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!

[Beaker]

Duchess, good luck with those babies. Keep us posted.
I went for an impromptu ride at the barn with a friend of mine. We were going to do stalls and then hack. One of us got to ride anyway. I hopped on Oliver, and he seemed sound all the way up to the barn and when we were warming up at the walk. But as soon as I asked him to pick up a trot, he went dead lame. It seems like a stone bruise, when I picked up that foot and pressed around on the sole, there was a soft(er) divet, and he kept shifting his weight every time I pressed it. I don't think that it's anything more serious than that. No abscess or anything, there was no heat in his hoof or leg.

[Duchess47]

Farah is definately not happy right now.

[Duchess47]

The vets say that Tuffy's surgery is a permenant cure and assure us that it is not heriditary or genetic. At $2800 I hope they are right:)

Harley is going to be lean and mean for the CTR. I bet it will be a walk in the park for him.

[Duchess47]

Thanks. It doesn't sound like it's anything serious with Oliver. I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to ride though.

[FrogInABlender]

Well, I finally got done with inventory and back to the office and uploaded the baby pics and here they are...

Bluebell's BIG baby girl when I first layed eyes on her. Whe was probably 4 or 5 hours old but I swear she looks like a week old filly to me! She's black as a crow's wing, but definately has a silver undercoat. She's gonna be a gray like her dad I think...

[Duchess47]

She is gorgeous - her star looks like a feather :) She doesn't have the white around her eyes like grey horses usually do, at least it doesn't look like it. Maybe she'll be colored like Mom?

[FrogInABlender]

And here's Truly's little colt that I got to help into the world...

This is poor Truly the day before she foaled...

I had been playing with the filly and went to the house to get something and this is what I found when I came back. It suprised the heck outta me, but I was honored that she would let me watch....One hoof out...

Two hooves and a head, but one leg must've been bent at the elbow so I had to grab it and pull...

And he came sliding out like a greased pig...

I didn't think the little bugger was alive at first, but then he sat up like this and took his first breaths and looked at me like "Who the Hell are YOU?!"

And Truly just had to gross me out and eat the placenta. Then she started giving him a bath..

Maybe 15 minutes old and a little more alert...

Thinking about getting up...

From thinking to trying...

Got tired and had to rest with Mom...

Nothing like a Mother's Love...

And he MAKES IT!!! {althouth a bit wobbley}

PAYDIRT!...

And he's gonna a nice looking young colt I think...

[FrogInABlender]

...Maybe she'll be colored like Mom?

Might be, but my money's on gray since she's so black. Most roans come out more frosty looking. She's a full sister to Bob, the 3yr old blue I'm riding right now, and is the spitting image of him when he was born, but he wasn't as black. If she turns out to have anywhere near the same natural gait that he has, I'll be tickled to death, no matter what color she is.

This is Bob the day after he was born... See how much more frosty he is. But they have a nearly identical head and that same short-coupled body...

[FrogInABlender]

Well y'all, it's been a long day and I've fulfilled my threadly duty and posted the baby pics, so I'm headed home. Gonna stop by Walgreens on the way and pick up the prints of them that I had downloaded from Snapfish. I really like that service. It's not that much more expensive and it basically evens out because you don't pay shipping. You gotta pay tax, but you get them in an hour, so you can't hardly beat that.

I may check back in this evening, but then I may go home and crash. Either way I'll talk to y'all later....

[HairOfTheDog]

Oh Frog, both sets of pictures are just wonderful! Fantastic! :~D

GORGEOUS babies and a real treat to see the birth~

~applause~

[Duchess47]

Oh, the colt is beautiful too - why did she eat the placenta? That seems odd. I'm glad you were there to help :)

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, we didn't get around to going on a trail ride. ecurbh felt rather off this morning, waking up with a headache he didn't really shake till noon. Then we hooked up the trailer and found that we needed to go find air for the tires after sitting all winter, so we took it for a spin, aired up the tires, got the brake unit all readjusted and by then it was getting a little late to get started. We're lazy from a long winter I guess, takes us awhile to get started :~D Doing all that prep stuff was good for us anyway as a separate set of tasks. We're NOW ready to go next time :~D

So, freed of the ride, we went up and bought a whiskey barrel and some flowers and a tomato plant, and I'll do that this afternoon after I eat.

[CindyDawg]

She's beautiful. That looks like a snowflake on her forehead. She has a halter already too:'')

[CindyDawg]

Those are amazing pictures:') Makes me want to go baby shopping for Sarah Lee.

[estrogen]

also take pride in the fact that (and I've been guilting myself that this winter I let this slip), my horses are in good shape. I've seen so many horses go down at rides because the rider didn't prepare them enough that I cringe to think of out of shape horses being asked to do more then they should. Their physical shape is as important as their appearance. I know you know that and don't push yours beyond their condition. You cringe over Tiff, I cringe over Celia.

this is something I always wondered, how do you condition your horse? Is it riding a little bit each day and adding to it? I don't want to wear Waylon out.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Wow, those are great pictures. They are both beautiful:). Thanks for taking the time to post all of those:)

I had no clue mares ate the placenta. I've never seen one do that.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well actually this time I'm pushing him harder then I normally would. I want him ready for a ride by the end of May.

But yeah, that's the way I do it. Start out for a couple of hours just walking, doing some hill climbing, then adding stretches of long trotting, and loping, then just keep making the rides longer and longer as the horse gets to doing it easier and easier.

I want to get him to where he's doing 4-5 hours two days running. Give him a day or two off then do it again.

LOL...alot of it depends on how long I last too:).

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

A way to check your horses condition is do along stretch of long trotting, a mile or so, or climb a really long steep hill. Then stop, wait 10 minutes then check his respiration. His respiration should be 6 breaths or lower in a 15 second space. You count their breaths watching their flanks. In, out, is one count. If their respirations is higher then that, then you need to slow down a bit.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Here's our new whiskey barrel, all planted with a bunch of Red Petunias, Red Geraniums, White Geraniums, and Blue Lobelia that I hope will fall over the side.

Red Petunias - these were just leftovers... I bought way too many to go just in the whiskey barrel, not sure what I was thinking... :~D

And a little hanging pot of the same thing, red white and blue, by the gate. on the outside.

We'll see how they grow :~D

[Duchess47]

They are going to be beautiful when they all start blooming.