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!

[MissTargets]

Oh good, you got the rain. Suppose to rain today here also. I should have mowed the yard last night, but was too busy butchering a plum tree. It has black root, and looked really bad. Only had about 10 leaves. Now, it really looks scalped...lol That is the only way to get rid of the fungus.

[HairOfTheDog]

You know what is best for them.

Heh... I wish I always did :~D So much is guesswork and trial and error. Thanks.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

In my experience with CTR's I have always been amazed by the people who hear about the sport, think it sounds like fun, then drag some poor horse up out of the pasture that hasn't been conditioned at all, and wonder why the poor thing coliced, tied up, or lost points on conditioning....

I've never been to a ride where some horse did not get into trouble just for this reason.

I was at a ride where a man was competing for the first time. You could tell by looking the horse was not in condition. I asked him, in my trying to be tactful way, how often did he ride:), He said "Oh I ride a lot, at least once every other weekend." He didn't even finish the first day out and his horse was limping big time. HE, at least had the sense to pull out, and he did learn. By the next year he had a different horse and it was conditioned very well.

Very few learn tho, most of the others I've seen, just never come back, they quit. Sad.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...others I've seen, just never come back, they quit.

Some of them may quit because it's just too darned expensive. $70 or $80 for a ride is a bit much on top of your gas and camping fees. With gas being what it is, I'm sure the attendance at a lot of the rides is going to start to decline.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

They already have:(. It worries me. I figure now that I have a good horse and am able to compete they are going to have to shut it down.

A few weeks ago they had the ride at Ark, and it is a very popular ride an they only had 24 riders. That's not hardley enough to pay the expenses of the ride.

Celia and I figured for us to go it would have been over $200 just in gas. I can't afford to do that. The entry fees and camping is around $100.

But as far as the ones I've seen not come back that was 3-4 years ago before the gas went up. I do realize that no sport is for everyone. That's probably more of it then anything. I can't understand it:), but there are some people who find going down a traill boring. Not exciting enough:)

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...there are some people who find going down a traill boring. Not exciting enough:)

LOL! Then they're just not riding the right trails. On some of our trails, you'd better have a darned good horse and know how to ride or you're gonna get hurt.

[CindyDawg]

Yeah, I was thinking of the three that one would be most out of the way. Did you open the link. They look workable

[CindyDawg]

People need to be careful what they wish for. I told my trainer I was bored in the arena. She told me she was going to put me some different stuff in there to for me to do. Yea. New toys in the play pen:')

[FrogInABlender]

Hey, nothing wrong with that. If you're not real comfortable with high "pucker-factor" situations, it's better to find out that your horse has "issues" with things in a controlled environment than out on a trail, 20 miles from nowhere. Once you throw some different things at them in the arena and get an idea of how they react, then you can feel better about encountering new things out on the trail. Sounds like a good plan.

[CindyDawg]

I agree. I'm really not complaining. Well, maybe a little. I need more challenges. Cones are starting to bore me. I'm playing with the hoops and putting them on her ears:') I'm not quiet ready for trail boogies yet though. She said something about poles.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

You may be surprised that the trail boogies do not boogie her. I've discovered numerous times that the things we think should spook a horse don't.

Yesterday a deer bounded across the trail not 20 foot ahead of me, Harley saw it, but did no more then prick his ears up, and watch it disappear into the woods. A while later we were going down another trail and I saw a tire laying at the side. I have tires laying all over the arena, he has seen plenty of them, as we approached it I felt him tighten up and as we came close he went sideway's:) Silly horse. You just never know.

As SL was once a trail horse she will probably do fine with the things that you would normally find on trail.

Becky

[CindyDawg]

Well, I'm off to the dentist :'(

[FrogInABlender]

...I'm not quiet ready for trail boogies yet though...

I had some "trail boogies" this past weekend when Grace and I were riding by ourselves. I know we spooked up at least 2 deer, maybe more, and they went crashing off through the woods. I never saw them, but we sure as heck heard them. She 'bout jumped out from under me both times. She kept seeing "Killer Logs" too, but she relaxed after about the first 50. I need to ride her by herself like that a lot more. When we're by ourselves, I feel more comfortable about stopping and correcting problems when they happen, rather than worrying about holding the group up and just going on.

[FrogInABlender]

LOL! Funny that we're both taking about deer and you have one experience and I have another. Like you say, you just never know what's going to freak them out.

[FrogInABlender]

Good Luck! Hopefully he'll fix you up this time.

[RebaJ]

Your books are in. I'll pick them up tomorrow.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I have had deer spook them too. The worst fall I took off a horse was when I was riding Rusty and some jumped up right under us and he spun around. I still can't go by that spot relaxed, I'm always ready now, and of course that is NOT where they are going to be. Yesterday there were turkey in that spot, but Grizzly chased them off before we got there:)

I think when they hear them but don't see them is when they get spooky.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

It's interesting to me that we ~don't~ ever see deer in our woods. We've got them, but never see them. I think part of why we don't also explains why deer hunting is a rather difficult sport here... the undergrowth is so thick you really can't see that far off the trail, and stealth is their forte. They just hunker down. Only chance to ever see one is to set up at the edge of a clearcut and hope to get lucky.

I get a little nervous and observant at the spots where I've seen bears... but Becky's right, part of me knows I'll never see one ~there~ again.

Sometimes Bay just stops in the trail and looks straight ahead. Sometimes I let him, and I talk real loud to him, until I figure out what he's hearing... or seeing.... One of the traits about bears is that they walk right down the trail eating berries along the way, they don't like fighting underbrush any more than we do. Sometimes it's riders coming, and they need to hear us so we can both be looking for a place to get off trail to pass... sometimes we never see anything, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there. Usually after a few moments of listening, he'll move on. I usually trust him if he wants to pause a moment.

[300winmag]

Here's a new gadget (I already have one for "evaluation purposes"). It's the Gerber 1549 cable cutters. It's made on their 600-series multitool, but instead of needle-nose or blunt pliers, it has this rather impressive cable cutter on the end.

My guess is, if you can get it in the jaws, you can cut it. Of course, you don't get much leverage from the handles. Still, it should cut lots more stuff than the little wire-cutter jaws on a regular multi-tool. Street price is about $55.

It should work for fencing and aircraft cable, and maybe mild steel nails. It will NOT work on high-strength bolts, drill rod, etc. (You want miracles for $55?)

[HairOfTheDog]

That's pretty cool.