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Posted on 06/01/2005 7:34:38 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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!
The bottom of our creeks are always rocky. Where we cross at the deep crossing, the bottom is just one big flat rock, very easy. At the other crossings where the creek isn't deep it's like yours, very rocky, only they are not round rocks, but irregular shaped sandstone. That is tricky to get across for them. The rocks tend to move, rock back and forth, as they step.
No, we never know what kind of obstacles we are going to have to do. You're suppose to have a horse that will do anything, because you never know what you will encounter out on a trail, is the thinking.
Becky
Looks like Frog already answered.
Safety is an important thing at those rides. But one time the inventors of the obstacles screwed up at one of the rides I was at.
The obstacle was to go up this very steep incline that was long for the steepness of it, and right at the top they had laid to fairly thick logs fairly close together for the horse to step over.
You can always pass on an obstacle if you feel your horse can't do it. You will loose 1 more point then the person who did it the worst. I was in line to do this obstacle, and the steepness of the hill was making me nervous, even tho Belle had climbed hills alot and was in very good shape. My fear is always that the horse will give out before they reach the top and come back down.
Any way I was 1 away from having to do it or pass. This girl from TX on a little Arab was going up. The horse made it to the first log and as he started to try the step over he lost his momentum and started coming back down backwards, sliding and staggering. he finally got about 1/2 turned around, but the girl lost her seat and came off. he kept his footing and didn't ever step on her, but they came all the way donw.
No one else had to do it. The judges felt really bad, altho quit a few people had done it. I think the more people that did it, the more slippery the trail up became.
The girl suffered some pretty good bruises. She was a good sport about it, and went ahead and finished the ride. She said her main problem is where she lives in TX there are NO hills to work a horse on. Her horse had never had to climb anything like that and then especially step over a log at the very top.
Becky
Well, it's probably tough thinking up new obstacles all the time for rides, and though any of them are potentially tough for any one horse that's unprepared, that one is a situation you actually may face in the real world, if you are in hilly country.
Bay was very careful about going down the steep hills yesterday, and he was in such a hyper mood, he turned around once and headed back up. ecurbh had to turn and go up too, of course, because it was too narrow to pass. He was so spookish yesterday I don't know if he was nervous about his footing and strength going down, or whether he just thought there was a tiger at the bottom.
The thing about that obstacle was I wondered if it was some kind of trick. I had encoutered some before where they would set something like that up, not give any other insturctions other then we are going to watch you.
I wondered if, since saftey is a big thing, if they were wanting you to go up the hill at an angle, rather then straight up, and go around the logs rather then try to step over. That is how I would have done it normally. I can't remember now if they specifically told us to go straight up, and step over, or just general instructions and watch what we would do. They always told us, don't just necessarily do what the person in front of you did, they may not have it right. But it's amazing, me included, how often people will just follow, like lambs to the slaughter:)
Becky
If there was a way around it, I definately would have chosen that too. Around here, there often isn't. The undergrowth is so think you don't know if there's ground or a big hole if you step off the trail.
Pinging hello from the saddle club thread! :~D
Ok, Ok now my heart rate is up and I need another coffee. What is it with posting snakes lately? I'm terrified of them! : )
Everyone is praising Cyn but I just want to praise ecurbh. I know he isn't as experienced as a lot of folks on here and I think he is brave to put her through the ropes like that. It sounds like he and Cyn have a good relationship.
Well Done ecurbh! : D
I agree. I'm very proud and impressed by him!
Thank you! I have to credit my ~wonderful~ teacher too! ;~D
LOL you should!
I wish I was as confident, but deaconjim isn't as experienced with horses as Hair so I am learning things by little steps. : )
My favorite horse is Sugar, she was a bag of bones when we got her and in bad shape, i think she knows that i did everything I could to get her in well again and we have a great relationship. I trust her. : D
Trust in the horse.... having a horse you can trust, is vital. As much as Bay was acting up yesterday, I am not afraid of him. I know he has a limit in how bad he'll be. He may startle and jump, blow and shy from things, which are misbehaviors I wouldn't want ecurbh to have to confront, I know he won't ~try~ to throw me. I can push him, he won't rear, he won't buck, he won't turn tail and run. He just might jitter and dance. So while I have my own fears when he acts up, it's relative. I fear more for him hurting himself by tripping when he ~isn't~ paying attention that when he is hyper alert.
I just got back from the feed store. I had to buy 2 wks worth since I will be gone part of next week, and part of the week after. Now I have to get my mind in gear to unload 850 lbs.
Becky
I guess that is my biggest problem with riding. I don't trust any horse completely. I don't believe that most horses are deliberatly mean, trying to throw a rider off. But just their nature, keeps me from trusting even the most supposedly "kid Broke" horse. I think that comes from 6 years of Belle:). That is one thing I hope I can make some progress on at this clinic. I've been told it is a huge confidence builder. I'm OK on trails but not in arenas.
I'm really working on keeping postive thoughts....The other day when I went to the arena in town, a weak point in my barrel racing reared it's ugly head.
I was told right before I started working seriously with Rusty and Harley on barrels that when you first start a horse on barrels to keep your pattern short. The important thing about barrels is the turns Keeping the pattern short helps keep the horse slower and concentrating on the turns. So here at home my pattern is small. When we went to Bixby, the pattern was stretched out, it's alot bigger arena then mine. OHMYGOSH. All those wide spaces between the barrels freaked me out, and I've been thinking about them ever since, altho I've run in that arena for fun lots of times. Just not recently. So I'm spreading my pattern out here as much as I can today....I know none of that makes sense, I've done it just for fun there with the bigger pattern and did fine, now when I'm serious about wanting to do it right....our minds do strange things to us.
Becky
I am an expert on fear... I have fears of driving with the trailer, fear of falling off and horse or rider getting hurt... fears about ecurbh and Cyn... I am very good at seeing risk in everything. There are people who appear to have no fear. People like my friend Tiffney. Riding with people who have no fears makes my fear work double time!
I try too, to think positive, but I am always on pins and needles arriving somewhere, and the first few miles down trail. My horse is too, perhaps we are feeding off each other.
Eventually, I settle in and enjoy it! :~D
Speaking of which, we'd better get moving. We need breakfast and dressed and loaded and on our way.
That actually makes me feel better:)
I'm not the only one. I just feel this is just so stupid, given the amount of riding I do. Something like that should not get to me so bad.
Becky
ecurbh thinks fear comes from experience. He thinks he doesn't know enought o be afraid :~D
That is the weight we have to unload after a visit to the store, needless to say, I go indoors to get the cokes and take my sweet time! : )
When I say I trust Sugar, that means that I trust her knowing that she likes me and wouldnt deliberatly harm me, but that being said, I am very careful around her and do my best to watch and avoid problems.
There have been instances when she could have given me a hard time and she was great. I just feel this bond between us. The other horse that I feel close to will surprise you. It's lightning. When he has got lose and ran straight towards me, he veered at the last moment. (I am sure he laughed too)! He has run full pelt up the field and I have had knowhere to get to fast enough to be safe and he has just nuzzled up to me and been really friendly. Being a stallion I am VEry cautious with him, but he has a wonderful temperment, which others have commented on. He wants to learn everything and loves to be near you.: )
I think he's right:). The more I ride, the more potencial I see for wrecks:)
Becky
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