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Thread Nine: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1584833/posts |
Posted on 10/04/2005 9:56:41 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 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!
I'm going to be riding on his mom, probably. She's what would be known as "broke to death" around here. She's a wonderful older horse and very gentle -
But have you ever known a horse that had her heart broke? She came into the herd just after she was bred, and I really think she misses her previous owner. She was a Montana cow horse, and was with her man for a long time. There's just something about the way she looks out across the pasture when I come up, like she's waiting for someone else to come up behind me...
Anyhow, I'm hoping that getting her out to ride might help. Or not. I'm not sure how she'll respond to someone else mounting up if she's missing someone else.
What I'm looking for is the problem. I think I've mentioned it before but I want pecan trees and water. Either a creek or some river frontage. All at a price I can afford , of course:') I've found a couple I really like but they are about 4 hours from here. We would have to just take the horses with us on long weekends so it needs to be a place we are sure we will want to later retire to. I'm still looking around here though. Last weekend I just went driving.
Why does this not surprise me? :~D
We can all get together and have a work day and fix up your planters for you if you want:') I turned an extra bedroom into my office . I painted it green. I still have some of that and I think some pink left.
No. You are attributing human responses to a horse. It doesn't happen. If she is truely broke to death, your riding her won't be a problem.I would have someone else ride her while you watch so you can see how she acts. That will make you more comfortable while one her.
Becky
Right now, all that Ranger will learn is to stand, lead, and pick up his feet for a farrier. It would be good for him to learn now how to load in a trailer, stand for clippers and a bath, and stand tied or in cross ties. That depends alot on his mind. If he's a laid back horse he can be taught a lot more at his young age than if he sees boogey men around every corner and thinks you will kill him given half a chance. If that's the case, he first has to learn than you won't hurt him unless justified.
Do overs happen a lot around here:')
Actually, that makes me feel a little better for her. She seems happy until she sees a pickup truck show up - and then she keeps looking for someone else.
My FIL had one of those walkers with a seat and four wheels instead of just posts.. He could only go a few paces before he had to sit down, so he would put the brakes on and turn around and rest a while. When he got his breath back and his legs stopped wobbling, he would try again.
Its a good walker. :)
Horses can be very curious. Mine always come up to the front fence line to see what's going on when anyone pulls up.
Becky
If you know someone that is a pilot and does a lot of local flying, let them look for you. Just tell them what you have in mind. There is more than one way to skin a cat. That is the way I found a place that I liked but the owner would not sell. The land had an old abandoned mansion on it that I wanted to restore. A few years later some rowdys set the old house on fire and it burned to the ground. Very sad ending to an old house.
I have a 24yr old gelding, cow horse all his life, whose owner had a heart attack and died while riding him. I got him from the man's son, who thinks the horse stayed with him until someone from the ranch came out looking for the two of them. Nice horse, broke to death, and that included being broke to stand ground tied (which is why he stayed right where he was).
Horses have preferences in people, some like men, some like women, my horses all like me (because I brush them, don't cowboy when I ride them, and sneak them an apple every once in awhile. Well, except my hubby's horse. Prez is a 16h gelding who is scared to death of me :) I think it's because I'm short and wear glasses falling down on my nose.
Wish I had one of those when I first came home. That would have helped my walking quite a bit. Oh well, this week I return to a wheelchair for long distance walks.
Great! I hope you get it and take some pics for us....... : )
Yes. ~all smiles~ :~D
First, he said I'm at eye level or lower with Ranger. I never really think of myself as being that short. He thought it made a difference in the way the horse reacts to him and reacts to me.
Confidence and posture matter more than size. I've seen little tiny women that are great horsemen. It's about whether you have a commanding presence more than it is about size. Don't be timid. Women are good horsemen ~because~ they can be assertive and confident without being hard. That's sometime harder for a man to master.
Second, when I put on my jacket (it finally gets cool at night) he noticed it has ruffled sleeves on it - and the horse noticed it too. As in, he wanted to nibble them.
At this point don't let him nibble at you at all. The best rule to teach him right now is this. You can touch him, he can't touch you. You can enter his space, he can't enter yours. If he does, slap him. If he takes a bite at you, slap him hard and yell. I have a "Hey!" and a "AAAAAAATTch!" that mean 'knock it off' to mine.
I'll answer the trainer/training question in s different post so we don't have awful long replies all in one shot.
Thanks for all the help, and for the forgiveness! Today has been really frustrating for me, but it helped me evaluate the situation a LOT more objectively. The last thing I want to do is end up being a bad owner of a spoiled horse, and I think that if I can get some unvarnished opinions from you guys I will do a lot better. Not that I might like it at first, but in the end I really appreciate it!!
OK - he needs several stages of training in life, so I'm gonna parse it out to make sure we're talking about the same thing.
Right now he needs to be halter broke, learn to lead, learn to tie, learn to stand still for grooming or for an exam and learn to pick his feet up. I'd think your hubby's friend, or whoever you trust who will come out, should spend that time WITH YOU, teaching you how to teach the horse. Make it as regular as you absolutely can. See if this person can come every day for a week and work with both of you, then you can probably continue to work alone if things go well unless you have a setback.
Later on, and I'd say at no less than a year, you can begin to lunge and/or round pen with the colt, and the same trainer can show you how to do that. Since we've got a lot of time before that happens, you have time to both read about it, and get an earful from me and Becky and the rest about the pros and cons of the various methods. DON'T do any of that now, lots of circling is not good for a baby's joints. He should get a lot of excercise, but it should be the natural free running kind.
You said to ask, so here's what I WANT TO ASK: is it better to bring a trainer "in" to have him trained with us (as we originally intended to do) or to have him "sent to breaking boot camp" as hubby's friend suggests? My husband really wants Ranger, and he really want to have him broken with us around if possible. He is not sure about the method he wants to try (natural, classic) and RFDTV's wide array of training choices is making things confusing.
Again, you have a lot of time to decide this. He can't be broke to ride till at least two... and some wait till three to be sure he's mature enough. Lots of time to consider those options.
IF I DO ALL THIS - get him gelded and bring in trainers, can I still keep this colt and not be an ass?
As long as you are willing to learn and listen to advice (not just ours, but the people you bring in to work with the colt) you aren't an ass :~D LOL
You'll hear lots of conflicting things... Horsemanship is an art, not a science. If you ask 10 horse people how to do something you'll get 12 answers. You'll have to listen, evaluate, and take with you from each person the stuff that makes sense to you. Lots of right ways to do this stuff. Try it, watch the result, try it again, re-evaluate.
In the mean-time I hope you take lessons from a good teacher. More than just riding around with the neighbor, real lessons. Maybe from the same person who's helping you with the colt, so that person is always considering your end goal as he teaches, and can help you get there.
Here's what I want to ask. Are you willing to wait perhaps as long as 3 years and spend several thousand dollars on the training and upkeep of this horse that you can't really ride for that long?
You should have seen the old mansion I wanted. It was eerie looking but I do not believe in ghosts either. I made several pictures of it, from the air and on the ground. If I run across them soon I will post a picture of it for you.
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