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.

[AnAmericanMother]

I'm sorry, but that borders on the criminal. Four feet is too high for an inexperienced rider paired with an unknown horse. Around three feet would be ample. They are going to get somebody killed if they aren't careful.

[Beaker]

How many times have you been dumped?
Oh countless, countless times. My first fall was the scariest for several reasons. Only been dumped once on the trail, but have had several close calls.

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually (second thoughts here), rather than raise the fences, if they want to separate the sheep from the goats they can have a tight course with lots of turns and a couple of sticky combinations. Good jumping is actually in the turns, not the fences themselves.

And 3'3" would be easier on the horses.

[CindyDawg]

Damn. I was afraid of that. I probably need to get dumped again to see that I'm not always going to get hurt because right now I'm working too hard, determined I'm not going to ever let it happen again and it's really messing me up.

Oh well. I'll just have to work thru it.

[Beaker]

I'm sorry, but that borders on the criminal. Four feet is too high for an inexperienced rider paired with an unknown horse.
I know. I don't know if all the fences were like that, but I know that the announcer was commenting on a four foot wall, so I know that it wasn't a four foot spread. And on eyeballing the rest of the fences, they all looked about the same height. 3 foot fences give me the willies. I never quite got to four feet.

[CindyDawg]

I can shoot (in theory) ride,

Funny. Have you heard of mounted shooters? Some kind of barrel racing with non ammo shooting. I can't believe it. My husband wants to check it out and said he might like to do something like that. He's very conservative and thinking of him dressing up as a cowboy, riding with two revolvers makes me grin.

If he can learn to ride like he needs to and thinks it's fun though, why not? :')

[AnAmericanMother]

Yeah, it's called mounted cowboy shooting.

Here's a link to some pics I happened to have (the same guy who photographs the dog agility trials and our fox hunts also goes to the cowboy shoots.)

Peach State Cowboy Mounted Shoot

[AnAmericanMother]

After five years of intensive work on my T'bred mare, I will jump anything with her (as long as I have on my spurs - she's a little sticky without some encouragement.) I don't like to jump her big because she is now 19 years old and I am no lightweight, and the shock is bad for her legs. When we're just doing a course in a lesson the fences range from 2' to 3' - no need to pump them up when we're working on turns and approaches and takeoff spots. But I have jumped some solid cross country obstacles that were pushing 3'6" with her (if you hit them, they don't fall down - you do) and 4' in the ring is no problem. I trust her implicitly, and she trusts me not to put her at something that she can't jump.

But I am working with two new horses - one a very green T'bred gelding off the track, and one a 4 year old baby warmblood. The second one I work only over crossrails, and I just put the gelding up to 2 feet single fences and he's doing well. I would no more jump him over 4 feet than I would fly to the moon. He can't see his spots yet and he doesn't trust me to tell him - if he crashed a big fence it would set him back months.

[CindyDawg]

Thanks. I'll show him these. He sent off for some material regarding shows locally and wanted to go watch. I think we are all kids at heart in grown bodies sometimes:') (a good thing) My MIL loves to tell the story about how when he was 5 and his brother 3 that they were in a quick draw contest. My husband won but she always has to add that really his little brother did though because he drew his too early and was faster than my husband the first time. I understand cheering up the loser but I always thought this was mean to my husband.

Anyway, you know how people are always trying to get you to join their clubs. A lady at a both for ridding side saddle tried to get me signed up. (I don't think so). You ever try that? :')

[CindyDawg]

That is supposed to be booth/riding:')

[AnAmericanMother]

I've ridden sidesaddle a couple of times. It's tricky. The correct posture is difficult to maintain - since your legs are twisted sideways you have to concentrate on keeping your hips and back perfectly straight. The reason I haven't followed up on it is you need a horse with a very straight back with plenty of padding on his spine or the saddle won't fit. Even with a cutback pommel, a sidesaddle won't fit my high-withered T'bred (her back's a little dippy, too!)

[Lemondropkid31]

Dont forget the jumping this afternoon on NBC! Round B and final round for individual. Did anyone see the equestrian portion of the pentathalon? It was pretty interesting. The first lady just BARELY stayed on her horse. If her horse wasn't so athletic he would have missed most of those fences. The chinese lady had a horse that liked to rear and buck and she fell off. I felt sorry for her, but she did a heck of a job getting through the round. All the horses were from Italy and the girls only had 20 minutes and 5 practice jumps to get used to them. Pretty neat!!

[Lemondropkid31]

Sidesaddle would really be cool to learn. Unfortunately for me when I moved to Texas over 3 years ago I stopped riding. I don't even know anyone with a horse. Funny here in Texas LOL. Back in California I was training in dressage and I did that for about 3 years. I had been trying to find a horse job here but there just isn't anything that pays at all. I can't even get a volunteer position. So I guess until I can afford my own farm and horse I probably won't be riding again.

[Esther Ruth]

Here just a month or so now and love reading all your post everyday about your horses so much! Just a newbie here w horses so just listening. We have a haflinger gelding yearling, he's doing great. Neighbors in back who have 6 horses have had their horses in front pasture for a month now waiting for back pasture to come back in and just moved 2 of the horses back to it this morning. So Cezar is so excited after seeing these horses at a distance, they are now much closer and they have all been running around, showing off to each other and talking.

[CindyDawg]

Yeah my legs keep me on right now. LOL. Might be a good bail program for me though:')

[CindyDawg]

Where in Texas are you?

[AnAmericanMother]

Actually, you can't fall off a sidesaddle - at least you have to work at it.

The sidesaddle has two large curved pommels, one curves up and one curves down. You shorten your left stirrup until your knee is jammed up under the lower pommel, then sling your right leg over the upper pommel (the "leaping head"). So long as you press your knees together, you are STUCK in that saddle and cannot be dumped.

Of course, a falling horse becomes a real problem. My ancient book on sidesaddle riding, Riding and Driving for Women by Miss Belle Beach (published some time in the 1890s), recommends that you be prepared to haul on the left rein if your horse falls, so that he'll fall on his RIGHT side and not crush your legs . . .

[CindyDawg]

That looks.... ah, painful :')

[AnAmericanMother]

Very comfortable. Everything is padded, including the leaping head. I took my lessons just in blue jeans and half chaps, had no trouble at all.

[CindyDawg]

Well maybe some day:') I don't know about side saddle but I do eventually want to be able to turn sideways (with the horse standing)bareback and dismount. I saw someone do this and thought it was so cool.