The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

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
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!

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Sounds like a great time:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't think you can overwater it. They love wet.

[CindyDawg]

I've been trying to lighten my horses load too. I've been walking. I wear a pedometer and my goal is 10000 steps. The other day I was doing mostly desk work. I don't know if I wasn't moving much or if it wasn't counting but I only had about 400 steps recorded. I forgot to take it off before riding. I noticed whem I got off I had almost 5000 steps:')

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh... I don't think those steps count ;~D

[Duchess47]

Remember Seymour has an unfair advantage. He's living in the house by the humidifier since Nevada is half way to a new ice age.

I took a picture of him tonight for you.

[Duchess47]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I also learned the hard way to trust my horses :)

[HairOfTheDog]

He looks great! - though I think he's reaching for the door ;~D

[Duchess47]

He does seem to be doesn't he? He can see the sunrise from the window to the right of him (the windows face north) but most of the day, the sun is on the other side of the house. I've turned him a couple of times but he really wants to be outside.

[CindyDawg]

How do you tell when they are telling you they can't do something vs they just don't want to?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Gawd dang:) I'm jealous:)

Will you ever put it outside?

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I'm wondering if yours not being cut in half helped too??? Maybe your's was less traumatized:)

Becky

[MissTargets]

Good Morning.

Hair, Bay looks great! Feels good to be back in the saddle again doesn't it.

Estrogen, glad you had a great time, and didn't get into any trouble.

[HairOfTheDog]

That might have something to do with it... It might have slowed yours down.

Good morning all :~D

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

If it's something you think they can do (unless it's a training issue, like asking them to sidepass when they've never been trained) they can do it.

But I'm thinking your wondering about the estrogens horse not wanting to step in the mud. Most horses don't want to step in mud, so it's hard to say if he knew it was going to sink under him or just the usual not wanting to do it.

IMO, when riding into something like that the rider needs to know the lay of the land, so to speak and ride accordingly. ie. I would not ride into mud in terrain where there was a possibility of sinking to far. But I'd ride like it was MY decision not to ride into the mud. If I felt like the horse wanted to go around it one direction, and there was room, I'd make him go the other way:)

Around here I know any mud holes are not going to sink under me too far, so they go thru.

Another example, There is gully that I ride down on one of my trails. Every horse I've ever rode, balks at it the first time. Rusty was the worst. It's a pretty steep gully full of rocks. But I've been down it so many times I know they can make it. (I don't remember what happened the first time:). Now if I let the horses make the decision they wouldn't go. I know they can so I work em till they do it. They have to learn to trust you as much as you trust them.

I may be just a bit to controlling, as I've said before, but IMO, unless you are an excellent, very experienced, very competent, very confident rider, you NEVER let the horse make a decision. You make them all, you stay in control. If there is something your not comfortable with don't do it, just make sure the horse doesn't know it:).

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

It did feel good, not bad at all :~D

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good morning:)

Crazy weather. I had to put a jacket on this morning to go feed. But it suppose to be up in the 70's so it will be a great day to ride. Are you riding again today?

Tonight is that seminar about bits, feed, and dentistry. Celia and I are going. I'm really looking forward to it.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...He said, the shoes were designed for the front feet. He has never put them on the back. He did move the shoe on the back foot back and block the toe good...

Well, they DO make an NB shoe called "Elite hind shoe". It looks like this in comparison to the regular NB front shoe...

Regular NB front shoe

It's on this page of their website, about 3/4 of the way down the page. They're not as expensive as the fronts either. They're like $6.25 a pair...

http://www.hopeforsoundness.com/edss/store/perfprod.html

Like I said, Bob's got the regular NB shoe on all four feet, but he's got really big round hooves. A lot of horses have more pointy feet on the back and Harly may be one of those and that may be why the Elite hind shoe works better for them. If your farrier doesn't have any of those, then they said that a regular Rim type shoe, like the St. Croix Forge Eventer, could be squared at the toe and set back like the NB shoe.

The Eventers are similar in that they have the raised rim in the middle so you set that over the breakover point like you do with the NB. The rocker just isn't as big. Hopefully he's not going to be sore, but if he is, I'm sure the farrier can figure something out.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Hey thanks. I was wondering about the rim shoe.

I'll give him a call before the next time and tell him to have one or the other with him for the back feet. Harley's back feet are shaped more narrow and pointy. I could see how it would be hard to shape the regular NB to fit him. It would take alot of pounding.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

just make sure the horse doesn't know it:)

OK horse, but it was ~my~ decision :~D

Good post. Sometimes a horse is just being uncooperative, and it's good to know the difference. Otherwise a manipulative horse will cow a timid rider and never cross anything.

But if a normally willing horse doesn't want to do something that looks to be within his ability to do, I usually will give it a second look to see what the problem might be. I remember a time with Bay long ago, where we were riding through tall brush, no trail (musta been with Tiff) and he refused to go where the other horses had already gone. I looked down in front of him about ankle height were three strands of barbed wire from some old fence long ago. Her horses had made it through without snagging it, but I took it as a smart choice by Bay not to... I got down and stood on it while I led him across. He hopped it... still knew it was there.

On the 25 mile ride last year there was a bridge where the approach to it was washed out, so there was deep suck mud leading to it, and then they'd have to hop up about a foot to get on the bridge. Bay didn't like the look of it, and since I was first in the line, I got down and walked it. Ended up that ecurbh and Cyn, and Bob and Kai, just rode it, but I thought it was worth looking at first.

I'm timid in that I will get down and walk something that's new and looks scary. I don't like pushing horses that are afraid, it's a time when they may dump me if they feel strongly enough about it. So if I'm unsure too, I'll get down and investigate.

[HairOfTheDog]

Are you riding again today?

Probably won't... If I do anything horsey it'll be to lunge Cyn.

I wanna help Rosie's place look better because her family is coming to visit, will be here tonight, and she doesn't have time, she's working today. She's self conscious about that place and hasn't had time to do a lot to fix it up yet. I can at least mow the grass that's getting tall.