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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!
You may have to hay them year round, but that is plenty of land for 2-3 horses.
Becky
You have room for all of that plus space, so it should work. Most around here have to buy hay. I'm going to look at it anyway. It's not my "dream" but it's real.
Sure, that is plenty of room for what you want to do. There is a boarding stable near me (used to be a Tb breeding facility) that is about 7 acres. They have a large outdoor arena, small covered arena, 40-stall barn, 4-stall barn, and 6-stall shedrow as well as about a 5 acre pasture for turnout and a nice house. For turnout, the geldings go in the morning and the mares in the afternoon. The only thing they do not have to offer is individual turnout, only group.
And, the lady down the street from me runs a very successful hunter-jumper barn geared towards kids on about 10 acres. She has a 2 20-stall barns, a large indoor with more stalls on the side, 2 large outdoor arenas, several acres of turnout in back, a round pen and small turnout in front, house, and feed storage barn all on about 10 acres.
If you carefully plan and manage, you can get a lot out of small acreage. The one thing you cannot do is feed the horses off the pasture so you will be feeding lots of hay especially in the winter. You might look for the book called "Horsekeeping on Small Acreage". It has lots of great tips and management techniques.
Did you all catch Animal Plant's "Trail Mix" last night? I was gaming, and only caught Cheryl Crowe and what looked like a Spotted Saddle Horse or some other kind of gaited breed. The show came back on at 11 pm, and I watched Lee Ann Rimes cutting. There was too much BS and not enough horses, so I went to bed.
I think I've seen that one . I'll pick up a copy. I was wanting big pecan trees and on water. Something kind of like Rose has. That's a good dream I can continue to work towards but in the meantime I'm paying over 500 a month and have a horse that seems to pick up everything that comes around.
Correct. She has been there 3 weeks. Daughter took some pictures, but I had PC tied up all night. She will probably have to load them at her work and send them to me. Nothing real exciting, just trainer riding in arena again.
Good morning everyone!
~sip~
Well, if we get our dreams, then what do we have to dream about:)
Anyway, I'll give a few suggestions on keeping horses in a smaller acreage. Most horse owners who have big acreages, keep the horses in realatively small areas, (unless they have alot of brood mares that never really need to be caught anyway).
From what I've learned, make sure your pereimeter fencing is solid, especially since you won't be living there. I would make each horse it's own seperate run and put the runs where you thnk you'll build a barn. try to have the runs where the horse can have free choice to go in and out once you have the barn. These really don't have to be all that big, but you want them big enough if they have to stay in there for a period of time (like in the winter when you don't want them eating the dead grass down to the dirt) there is enough room for them to move around. Then cross fence, (and use hot wire like I have because it can be moved around if need be, and one strand will hold them if the wire stays hot.). I'd try to cross fence it into as many small paddocks, probably 4. This is so you can rotate them around and one part of your pasture won't get ate down to the ground and another part be lush grass that for what ever reason (who knows with horses:) they do't eat. I'd use the same paddock for about a week at a time, then move to another. Keep and eye on them and if they start looking really ate down, just keep the horses in their runs till they look better.
You'll be going out there every day, I'd say to feed, so if it was me, I'd put them out in a paddock during the day, and bring them in at night during the colder months, and vice versa in the summer, put them out at night and keep them in the run during the day, (especially whenyou get a barn. In the summer they'll stay in the barn during the day on their own to keep the flies off themselves).
This will help save your grass, which altho it might not be enough to "keep" them (I don't know the quality of the grass you all have down there), but it will give them enought to keep them mentally happy:). They could also be in the paddocks together and that will help them mentally. But being seperated in thier runs helps when you want to ride by yourself. They've learned the other horse can go away, but will come back. I'd hay and feed them while they were in the runs. The advantage of that is you know that each horse is getting the right amount that you want them to get,
I've been very impressed with the ease of putting up the hot wire, using the yellow and black twine you can buy now, and using the posts I use. They're just short pieces of rebarb with a triangle metal flag at the bottom. Very easy to drive in, and take out and reuse if need be. Alot easier then T-posts. and cheaper.The twine costs more then wire, but it's easier to work with and more visible. If you do all this and use regular wire, I'd tie some kind of flags on it to make it easier for the horses to see, caution tape, old sheets, anything. If you do breed SL, when it comes time for the baby to be born, I'ld get something like a round pen with panels, and keep it there till it gets good control of it's legs:), then even if you have the twine, I'ld flag the heck out of it. When we introduced Dot to the pasture, I went to a paint store and got the bright yellow caution tape, and hung foot long strips every few inches. She only touched it once, and that took a few days. I think the blowing tape kept her away for awhile. But then curiostiy got the best of her and she had to sniff one, then bite it, then she finally touched the wire. (I didn't have the yellow twine then). I stayed out there until she finally touched it, to make sure she didn't take off in a panic and run thru somewhere esle. She ran right to her momma, and stayed there:)
Hope this helps and hope you get something:)
Becky
He must have just been brushed, because he looked a little cleaner than usual. Hmmmmmmm....He must be up to something.....
His mane has this wierd glint to it. No matter what, in the middle of his mane, in like a horizontal stripe, it is a lighter color. Actually, the reason the picture is so dark is because they spook at the flash.
I haven't ridden him for a while, after all, he's not my horse. But I think I might be teaching myself a little bareback next time.... :D
I'd bet I could fancy a hackamore bridle out of my L-O-N-G jump rope...and he'd get an apple for being good....:)
He HAD had a brushing earlier, but no instuctions. He just looked at the orange focus light and-----snap!
He's got her in a full bit already, that's ~mildly~ surprising... though it looks like it might be a jointed mouthpiece, I'd have thought he would be working her in a plain snaffle at this point. Was there any talk or rationale about it?
No dear... you better wait for the real thing :~D
We're only using about 5-6 acres here... plenty of room for enough pasture for them to run on, but probably not enough to keep them fed on pasture except during the richest months.... although during those months, sometimes you have to worry about ~too~ much. It's feast or famine here.
Would you eventually build on this property?
I've read about people doing that before...He uses a hackamore anyway, so it wouldn't be anything new. He's so good, that tapping him on the belly with my heels and telling him to "HO" will be enough to make him go and stop, but I think a bridle would be a good idea.
A bridle would be a good idea... as well as the full permission and blessing of the owner :~D
That bit looks alot like the one I use on my horses. altho I don't know what the mouth piece is. Their not all that severe, it all depends on the hands behind it:) I think it helps to get them to bend at the poll.
Becky
Oh, come on Hair be a sport:) She's a kid, it's an old horse, he's going to get an apple, what could possibly happen:)
</teasing>
Becky
An other advantage to having runs you can put them in and only put them out on the pasture 1/2 days.
Becky
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