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!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good morning

Becky

[SomebodyWakeUpHicks]

Good morning, Becky. Looks like its just you and me. Now, about that loan....

[HairOfTheDog]

Good morning! the rain has stopped. What an unusual rain we've had. Two days of the all day rain we usually see in March or April but not July.... After summer droughts of year's past, I think it's great.

We've got to get up this morning and go out, go see a crazy HH friend who is riding her bike from Seattle to Portland. :~D

[tuffydoodle]

"There is a rescue place in Joshua too, isn't there?"

I don't know, actually. I know there's one in the Stephenville area. I've talked to them a time or 2, when I was buying, to see if they had anything interesting. (they didn't)

There is a lady in Joshua that is probably a little better than a horse trader. I can't think of her name off hand but if anybody wants it, I'll find it. Anyway, she's one sharp cookie. For awhile there, she was buying horses at the auction, taking them home and rehabbing them, then selling them. She doesn't ask alot of money for them, either. She's also a racehorse trainer but I don't know if she's still doing that. I've met her, she's nice. Her place is a little dumpy but it's clean. Although, this was years ago when I met her, things could have changed. Wait, I remember her name, it's Donna Gowdy. I talked to her for a long time about tactics used by people at the auction, to sell bad horses. She said one time she was looking at a horse, before it went on the auction block, that was really quiet. She made a comment about it to the owner and he said the horse was always that quiet. She said she then kicked the fresh syringe laying at this guys feet and said, "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I'm getting ready to head out to saddle Harley and get him rode before it gets hot. Think I'll take him out on the trails for awhile.

Not sure what the rest of the day is going to be like.

How far is that bike ride?

Becky

[tuffydoodle]

http://www.agdirect.com/scripts/main.exe?2052&DONNAGOWD&0

This lady might have something interesting to look at.

[tuffydoodle]

Tuffy and Winnie did great last night at the indoor. When it got dark, Tuffy was spooking at his shadow on the wall, it was funny.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

LOL. I've had horses do that, spook at their own shadow. It is funny. I've also had them spook at things they've been past 100's of times....who know what they are seeing.

How long do you ride? What did it cost? Can other people ride at the same time you are there? I don't mean to be nosy, it's just I'd like to be taking Harley to some different arenas, but most are locked up except for events, or you have to pay to use them, and I'm curious as to what that price is.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

It's 206 miles the route they go... it's an organized ride. Bunch of people do it ;~D

Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic: Ride Information and Description

Saw a coyote out hunting bunnies this morning, and grabbed the camera.... see him? He's looking at me.

Heh... blurry bear photos, blurry coyote photos... I better get better than this if I ever see bigfoot ;~\

[HairOfTheDog]

She made a comment about it to the owner and he said the horse was always that quiet.

Same guy sold Tiffney our pony ;~D

[tuffydoodle]

You aren't being nosy, those are valid questions. This place is actually very reasonable, $20 for the first hour (one horse), $5 for each additional hour and horse. This is a non profit organization so I don't mind giving them a little more, I'm averaging about $140 a month.

[tuffydoodle]

There is a special place in hell for people that sell crappy horses as "kid broke."

I just did a check of Donna Gowdy, looks like she's still training racehorses. I also found the Fasig-Tipton site, the guys who run the thoroughbred horse auctions. They list what horses have been sold, by whom, to whom and for how much. Mike Huber, a very well known hunter-jumper guy, bought one for $1400. Bet he puts a few months training on that horse and resells it for $25,000 or more. These bigwig guys are pretty smart. No way I could do that.

[tuffydoodle]

Oh, by the way, I rent it privately. No one else is there.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I can see him. I guess I'll take my camera this morning, altho I doubt there will be much to take a picture of that you haven't already seen.
Whoa...206 miles. That's alot.

We have alot of bycicle riders in this area. Out here on our roads. To tell the truth, I get very peeved at them. One, our roads are narrow as it is, and I always seem to meet someone coming from the other direction when I need to pass bike riders. Two, they act like the road belongs to them and they have the right of way, and Three I don't get why they have to be out on the roads in the first place. In the last 5 years or more, miles and miles of bike trails have been put in around this area. REally pretty nice bike trails. I love riding on the bike trails, but I very seldom see others using them, they are always on the roads...doesn't make sense to me.

Becky

[CindyDawg]

Well I'm still here:'(. Next weekend probably better but I do get impatient. My mom was telling me about Joshua and I found a webb site at one time but can't now. How was the arena riding?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Hey, that doesn't seem bad at all for getting it private. I wouldn't mind paying that just to use an arena even if it wasn't me only. Especially an indoor one in the winter.

Becky

[tuffydoodle]

It went unusually well. Mandy and Winnie have really hit it off, thank goodness. Mandy has gotten Winnie real collected, something she had trouble with when we first got her. I think they are just now getting used to each other.

[HairOfTheDog]

Yeah - I can understand the resentment... it is really annoying when you come up behind one or a group and can't pass for traffic, you know they know you are there, and they make no attempt to move over. Some of them are very much making a statement.

Biking is a big thing here, many bike to work, They go long distances, obviously, so they really do have to ride roads, no trails for 50 mile rides. I don't mind them if they do try to move over at least when I'm stuck.

This will be a big group. a few hundred riders. They ride secondary roads the whole way, I wonder if they have traffic control or signs up giving drivers some notice of what's going on.

[tuffydoodle]

Yup, this place is awesome for winter and it's also well lighted. It gets dark so darn early when the time changes. And it's been raining here so it's muddy, a great time to use the indoor.

[tuffydoodle]

Look around and see if you have any non profit therapeutic riding facilities in your area. They might rent their arena and I know they can use the money.