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Posted on 02/24/2006 9:12:25 AM PST 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
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread EIGHT
New folk and occasional posters, jump right in and introduce yourselves, tell us about your horses, and post pictures if you've got them!
That's a nice fly sheet. I'd like to put the neck part on Rocky. He gets ate up every year on his neck.
Becky
Those look like brand new shoots, over the course of the summer they do bend and relax a little. Yours might look like that the first year too... this year you might only get the number of fronds that you see now, but over time, they can get bigger and fuller till there's more than a dozen that come up... if this experiment works!
crossing fingers:)
Becky
One thing about it, I could put some tinfoil on her halter and some little antennae on her head, like Hair was talking about, and she could shore-nuff pass for a space horse in that getup. LOL! She looks like something out of the 60's version of "Lost in Space".
I don't know how well it'll hold up to being worn all the time out in the pasture. I'm not sure the other horses, especially Bob, will leave it alone. None of my horses are used to being blanketed, other than just in the trailer. The other night when it was so cold, windy and rainy, I put a blanket on Hope for a while because she was shivering so violently that she could hardly eat, but when she got done she was walking around all bowed up and would take little hops every now and then, kinda like Hair said Pony did when she first blanketed her. And Bob was following her around picking at the shoulder of it with his teeth, and Ellie was bringing up the rear (literally) trying to dry her face on Hope's butt. It was kinda funny. I would've left it on her if it had been a waterproof turnout, but it was just a regular blanket and I was afraid that when it got wet, it would've been worse than no blanket at all, so I took it off. It had stopped raining by then anyways. One of these days I'm going to get some turnout blankets, but I just never really need them that often around here, so I've just never really thought that much about it.
I never blanket mine usually. I did Harley just while the barn was blown down and he was out in that pen. Rocky still had his stall for a wind block even tho the roof was gone.
I felt kind of bad this morning. Rocky has already shed quite a bit and when I went to feed he was shivering, not much, but I don't remember ever seeing him do it. He usually is such a wuss he always stays in his stall. But this morning you could tell he had been out and gotten wet. Harley was dry and not shivering. I almost got the blanket out to put on him, but I figured 1 it was warming up, 2 feeding him should help, so I didn't put it on him. I'd bet my last dollar he;s fine now. But it is sad when you see them shivering.
When we had all the kids horses here, I use to put blankets on some. They were always ripping them off each other. i would put them on now especially if I was turning them out in a herd. Blankets are too expensive, and IMO, they just really don't need them, except in wet, cold circumstances where they can't get out of it.
Becky
I wouldn't put this thing on Grace either if I didn't have to, but I gotta try something or she won't have any skin left by the end of the summer. Hopefully it'll work.
Oh I understood that.
Becky
That's good, fingers crossed that they all survive the next cold spell too. Sure wish I could say we were done with winter here :)
It looks to me like they all made it fine. I'm sure if they didn't you'd see the freeze damage on them.
Actually, I've never seen rigging like that, the two rings.
For now I would say the first one, but I'll show this to my son tomorrow and see what he says.
I will be a good way to move the cinch back if you get a cinch sore:)
I'll just give him a call and see if I can describe it.
Becky
Well he's not home, but I'll show him tomorrow.
Becky
I've seen the extreme cowboy race too, and I like it a lot. One of the races I saw, someone had a 3 year old doing that course with just a neck rope. It was a rope that was under his neck by his chest, and then one end was held each hand. No bridle, no halter, nothing. That horse went through the course easy and calm and willing as you please. I saw another guy who was a complete yahoo, and pushed his appy horse harder than he should. When they went through the lake/puddle/bog that poor horse had such hard time, and finally just lay down on his side and dumped the guy in the water.
I'd tie it up the way that you have it in the first pic.
I think it can vary by the build of the horse... like the English saddle billits... you can fasten it forward, back, or in the middle.
I rather like the way the middle on looks like it's pulling the center of the saddle, instead of just the front.
Whichever you do... just make them the same on each side...
Mine never rip at each other's blankets and it'd be a pain in the butt if they did. They've worn them rubbin on trees and things, and these good WeatherBeeta blankets are fabulous... Not even the pony's been able to make much of a tear in one. I've lost strap buckles, maybe because they've caught them on things, there's a stretchy kind of breakaway segment on them.
I've actually thought when they were out playing, the blankets provide some protection because they can bite and kick and not mark each other up. They never hurt the blankets.
That sheet will undoubtedly get snags in it when they roll and rub, like the fly masks do, but hopefully it'll still provide protection.
I googled up "center fire billet" , that may be what that is for, but it's not exactly like what I saw on a few articles. You might take a look and see what you think.
Becky
I wish I had seen that:) So is this something that is one every week? I thought it was maybe a once a year thing.
Becky
I don't know what the frequency of the race is, but I think I've seen a couple of different ones.
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