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.

[Inge_CAV]

You are Welcome!

I have a Manx cat that I will take a picture of later for you. He is a grey tabby and about fourteen lbs. : )

[CindyDawg]

Nice, esp the grey and black one:')

[CindyDawg]

Speaking of big butts

[Beaker]

You're a draft guy, so perhaps I can run this by you, but this goes out to everyone. My father has been hinting that he wants to get a place up in Maine where he can keep horses. (Not complaining!!) However, he's a big guy, and needs a solid horse. I was thinking a quarter horse crossed with a draft, but what draft breeds make for good crosses? I was thinking that the quarter horse would bring down the size a bit, while keeping the muscle needed. I don't want an elephant, after all. :-) Something we can both handle, and he can ride. I remember at one of my barns, we had a Percheron crossed with something else, and he was a MOOSE, and very strong.

[Beaker]

I have a Manx cat that I will take a picture of later for you
Lovely! Can't wait to see it. He's a big boy! I had a grey cat that was over 20 lbs. He couldn't get out of his own way. Here's one of my cats, Tikki, short for Rikki Tikki Tavi.

[CindyDawg]

I'm old enough to know better but I was outside on the patio watching our fence get blown down from a tropical storm last summer. I hated being boarded up in the house where I couldn't see what was happening.

[Beaker]

I want another hurricane. Not a devistating one, but I LOVE wind and rain.

[CindyDawg]

I had a cat once that was named ACDC. Mean thing. She started out as AC(attack cat). My kids added the DC after several times of "damn cat" after she would attack me:')

[Inge_CAV]

It is my understanding that you can cross a warmblood or Thoroughbred stud to a draft mare and get a Sporthorse. Which should be ideal for what you want. That is what I wanted to do with my draft mare but did not get around to it.

[Beaker]

Hmmm... Interesting! Thank you! I'm going to look into it.

[Inge_CAV]

Thank you! Those two are not to be separated though. That is asking for trouble. : )

[Inge_CAV]

"Speaking of big butts"

Yes it is! : )

[CindyDawg]

I LOVE wind and rain

I do too. We have a very high roof , bricked home and you don't hear a lot but when we stay in the camper at the lake I sleep like a baby, listening to the rain hitting and the trailer swaying. My husband laughs and tells me "yeah, when it picks up the awning and you go rolling down the hill you will think wind"

[CindyDawg]

Good friends are nice. Let um stay together if they are happy. I think Okie and this mare bonding.

[Inge_CAV]

That is a cute kitty. Just in the past couple of months a semi-wild mama cat has presented her brood of three kittens to me. She must have been a throwaway cat because I would only see her every now and then. Late one afternoon there was a small dead kitten lying in the street near my home. Really ticked me off to see it as it is easy to slow down or miss someone's pet in the street. Anyway, the next afternoon I noticed the mama cat with the three kittens left playing in my yard. I started feeding them and tamed all four. I left the mama cat outside but the kittens are inside now, litter box trained and all. : )

[Inge_CAV]

They are a team and each knows what side they are to be hitched up on. They are kept separate from the mare to keep from upseting the old applecart. : )

[HairOfTheDog]

We're back stuffed ourselves on prime rib. :~D

Post those pics of your hay fields too for Becky... She'll see them in the morning... It's such pretty land!

[CindyDawg]

[HairOfTheDog]

That looks pretty roomy in there that way!

[AnAmericanMother]

I have personal experience with three draft crosses.

One was a Percheron crossed with we're not sure what, but probably a T'bred or Quarter horse. He was VERY large and strong - but very gentle and even tempered. My 14 year old daughter had no trouble handling him. I rode him a couple of times, and he was a very nice boy, but he had a tendency to fall into his canter with his nose up in the air from a VERY fast trot (a bit unnerving on a horse that size.) Draw reins fixed that in a hurry, after that I had no trouble at all with him. I heard that he was pretty strong in the hunting field though. (In fact that's why he wound up at our barn. Lady who was hunting him couldn't hold him.)

The other one I'm familiar with was a Clydesdale/T'bred cross. The Clydesdale is the finest-drawn of the draft breeds, with the most hot blood in him. Very handsome, very spirited, very fast. Not a horse for a beginner.

I think what I would do is a Belgian/Quarter horse cross. My daughter's summer camp has a couple of those, pretty chestnuts (sorrels) with flaxen mane and tail, and they are large and weight-bearing without being monsters. They are much quieter than the Percheron or Clydesdale crosses. Or you could just get a small Belgian - they do exist.