The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT

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 MissTargets will now be pinging everyone most mornings. Let MissTargets 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
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread SEVEN

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

[StarCMC]

Good morning ya'll!! I am pinging my 11yo daughter who LOVES horses to this thread. Please welcome USA Horse Lover to FR! I'll log off in a few minutes so she can follow her ping here! *HUGS!*

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome, USA Horse Lover!

I hope you enjoy your time on Free Republic. Let us know if you need help finding your way around.

We've been a little slow lately, it's winter and not very many of us have been doing much that is horsey.

At the top of the thread are our old threads, and you might want to browse through a couple of them and look at pictures :~D

This page The FreeRepublic Saddle Club - Who's Who is a little out of date (we've been meaning to get to it) but you can figure out from it who most of us are. :~D

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Hello USA HL:)

So do you know what kind of riding you want to do, English, Western, Shows, Roedos, trails, etc??

Becky

[USA Horse Lover]

Hi! I am 11 years old.

I live in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Our family owns a bunch of property out near Cuba missouri, where we have neighbors with 3 horses, but only 2 people. There is one horse who never gets ridden(except by me) because he is old and he can't carry much weight. Here are his stats:

Name: Grandpa
Breed: American QH
Sex: Gelding
Age: about 20 years
He is trained for western pleasure and trail riding. He has rotten teeth, so he can't work with a bit. He has to use a hackamore bridle. He is very calm and easygoing, and he doesn't have to know you very well to trust you completely. He is a red dun with a blaze and 1 white sock on his back left foot. I will try to post a picture in here soon.

[HairOfTheDog]

I look forward to his picture. He sounds like a great old horse.

Horses, like people, vary in how well they age. My trail horse Bay is 24, older than your Grandpa horse, but still going relatively strong. :~D You'll see him in lots of pictures in the thread so I won't post one now.

Your old guy might have some limitations, but I bet he knows a lot he can teach you still and he sounds like a real gem.

[USA Horse Lover]

Oh, yeah he has 2 Pasture Pals there is a Tennessee walking horse mare, black with a white stripe and 2 white socks(Foxy), and a Saddlebred/walker gelding with a white stripe and 2 socks(Slick).

[USA Horse Lover]

Am I completely nuts to think that trotting is just plain fun???? My dad and mom say I am, but I just think its really fun!!

[MissTargets]

Hello there, welcome to the thread.
That's wonderful you have a kind neighbor letting you ride their horse.

[USA Horse Lover]

I know! They are very nice. They are also glad that I like riding him because that way he gets exersize!

[HairOfTheDog]

~chuckling~ I love a good trot :~D

Do you like your trots fast or slow? Do you sit it or do you know how to post?

My horse Bay has a big, huge flowing trot. Sometimes it feels like his feet only touch the ground every few strides. He used to be ridden in long endurance races. He could cover a lot of ground easily with that trot.

This is Bay, last summer.

[USA Horse Lover]

I sit it usually. I don't know how to post, but I can stand up and I have this move that I do that's between standing up and posting. But sometimes I stand up the whole time. Which of those would be easier on the horse, so I know for next time?

[MissTargets]

Would either of you kind ladies ping the list this weekend, if you get a chance? (My daughter downloaded on a CD the Toshiba modem driver for the other pc.) Just in case it does not work and I can't get online.

The game I play, Guild Wars, is saved on their server, so hopefully, I don't lose any of that information. This will drive me nuts.

[HairOfTheDog]

I know people who stand just a bit too, to keep from bouncing, but it's better for you and your legs, and for your suppleness and ability to move with the horse, if you can learn to sit it without being stiff or bouncing. It's really not better in the long run to stand, if for no other reason than you'll get pretty tired doing that very long.

If he was a western pleasure horse, he can trot real nice and slow for you, so you shouldn't feel like you're on an egg beater. When you've got that, then let him speed up.

Posting is a hard thing to learn, but it's actually easier to post faster trots than it is slow ones, in my opinion. It takes a lot of practice and repitition to master. But once you've got it, you know it. :~D

[HairOfTheDog]

Sure. You want to send me your current list?

[RebaJ]

Good Morning

[Beaker]

Hi there, welcome to the thread! Sounds like you have a great old friend to help you learn! Post pictures when you can.

[Beaker]

My trail horse Bay is 24, older than your Grandpa horse, but still going relatively strong. :~D

One horse that I ride is a 29 year old QH mare, but she acts like she's 5 most of the time, especially when they're are scary things afoot. We have a lot of "discussions" about who's boss. I don't have any pictures of her on this machine, otherwise I would post one for you.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Unless it is a very very slow western jog trot that the horse is doing, your bouncing will sore him up in the back. It's best to learn to post the long trot, even if you ride western. It can be hard to learn, but once you do it, it's a piece of cake. Just keep working at it.

Becky

[USA Horse Lover]

I ride western. I have NO CLUE how to ride english! I mean, I probably wouldn't fall off or do anything dumb, but I wouldn't be able to trot, canter or jump.

His trot is pretty slow, and I am not supposed to trot him very much because he would get tired too easily.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Just this past summer I had to switch to an English Saddle because my Western Saddle didn't fit my horse. I'm still adjusting, but it doesn't seem that much less secure then the Western Saddle. I'm sure the horse likes it better too being more light weight. I would never have switched tho, if my saddle would have worked.

Becky