The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

*New* The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who *pics*

This is a horse chat thread where we 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. In the previous threads we have had a great time talking through lessons, training, horse lamenesses, illnesses and pregnancies... and always sharing pictures and stories.

I always have 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 also have a ping list for horse threads that are of interest, and Becky pings everyone most mornings. Let Becky (Paynoattentionmanbehindthecurtain) and/or me know if you would like to be on the ping list. 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.

So... like the previous threads, this is intended as 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.

Previous threads:

The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - thread ONE
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread TWO!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread - Thread THREE!
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FOUR
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread FIVE

New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!

[ljswisc]

*psst* we're pictureholics on this thread. Would you be so kind as to post some pictures from the show? I for one would love to see a few, especially of this rider.

My Pleasure! This was a show in Camp Lake, Wisconsin at Silverwood Farm.

Here are two frames of a half pirouette:



Here is a piaffe in a Grand Prix class, and another horse doing flying lead changes... he's about to switch from right to left.. his left hind is going first. Weird huh?



I love this one. Here is a little grey arab in such a pretty dressage frame. In the next photo she's all done leaving the ring. Could she stretch that neck out any further? Look at the pleased look on the rider's face!

[mommadooo3]

Thanks!

George seems to be really smart. Kids taught him 'sit' within MINUTES of being here. And he's already walking like a pro on the lead.

AND THE BEST NEWS OF ALL, he whines at a door/window when he wants to go out to potty!!!!!!!! He does poop at night. But since we keep him in the bathroom overnight, it's no biggie! He's still a baby and it's not his fault that no one's awake to let him out.(so he gets a pass for that)

[Duchess47]

Wonderful pictures. In the last picture, rider has dropped the reins "you done good, we're home free"

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Those are cool pictures. I like the way you caught the back legs of the horse in the 4th picture:)

Becky

[Duchess47]

Heelers are the smartest dogs I've ever been around. I taught my heeler (as a pup) to sit, stay, heel and come in one afternoon. She learned so quickly. Put her on goats while still very young - gave her the Go to them command when I turned her loose (since the herding is instinctive) and once all the goats were on top of their house, gave her the OFF command, followed by Come! She learned that also very quickly. She wasn't even a year old when I set her on a wild horse (her daddy thought that one over and wouldn't go). She tried her best to get him to go away but he turned and tried to get her so I called her off. (He was at my fence line, harassing two of my fillies).

[ljswisc]

You know I forgot.. I also got some photo's of a fresian. Everyone seems to like them. This one was in a very low level class cuz her trainer was calling out the test. (It was hot and a lot of people chose not to wear their coats) What I was really impressed was how nicely this horse stayed collected and on the bit for her. Look how loosely she's holding his reins!

[Rose of Sharn]

Yes it is! I posted it once on here being totally naive and not knowing porn stars! LOL I'm not sure if I will ever live that one down! : D
Our dogs pick up the kittens and cats by the head! They tote them around and then smother them in slobber and let them go. All you can see is this body hanging from their mouths. They don't hurt them and what is really weird is the cats love it! They go and sleep on or near the dogs!
It does ......um........startle guests though who might love cats! HEhe!

[Rose of Sharn]

I agree, they are very smart dogs. We mainly whistle commands to ours, though there are some voice. When we had our old blue heeler and the puma came onto our land, the three other dogs were running after it but the blue heeler just sat down and looked at them as if they were out of their minds! : D
I am still waiting for my Basset pups to be born. My dates put Jessie May due about the 4th July! She is looking very "ready" though! We are excited but nervous as these will be her first pups. Her sister Sassy Pie, is also due soon, but not looking quite as large. I saw Baxter Doolittle "with" her a few weeks later. Exciting times!

[mommadooo3]

I'm starting to relax about getting a pup. I originally wanted an older, housebroke dog. I HATE housebreaking. (pine-sol perfume and all that) LOL.

He just adores the kids! He HAS to wake them when I turn him loose from the bathroom.

I definitely need a book though. I'm clueless on how to even START training.

[mommadooo3]

Funny mental pic!

I'll definitely have to go look for that book!

[Rose of Sharn]

Check private messages! : D

[Duchess47]

Oh - keep the camera on ready :) for pictures of the new puppies when they show up.

My son used to work in a vet hospital. He commented on the fact that heelers came in with wounds in the front, versus most other dogs wounded in the rear. Heelers meet trouble head on when other dogs turn and run.

[Duchess47]

He will learn rapidly, and train you so cleverly you won't know it happened :)

That's what mine did.

[mommadooo3]

Thanks for the link! Think I'll order the book. I noticed they list OTHER books on the same subject.

I drive hubby NUTZ! I like to buy books on the new things that enter our lives. Donkeys, horses, farm, ACD!

[Rose of Sharn]

I was trying to find a pic of our Australian shepherd, Sally. This is the only one I could find, that I had already downloaded.


I know I have some pics somewhere of our blue heeler, Sparky, but they are evading me right now! : D

[mommadooo3]

and train you so cleverly you won't know it happened :)

ROFLMBO!!!!

Thanks for that heart warming chuckle.

With that, I have to run. Laundry is calling again. (sigh)

[Rose of Sharn]

LOL I am a bookaholic too! Did you see my other messages to your mail box? The first link is a different book from the one I have, but I think possibly a more updated version.
What is your little ones name?

[FrogInABlender]

...Frog, how did your friend do on Blade?...

Well...good and bad. We had a good ride. The weather was nice, cooler and less humid, but I hadn't been on that particular trail in a while and there were trees down in the trail that we had to go around. We were going through some pretty thick little saplings and Blade was trying to eat the leaves and wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he hung her right leg on a sapling and drug her off. I was in front on Bluebell and heard a commotion and when I looked around, she was just getting up off the ground. It didn't hurt her at all, just her pride. She got back on and did fine the rest of the afternoon. On their way home, they decided to stop off at another horse campground and spend the night and ride by themselves on Sunday. She said he did just fine on Saturday evening in the stall they rented for him, and did great on Sunday out on the trails. They even used him to lead their other horse to go places he didn't want to go. So all in all, I think she's pleased with him, even if he has dumped her a couple of times in a week. But in all fairness to him, he didn't dump her this time, she fell off. He just doesn't know to allow room for a rider's legs yet. If you pay attention and give him a little leg pressure on the side as you get close to a tree, he'll move over for ya, but you've got to remember to tell him. They've just got some getting used to each other to do.

I was really pleased with Bluebell too. We went through some pretty hairy places and she did just fine. She didn't much like the first ditch we came to that she had to step across, but after a few seconds of argueing about it, went across just fine and hardly stopped at all over the next one. She was fine going through the saplings when we had to get off the trail, although she didn't like the sound of them raking the sides of the saddle bags I put on her. We finally got to a place where the trees were blocking the trail and we couldn't get around them because there was a cliff on one side and a dropoff on the other and we had to turn around and go back. We ended up riding 8 or 10 miles as it was, but she's still not in real good shape, so that was fine. I forgot the camera or I would've had pictures.

[Rose of Sharn]

Glad you had a good time!
I forgot the camera or I would've had pictures.
but boy are you in trouble!

[Beaker]

Those are some wonderful pictures, thanks so much for sharing them. I've been doing dressage for about a year now, and before that for quite some time I did hunter jumper. (But I started out doing dressage before I did hunter/jumper.) My absolute favorite thing to watch are flying lead changes with every stride. Dressage itself is so wonderful!