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Posted on 06/01/2005 7:34:38 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
We were out at the Olympic Horse Park in Conyers - my trainer had trailered a bunch of our horses out there and we were riding over the 3 day course, it's a nice ride through fields and woods and water, and really we were looking for something we could jump so that we could say "we trained on the 3 day course!"
The course has been allowed to fall into horrible disrepair, because it wasn't worth maintaining -- of course everything out there in its original state was WAY too big for any normal horse to negotiate (5' stone walls with big telephone poles embedded in the top, 8' drops, stuff like that . . . I could see my mare's eyes popping as she looked at it. "Don't worry, baby . . . I ain't takin' you near that stuff.") The natural fences were too overgrown to jump as the plantings had been allowed to run wild - so the hedges were like 20' tall. Oh, well.
Anyhow, we were skirting the edge of the big open field where most of the water complex used to be (now dry), when we encountered a group of folks practicing combined driving. A pretty chestnut mare in a light cart was trotting between a series of posts in the ground.
When our horses saw the cart, they went NUTS! As near as I can figure, they thought the little chestnut was about to be EATEN by this whirring big black thing that was hot on her heels. Even my placid mare was snorting and rearing and plunging. A couple of people fell off.
It was actually pretty funny, although the people who fell off didn't think so . . . :-D
It was funny from a distance, not for the participants ;~D
It's too bad the course wasn't maintained for future use! I'd think the benefit of building such a thing for the Olympics would be the legacy of having an Olympic Level facility nearby for competition, even if the obstacles all have to be brought down to reasonable levels.
They are building an Olympic-caliber facility not too far from here, a big horse park with arenas for most kinds of disciplines and a cross country course. I look forward to being able to go there and see real Grand Prix level competition that it hopes to draw.
Getting them in it isn't a problem at all. The outside bar is hinged at the front and has a lynch pin at the back, so when you pull the pin, the whole outside bar swings all the way open and you just lead them up into it, shut it back, replace the pin and hook up the harness and trace chains. They don't even know they're in there until it's too late to get out.
Oh, and it's not just harness horses that he breaks this way. He breaks them all to a wagon before riding them. This just makes the wagon part a whole lot easier and safer for both horse and "driver". Before he had this, he was using a ground slide. Blade was broke to a wagon. It makes for a pretty bomb-proof saddle horse.
Driving just seems very precarious when I've done it with a green horse.... The length of the reins really lessens your leverage with them, it seems anyway.
Anyway, it's really interesting!
No kidding...the local dealers are offering GM employee discounts to "everyone" now! Discounts of $7,000. It is a very good time to buy.
Oh yeah - the whole contraption is noisy... it's immersion therapy for sure!
She reminded me of your Pony, but she wasn't nearly as pretty. Apparently jumpiness and suspicion is an inborn trait of Hackneys coz this little girl sure was. He was given both of them by an old gentleman who had been raising Hackneys for years and was in failing health. The old man said that if they weren't "wired" they weren't any good in the show ring. So I'll bet Pony would be an excellent show harness prospect if you were ever so inclined.
Oh yeah, there's no way I'd ever even consider trying to break one to harness myself. This thing seemed to just add an element of control into the situation. The next step is hitching them to a real (quite heavy) wagon with a seasoned harness horse to show them the ropes and provide emotional support. After all that, saddling and riding is a walk in the park.
The old man said that if they weren't "wired" they weren't any good in the show ring. So I'll bet Pony would be an excellent show harness prospect if you were ever so inclined."
Heh.... sure ;~D
Seriously, she would be. She's got flash... I just think she has the potential to turn a cart to splinters ;~D Maybe that will be the other thing we try after old age and arthritis kick in ;~D
Just east of Huntsville, AL. Going throuth Paint Rock Valley...
The backwaters of Lake Guntersville on the Tennessee River at Scottsboro, AL...
Getting ready to cross the Tennessee River again and go up Lookout Mountain at Ft. Payne, AL...
Kudzu, The Weed that Ate the South...;o)
ROTFL! I've heard that stuff is even worse than the English Ivy that we see take over here.
Definately interesting pics to show us your area! Thanks! Pretty area, good fields and hills with trees behind to make things interesting!
Yeah, she was definately a CHUNK. LOL! Her tail came out of a big dimple in her butt. You could tell she hadn't done anything other than eat and be a pasture ornament in quite some time. This mare was probably about the same height as Pony. I didn't get too close to her coz she didn't seem to appreciate the company, but I think her withers would've been slightly below boob level on me ;o) and I'm 5'7".
Your heart troubles will be with you always, they just get less painful over the years. Seems like I've left little pieces of mine all over the world - but eventually lots of good memories help.
My pony was heavier in this pic too.... looks even more like the other mare.
Thanks for the link - I see possible birthday presents coming up.
Prayers for your peace. Is your rescue horse?
I swear that stuff will cover anything that isn't moving. The power companies have a time keeping it off the poles and lines. It literally grows a foot a day and you can't hardly kill it with conventional herbicides or fire because the roots are so deep. They have special poisons just for Kudzu that are ground active. The only other way to kill it is to turn so many cows on it that they keep all the leaves eaten off and it eventually starves to death. They say it makes excellent hay for cows but you have cut, rake and bale it differently than grass hay. You have to cut it very low and set the rake and baler very high or you'll get all tangled up in it. The Japanese steam it and eat it I think. I haven't tried it myself though so I couldn't tell ya how it tastes. ;o)
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