The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread

[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.

[CindyDawg]

groan! :')

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

:), I would not have known either till we got one. Just not much into motorcycles except to ride on the back with Mack.

Just got in. Got in about 1 hour and 45 minutes on Harley.

I got back and got a few pictures of "Trash". I just don't think he is very photogenic:), Even with sunlight he doesn't look that good. He's a bit on the thin side. He's one of those horses, so says Tami, that if he puts on weight he gets squirrely. I can't remember if I've said that earlier. I've typed out a few posts to go with pictures but the pictures were never that good and I didn't post them. Not sure if I posted the message or not:)

Any way, he's a typical throughbredy QH:

I'll ride him tomorrow. Probably just in the arena for a few days before I take him out on trails.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - he'd look better with more weight in his bony rear! I think he's pretty though.... and he looks tall. What's with the white patches on his rump?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Mud:)

I'm really anxious to ride, but it will be tomorrow afternoon before I get a chance. Not enough time today, church, and tomorrow morning Heather's coming. I'm not ready to take him on a trail ride yet, so I'll ride Harley while she ride's Rock. It may be a good thing tho, letting him settle in for a day first.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Reminds alot of the one Cindy was looking at.

He doesn't have much hip either.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - I didn't want to insult him ;~D

Look at how muscled her shoulder is compared to her butt. He's at least relatively proportionate.

She looks like she's been pulling a cart for a living.... or... I bet her trouble is that she is really heavy on the forehand and just lets her rear follow along.... no one has ever asked her to engage her rear or do any collected work.

[CindyDawg]

I should have known. The only bikes I ever heard about all the time were suzukis and Yamahas. Too heavy for me. Hard to hold them up, and I would wear myself out kick starting and I would burn my left leg of course.

I liked riding with Eddie but he wanted to "git" and I really didn't think laying them down in sand much fun. He didn't like to cuise with me though because I wouldn't ah "behave". :')

[CindyDawg]

Trash looks tall but I see a lot of muscle.

[CindyDawg]

That's it. That's what was bugging me. Her front doesn't look like it belongs with her back. It wasn't that she was thin in the butt that I was seeing but like the two didn't go together.

[Beaker]

Well I just got back from my ride. We beat the rain and everything, but it was getting worrisome when the wind picked up. What a nice bike! Very very comfortable. My dad was talking about getting one. The panhead just isn't an every day bike now. It's a kickstart and really hard to start. The softail is an electric start. Really nice. :-) Luxury!

[Beaker]

An HD is a Harley Davidson. :-) And the name of my cocker spaniel. :-D

[Beaker]

Just got in. Got in about 1 hour and 45 minutes on Harley.
You know, the connection tickled in the back of my brain for a while, but I thought. "Nah..." :-)

[Beaker]

Yeah I tried riding an Indian when I was younger, but after laying it down one too many times, I said "To heck with this!" I just can't sit Harleys. I tried my stepdad's sportster, and while I could hold it up while it was stationary, I couldn't manage it decelerating and stopping. I know that I would topple. Too darn heavy. That and I have the balance of an ostrich with an ear infection :-p
Knock on wood, though, I've never had a serious accident. :-)

[Beaker]

It also looks like that mare is standing on an incline, and they really didn't do a good job of posing her for the picture. Her neck is really thin, though, and her head is a bit big. But if they got her standing correctly, we might see a different horse.

[CindyDawg]

Why did they crop her mane? Is there a reason for trimming or is it just for looks? My husband tells me I need to shape up my horse's but I thing they look better long and uneven. Seems more natural.

[HairOfTheDog]

They probably scissor cut it to make the horse look groomed. For show it would be ~pulled~ short and thinned, rather than just cut, much shorter, and banded to make it lay flat and completely still. Hunters and dressage riders will do the same thing. The idea is to show off the neck. All the western quarter horse and thoroughbred/warmblood types show this way, except in rodeo, where specific turnout isn't a part of the tradition.

Arabs and types like them, Morgans, National Show Horse, etc show with long manes.... but the bridle path is trimmed down a lot further, at least 12 inches, removing what is often the thickest bushiest part of the mane and better showing off the neck.

[Beaker]

They crop her mane in order to make it easier to braid, or because of summer to make it cooler on her neck. Most likely it was because she was shown. They usually only do it to show horses. I don't know if anyone else has replied to this, I'm just replying to posts right now :-)

[CindyDawg]

So trimming Okies would keep him cooler? I figured it helped keep flys off

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Jenny just called, she is coming to ride in the morning too, with Heather and I, so I may ride Trash. I'll see how he does in the arena first.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Ya gotta get him a new name besides Trash. ;~D