The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN

See our "who's who" page! ^

[HairOfTheDog]

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
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SIX

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

[HairOfTheDog]

We went through that with Cyn of course, but this new horse isn't even in the same space with them, and they still all completely forgot where to go at feeding time. The complication is we have to pull Bay out into the yard to feed him, because he'll bucket hop. But he wouldn't come to the gate.

Guest horse made it through the night and is having her breakfast. The pony is getting ~worse~ instead of better about rushing the fence at her. She's emboldened by the idea of someone she could push around. So I'll leave them seperate. Sweetie, for her part, now ignores them when they rush her. She's figured out they can't get to her.

[FrogInABlender]

Those are cute pictures of the kids play day. I wouldn't worry about both the kids competing on Big because she looks like she's enjoying herself. I feel sorry for that poor pregnant mare that girl is riding. Like you saiek she's really to far along to be doing that kinda stuff. The little bitty girl on that big ol' horse sure was cute. Kids are amazing in their fearlessness. I'd be scared to death to put a kid that small on a horse. I've had my great nephews and niece on Tennessee before, but only with me leading him and their daddies walking along side with their hands on them, prepared to jerk them off at the slightest hint of trouble. I have ridden them in front of me before, just around the yard, but I had my forearms under their armpits while I was holding the reins. When it's just me riding, I'm not afraid of anything, but I'm just a chicken when it comes to other people's kids I guess.

[FrogInABlender]

...The pony is getting ~worse~ instead of better about rushing the fence at her...Sweetie, for her part, now ignores them when they rush her. She's figured out they can't get to her.

It's probably the same for Pony. She knows she can bluff and carry on and nothing's gonna come of it so she can be as nasty as she wants. So funny!

[HairOfTheDog]

It's like the dogs going ballistic barking at a Rottweiler outside the fence. The dog could eat them as a snack but for the gate that makes them pretend they're tough.

[FrogInABlender]

LOL!! Yep, the very same I think.

[Beaker]

Ugh that poor mare. It looks like she's having a hard time getting around those barrels. I've been told
that it's ok to ride them until their girth can't fit anymore, and that's what I used to do,
but just light easy work as they got farther along. that's just too much.
PS. I'm sorry if this post looks wierd. I had to insert page breaks because it was just one long wide post

[HairOfTheDog]

There's a button in the post area that says "word wrap on" or "word wrap off".

Push that :~D

[HairOfTheDog]

I was thinking, about that mare, if she isn't just really fat. It's an odd time of year for a horse to be ~that~ pregnant.... but it sure looks like pregnant to me.

In any event, they're pushing her beyond what they should.

I was advised that normal riding was OK through six months, and then gradually decreasing the amount of any jarring riding after that.... By 9-10 months, only walking. They might choose to trot or run in the field, but that was they're choice ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

~er~ their choice...

[Beaker]

There's a button in the post area that says "word wrap on" or "word wrap off". Well lookit that. :-) I must've accidentally turned it off in that post.

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh.... Now if we could just find your missing <P> :~D

[FrogInABlender]

...It's an odd time of year for a horse to be ~that~ pregnant...

Some people like to breed for a fall colt. There's this mare that I've been watching on my way to and from work that I've been expecting to drop a foal every day for 2 months. She is just HUGE. A friend of mine was planning on breeding her mare in October one year. I know that most mares stop cycling along about then unless they're kept under artificial light so that might be why you don't see it that often.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, I think the main reason, besides the accepted New Year's birthday, is that most don't want a young foal to have to endure winter...

But folk in the South barely know what winter is eh? LOL

Your winter might be a milder time for a young tyke than summer :~D

[FrogInABlender]

Yeah, the New Year's birthday thing has alot to do with it in some breeds. I don't think it does in Walkers and Racking Horses. I think they use the birthdate on the registration papers.

And you're right about winter not being all that bad down here. It gets down into the low teens and 20s, but usually not for long and will usually warm up above freezing during the day. But the weird thing is that some days, it's warmer up north than it is here, and it really chaps my butt when that happens! ;o) Not fair!

[HairOfTheDog]

I think the birthday thing only really makes a difference if you are showing them young. A few months maturity would make a difference in a yearling halter class, or perhaps in a two year old class, after that, it makes no difference.

I'd hate to have a foal in the wet of early spring here... I'd aim for a June foal if I were foaling, which I'm not ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

So where are ya this morning?

I'm about to go out and mow, while it's still cool.

[FrogInABlender]

...I'd hate to have a foal in the wet of early spring here... I'd aim for a June foal if I were foaling...

Yeah, I can understand that. We just don't have that wet spring thing here. I mean it rains, just not continually. I don't like to plan March foals because the weather's still unpredictable then. You can get a late freeze. April and May are the best. By June it's getting pretty darned hot and the biting flies are getting bad. July, August and September are out of the question for me. Just too hot and too many flies. October would be acceptable, but getting a mare to ovulate in November is iffy. Sharn's horses didn't seem to have any problems doing it in January, so you never know. It depends on the horse I guess.

[Rose of Sharn]

Good morning all!


Isn't is amazing how the temperature varies across states. As you know we had December and January foals. We hardly ever have to wear more than long sleeved t-shirts in the winter and it has got in the 80s some years at Christmas. 2001 and 2003 we were in shorts out having target practise on Boxing day (Dec 26th)!

[Beaker]

We hardly ever have to wear more than long sleeved t-shirts in the winter and it has got in the 80s some years at Christmas. 2001 and 2003 we were in shorts out having target practise on Boxing day (Dec 26th)!
I envy you, Sharn, I really do. Why are you moving again? Winters here are brutal, and summers here are terribly humid. But our falls are lovely, and our springs tend to be wet. I don't know why anyone would want to try to breed horses in New England really. Our weather is so unpredictable, that we once had a snow storm on April 1st. If I had to pick a safe month, I'd pick May. Early to mid June isn't bad either.

[RMDupree]

Mornin.

Just stopping by to get this thread back on my comments.