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!

[FrogInABlender]

The Neo Vita place sounds really good. I thought about going to a podiatrist at one time when I was having trouble with my arches but lucked out when mine cleared up on it's own when I quit wearing cheap shoes with no arch support.

I don't like wearing shoes in the house either but my feet get cold so I wear sheep skin house shoes year round. They don't give much support either, but most of the time when I'm home I'm not on my feet so I guess it works out ok.

Hopefully you've got your problem worked out now and will be able to get around a little better. Sore feet aren't any fun!

[FrogInABlender]

Your mudhole looks alot like mine did. Those hoof-holes are the real culprit. They seem to hold water forever. Sounds like you've got a good plan for getting rid of it though. Some gutter guards might help with the needles. You know the kind where the leaves and trash is supposed to slid on off the end and the water is supposed to wrap around and go in the gutter. I saw them demonstrated at a home show once and they looked pretty cool.

I really like the look of your fence and your drainage ditch looks like it works really well. Good job!

[HairOfTheDog]

Sore feet aren't any fun!

No, they really aren't particularly when the key to losing the excess pounds that make them ~worse~ is getting on my feet more and walking. I do OK when I can be active, but this problem really limited me from exercising the whole late part of summer and into fall. Now, I maybe can go, but it's hard to get started when it's raining and I have to slog through the mud to get started.

[HairOfTheDog]

Even cleaning out the gutters from time to time would do it.

And I know what's needed in that spot, but we don't have the means to do it unless we hire a tractor guy to come do it. And we're almost to the point where we want to do that.

It's balance, on rented space like we have. We're less likely to sink a lot of money into solving problems here, but I've put in the fencing and done the work because it has value to ME using it.

That section of fence we re-did last summer to put those ties under it and move the mesh up. Before, the mesh went to the ground and mud just came through it and looked like ~heck~. We moved the fencing up but not the top rail. I want to add a round rail on top now or move the top round that's there up so they don't lean over it and bend it. But haven't got a round toit yet :~\

[FrogInABlender]

Yeah, cold rainy weather sucks!

[FrogInABlender]

It's balance, on rented space like we have. We're less likely to sink a lot of money into solving problems here, but I've put in the fencing and done the work because it has value to ME using it.

I know exactly what you mean. My horses are on borrowed space at my BIL's but I'm willing to spend the time and money to fix it up because it is worth it to me. I about killed myself this past summer laying a brick-on-sand floor in one of the stalls in order to have a level place for the farrier (and me) to work. I've also rigged up enough florescent lights in there with extension cords to put your eyes out, because trying to get a horse shod in the wintertime after you get home from work without having enough lights to see what you're doing is a pain in the butt. One of these days I'm going to have my own place and I'll do it up right!

[HairOfTheDog]

One of these days I'm going to have my own place and I'll do it up right!

Hear hear!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Harley and I are back. We had a great ride. Even tho it was cooler today then yesterday he broke sweat today. He had a good work out. We did climb alot of hills again today, but we also did, ohhhh, 1/2 mile trot/lope, and we were on the whole moving out faster then yesterday. A few pictures, they're pretty blah tho.

This is rather interesting. Where this is at is on the slope down to the creek where the deep water crossing is. Years and Years ago, one summer someone planted some pot on this slope and had spread hay around the base of the two plants:) They grew all summer then in the fall disappeared. It's never happened again. But today at the same spot I came across this. A pile of very green alfalfa hay just laying there. Julia and I rode by here yesterday and I didn't notice it, but that doesn't mean it just happened I might have missed it with all the leaves almost covering it. But it seems odd for that to be there.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Here's a contrast picture. The first one is from about 2 years ago and was in the spring.

This is from basically the same place taken today.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Boy, I can sure see how easy it would be for that area to become an inferno... It looks crunchy dry.

As for the alfalfa... keep an eye on what grows out of that ;~D

[HairOfTheDog]

It'll look like that again :~D Spring will arrive :~D

[HairOfTheDog]

I love the sparse trees throughout the pasture. I want that in ours... it stays cooler and shadier, I bet, and the grass probably stays green longer in drought because of it.

[N. Beaujon]

I have the sandisk 4 different card reader version. Works great and I also have a flash memory store that I can download to and take whatever to anothe computer in a heartbeat.

Rose, I love that one!! That's the one I had first but somehow one of the menfolk absconded with it and "replaced" it with the 5 in 1 reader. ;) I'm sure he thought he was doing me a big favor. Now, if I need the 4 reader I just pull the plug on his computer and plug it into mine. :) I got robbed! (Not to worry, however, they have to buy me another gig. Ho ho ho.)

Anne

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Spring or not, it won't look like that if we don't get some rain.

Any way, a few more just because:)

Here's my boy:), after we got back. Looking a bit chunky, isn't he:)?

Did I mention that I did buy a water trough warmer.

And Rocky was standing pretty so I thought what the heck, then Grizzly had to horn in:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Yeah, it's nice out there in the spring. The trees stay green all summer, but even with the shade, it gets so hot and dry that the grass will turn brown after July.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

The rain will come eventually.... It has to.

I would never accuse anyone or any horse of being chunky, I have no moral high ground on that one :~D I think he looks great :~D And so does Rocky.... When was the last time you rode him? Is he good no matter how long he's been off?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Such a diplomat:). I think he's chunky.

Rocky stays the same all the time. Both the way he looks and how he would ride. I really can't remember the last time I rode him. A long time ago. But he would be just fine to ride by anyone. If you kicked up to a lope, he'd probably shake his head around a bit, but that's as far as that would go. He doesn't have any shoes so if I do ride him it would have to be slow and on easy trails. He's always been very tender footed.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

Good pics! I like the one of Harley looking back over his shoulder. He looks so sweet! As for looking chunky, I can't say anything, all mine are fat as mud, but I'd rather see them a little round than skinny.

[HairOfTheDog]

It's a great temperament, and probably also his age and experience, that makes him priceless to be reliable, no matter what.

Bay's that way too. And he was when he was 10 too. When I got on him at his original home and Bob was buying him, he hadn't been ridden in 3 or more years, and though he was green then, his attitude was willing.

And I think Cyn's pretty good, though just to be sure, we talked that when the weather starts to improve, before we take her back out on trail we should lunge and restart her with a little manners and groundwork to be sure. She dove right back into work last spring, but it's always good to make sure. Heh... after ecurbh had been a long time without loping on her, she crow-hopped the first time Markie kicked her up... Actually, that's not true, she crow-hopped once after about the third Markie kicked her up... I saw it more as a lack of patience for a teenager wanting to run all the time :~D

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Thanks:) I like him alot, he is sweet. He is not "over" chunky, but I like them a little leaner.

I was thinking while I was riding that I was going to ask: He's 6 going on 7. Could he have wolf teeth. When he was hoping around yesterday and then a few times today, I noticed he was really throwing his head around when you just barely pulled back to stop or check him a bit. This is not normal behavior for him. It just dawned on me today it may be wolf teeth, or maybe he just needs to be floated.

I'm going to call the vet in the morning and make an appointment. It's a bit early for shots and stuff, but I don't want to wait till then if he is having teeth problems.

Becky