leave him. I wouldn't leave him on that washrack, because of the bar, uncertainty about how strong it really is, the fact that he is nervous there anyway, and the concrete footing. I'd look at all those things in deciding whether he was safe where he is.
But you'd only need a knife if the horse was hanging from the rope and you couldn't get it loose. That was just an overstatement of the reason to use slip knots. If he was just fidgeting at the tie, not really hauling back in a panic pull, it is ~she~ who should calm down.
The person who warned you is probably ~too~ nervous about tying. She's probably been scared by a horse getting hurt tied. I have too. I tied a horse to a fence rail and when she pulled back, she pulled the fence rail loose, nails and all, which scared her, and she tried to run with it, scraping herself up on those nails as it banged around on her dragging. It took awhile to catch her and I felt like a scared and terrible fool the whole time. I was about 15.
Your poor horse. Actually what she saw not much. He was a lot worse at first. I couldn't use a slip knot though because I had to start him from the edge and get the rope around before he could back off. I started out just walking him across sideways. He watched me like a hawk. I then started just running my hand on top of the pipe. The first few times when I raised my hand he was out of their. Then I strated just dragging the rope across. Same thing. After I got a loop I would wrap another and gradually slide it towards the middle. I don't have to anymore. He goes up the middle and I'm not even tieing him unless I'm going to wash him and I could do a slip now just not then. It has taken time but I really didn't mind because he was afraid not stubborn. "Ain't the case now" :')
Also (don't laugh) she told me that I wasn't leading him right and taking an aggressive postion with him and that I needed to walk beside him up to the wash rack. Well yeah, that works now but it didn't at the time. I would walk him to the edge of the concrete where he would balk. I would leave him and go to the rail and keep a light tension on the lead rope and make him stand facing and kind of ignore him and bring the rope in as he gradually walked up. A human winch :') Anyway, I guess I'm not supposed to stand in front of him but it worked and I just try to figure this stuff out as I go along. At least it gives the geese something to gaggle about as they sit around and watch me:')
Mine was just one of those stupid things kids do.... and I learned always tie to a good post, not the rails ;~D
I'm nervous tying, I know I worry more than many.
When camping or leaving tied here, I use a highline.
That's right!
I probably tie him too high and short but I have too.
I want to apologize for my comments on English and Dressage.
I think I came across wrong. I do have a bad attitude towards alot of the English set I've run into around here. There has on ocassion been some of them show up at play days and talk about the "Poor" horses there, that really bothers me. Then I go to an English event and see horses that very rarely get out of stalls, are made to do unnatural stuff, and I wonder......There ARE alot of Western horses, I feel sorry for too:), especially the barrel horses of girls who do it professionally. They start them out so young pushing so hard for speed that generally those horses are nuts by the time their 6 and should be in thier prime. It's people that are the problem where most horse problems are.
Becky
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