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.

[Beaker]

here's the Olympic schedule for the equestrian events. Since we're all in different time zones, I'll leave it to the rest of ya to look up the times that it'll be televised. :-) :-)
Day 2: Sunday, August 15, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 10:00 a.m. Individual Eventing Dressage 10:00 a.m. Team Eventing Dressage Day 3: Monday, August 16, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 10:00 a.m. Individual Eventing Dressage 10:00 a.m. Team Eventing Dressage Day 4: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 9:00 a.m. Individual Eventing Cross Country 9:00 a.m. Team Eventing Cross Country Day 5: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 3:30 p.m. Individual Eventing Jumping 3:30 p.m. Team Eventing Jumping 8:45 p.m. Individual Eventing Day 7: Friday, August 20, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 8:30 a.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix 8:30 a.m. Team Dressage Grand Prix Day 8: Saturday, August 21, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 8:30 a.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix 8:30 a.m. Team Dressage Grand Prix Day 9: Sunday, August 22, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 9:00 a.m. Individual Jumping Qualification Day 10: Monday, August 23, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 8:00 a.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix Special Day 11: Tuesday, August 24, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 9:00 a.m. Individual Jumping Qualification 9:00 a.m. Team Jumping Final Day 12: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 3:30 p.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle Day 14: Friday, August 27, 2004 Equestrian Time[ATHENS] Event Results 4:00 p.m. Individual Jumping Final

[Beaker]

Day 2: Sunday, August 15, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
10:00 a.m. Individual Eventing Dressage
10:00 a.m. Team Eventing Dressage

Day 3: Monday, August 16, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
10:00 a.m. Individual Eventing Dressage
10:00 a.m. Team Eventing Dressage

Day 4: Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
9:00 a.m. Individual Eventing Cross Country
9:00 a.m. Team Eventing Cross Country

Day 5: Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
3:30 p.m. Individual Eventing Jumping
3:30 p.m. Team Eventing Jumping
8:45 p.m. Individual Eventing

Day 7: Friday, August 20, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
8:30 a.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix
8:30 a.m. Team Dressage Grand Prix

Day 8: Saturday, August 21, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
8:30 a.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix
8:30 a.m. Team Dressage Grand Prix

Day 9: Sunday, August 22, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
9:00 a.m. Individual Jumping Qualification

Day 10: Monday, August 23, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
8:00 a.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix Special

Day 11: Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
9:00 a.m. Individual Jumping Qualification
9:00 a.m. Team Jumping Final

Day 12: Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
3:30 p.m. Individual Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle

Day 14: Friday, August 27, 2004
Equestrian
Time[ATHENS] Event Results
4:00 p.m. Individual Jumping Final

[CindyDawg]

Maybe I can set the vcr. I'm not home during most of those times.

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh - I really hope they show the dressage events on TV!!

[HairOfTheDog]

We went ridin', just a short ride but a good one. Me 'n' my shadow.

As always, glad I forced myself to ride. It entertained Bay, and the pony got to run around and steal apples from the tree before ecurbh could get there to run her off. That was a particularly amusing game that kept ecurbh busy. ~That~ is what we should have taken pictures of!

[Libertina]

Thank you so much, Beaker!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Jenny got tied up at work late, so she didn't make it here in time to ride. I found out last night while Suzanne was here that the lights on our arena aren't working:(. We had a wire blow down in the spring, I guess the guys didn't get it hooked backup good. The problem for fixing is that when we put them up we had a rented backhoe here to raise Charlie up in. Now we don't have anything that can get us up that high to work on them. Not sure what we are going to do. But with no lights by the time Jenny got here it was too dark to ride in the arena. So Rusty once again got another day off:).

I just love the trees you guys have there. Those that the horses are tied too for their bath are soo pretty. They're so big around.

The new horse is really good. You can tell he hasn't been on trails much, he tends to weave alot:). But he hasn't shied at anything yet. We even scared up a deer today, in that same stretch I got dumped in last year. It was pretty big too.

Well, tomorrow I will get the RV cleaned up and start a list of things I need t get before Thurs. But I will ride every morning including Thurs. before I leave.

Becky

[Beaker]

Oh - I really hope they show the dressage events on TV!!
Me too me too! :-D I've been watching lots of free style dressage on a horse channel, and I'm completely awed!

[Beaker]

Bay is so pretty, and that pony is just adorable! :-) I really have to get around to posting pictures.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'd love to have night lights.... I can see that it would be a challenge to replace bulbs or fix them if they are too hight for a ladder.

[CindyDawg]

Does Bay walk fast? It looks like the pony hurrying to keep up:')

Thursday I walked Okie on the grass in the middle of the loop. There was a red low boy out there. He hesitated to go beside it. He did but kept his side distance. On the way back though he walked fast til he got past it. I'm still trying to figure out how to get him to do that. He wants to mosey along but when I cue him he'll go directly into a trot.

[HairOfTheDog]

Bay does walk ~really~ fast... Probably another holdover from his endurance. My friend Tiff has to trot hers to keep up, and when she took ecurbh and me on that ride last month, they said a couple times that they wished I'd slow down so they could quit havin' to bounce along! ;~D

A lot of it depends on their natural pace, but you can teach Okie into a faster walk. If I am pushing Bay to walk out, which I rarely do.. only when he's going somewhere he doesn't want to go... it's a calf pressure rather than heel, and kindof alternating side to side at the rhythm of his stride in the rear end. Horses are very rhythmic, and if you set a rhythm by alternating slightly faster than they do, their sense of rhythm will try to match it. Hold him at the walk with the rein and push him to walk out by getting him to engage his rear end.

[CindyDawg]

HMM. Maybe that's why. I don't use my heels much but apply pressure with my legs on both sides. I do it when I want him to go faster and when I sense he's fixing to stop and balk. I'll try the alternating but I may confuse him because I turn him with my legs too.

[HairOfTheDog]

Be subtle or you could get a canter too cueing with just one leg. I use leg to turn too. It's a combination of leg and rein, and voice, a low waaaaalk, if he starts to trot.... He'll walk faster if he's got somewhere to go too, than he will in an arena. Out on trail is where Bay really walks.... especially on the way home ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

Good night everyone! I'm worn out!

[CindyDawg]

Ok heck yeah. He walks really fast coming home. I'm just trying to figure out how get him to do it leaving:') night

[Beaker]

Be subtle or you could get a canter too cueing with just one leg. I use leg to turn too.
Heehee. I did that once in a walk trot class. I was riding my trainer's horse and he wouldn't trot with just leg pressure. The judge didn't like to see you kick your horse, so I would lightly tap him on the outside where the judge couldn't see it. :-p Well I did that in a corner, and he picked up the loveliest canter. It was gorgeous, but I was disqualified. :-) Hehe.

[Beaker]

. On the way back though he walked fast til he got past it. I'm still trying to figure out how to get him to do that.
Have him followed with a lowboy? :-p No, I'm just kidding. Don't do that. :-) I'd follow Hair's advice instead. ;-)

[Beaker]

No problem! I know that CNBC is showing the equestrian events today, but regular old NBC is being stupid and showing other events. I don't quite understand the schedule. But the time shown on the schedule is athens time.

[CindyDawg]

He's not usually Johnny Quick. Moest likely he'll just cock his ears in different directions and look back at me like, huh?