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!

[squarebarb]

Good morning all. I have been awasy from the thread for quite some time but will scroll back and check out the latest.

No pics to post today, I am one of those old-fashioned types with a film camera. Have to go in once a week and hang around Wal-Mart for an hour until it's developed.

We are still in a drought here.

On Friday our entire town came out to stand respectfully, with flags, as the funeral cortege for Sgt Jeffrey Wiecamp went through. He was killed in Afghanistan in the Chinook crash two weeks ago Friday. His mom is my neighbor, although I don't kow her very well.

The cortege was made up of about all the law enforcement in the area, Sheriff's dep't, Tx. hiway patrol, plus many motorcyclists (veterans). The crowd was so slient as it passed by.

[MissTargets]

I am so sorry to hear about your home town soldier passing.
Prayers for the family.
May he rest in peace.

[HairOfTheDog]

Hi squarebarb, thanks for stoppin' by... and thanks for the story about the turnout for the soldier and his family. I hope the turnout and participation by the town brings the family some comfort.

We won't be riding today... we've got a fencing project we'd like to tackle.

[Duchess47]

As promised - the pictures of Gold Eagle born yesterday morning. I was just too tired last night to even log on. My grandson woke me up at 4:30am. His barn name is still undecided - the thoughts are Flash (me), Slick (DIL) and Jet (friend).

He is huge, legs almost as long as mom's. Birth was a little rough because of his size but no real problem for the mare. Bob and Janelle were there to assist if necessary. Mare is fairly protective so no real imprinting yet either. She's not aggressive, just real nervous, paranoid so no sense upsetting her further. We'll get to him more in a day or two.

It's hard to see in the pictures but he has lace over his rump like his mom does.

[HairOfTheDog]

Just a hint of snow on his butt. And a little is enough :~D He's beautiful!

Man, he is all leg isn't he! Imagine what a tangle it would be to control those things!

[squarebarb]

They did. My heart breaks for his mother but her faith is strong. They have a Christian as well as an American flag flying at half-mast at their gate.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Good morning:)

Very hot here again today. But I had planned on not riding, so I'll be cool in the house:)

Duchess, another pretty baby:) Congratulations.

Becky

[MissTargets]

Nice, big flashy colt, with those stockings and big blaze.

And the herd gets bigger!

[HairOfTheDog]

We're going to go put temp electric tape up in the pasture, so they can have a little without it being too much. Would like to close off and rest the back forty, and they'd like to be on some better grass. I've been reading about pasture management and I just found out that everything I thought I knew was wrong, and that's just really frustrating. I've always thought the grass was safest when it was dry, and safer after it had gone to seed than when it was at the active leaf-growing stage. This says otherwise. http://www.safergrass.org

I've been waiting for our green grass to begin to go to seed and begin to yellow from lack of rain, thinking when it starts to die it's safe. This says the danger spikes then. Phooey. What do I know?

Only thing I think I know is that this is too much.

Wanna see something interesting? Check out this ~mummified~ possum one of the dogs found under the house.

It's surprising it'd preserve like that in this climate. It must be dry and warm under the house.

[CindyDawg]

He's almost to tall to get under there:') Beautiful

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

EEEWWWWWWWW, that is really strange looking:) rather prehistoric.

Interesting about the grass.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

rather prehistoric.

It really was... like something from an archeology dig.

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, got a temp electric fence up, so they can have about a quarter of the pasture... Hopefully they can't hurt themselves on that much. When they eat that down, we'll move it down a ways, perhaps.

[squarebarb]

What a beautiful baby. Congratultions on successful launch!
His legs are phenomenal. I can see the lace over his butt.

Looking forward to some baby stories!

[CindyDawg]

Morning. You were up late:') I gave it up about 2.

[Centaur]

A tribute to Barbaro

Have you ever known a horse? I don’t mean owned, or rode or had a friend who had…I mean KNOWN.

Ever lie in the grass underneath his massive body on a warm, lazy afternoon with his heavy hooves at your ear as his huge head grabbed the grass around you, knowing that he’d never step on you or startle onto you?

Ever placed your nose into his mane to suck in the warmth of life and earth as he nibbled at your hair? Ever pressed your cheek against his silken muzzle, kissed his lips or rubbed your fingers along his raised veins under glistening sweat after a gallop’s end? Have you ever caressed the softness of his muscled butt or ran your hands around his complex but fragile leg bones?

Have you ever had that large crystal eye look into you and speak with unuttered words or had one run his blood out for you only to later wrap his neck around your shoulder and hug you in thanks for the thrill of competing?

Have you ever had your heart flutter when he understood your body language or you understood his?

I have and I did. I spent the day among them….with mine in the morning, with G’s in the afternoon at a jumper show, barefoot with the mares at the pond before dinner and finally, by the tv, at the Preakness. It is with tears in my eyes as I wonder at the heart of Barbaro that exploded just to do what he was born to do…who broke through the huge magnets that momentarily sustained him with such force as to shatter his own bones. Make no mistake about it; he splintered his ankle in that effort. Despite the resulting pain, with the heart of a Champion, he willingly, anxiously went back to try again…Have you ever KNOWN a horse?

[CindyDawg]

Morning

Very poetic. Done a few of those. I never want to be under my horse though:') I guess I'm just a different kind of horse person. I really didn't fit in to the thread last night. He was a runner and did his own proud during the KD. To me, anything else is gravy. I do hope he heals well, and is able to produce and live a happy life. I don't like to see any animal hurt and his spirit of recovery is touching but I would feel the same about a a rescue horse , in trouble. I am fascinated by how they can "fix" horses now though, if that counts. Down the road the average horse owner may have an option they can afford when it comes to a broken leg of an average horse. To me , that is exciting.

[HairOfTheDog]

Morning. You were up late:') I gave it up about 2.

Heh.... it's madness :~D

[FrogInABlender]

I've read some on the Safergrass website too and it's mindboggling, all that about sugars and carbs and all that. I guess it's a wonder that more horses don't founder with all the lush grasses we get around here in the spring. I always kinda felt sorry for my mares being on that sparse little pasture at my in-laws, but apparently that's the best place for them. They get all the bermuda hay they can eat and I gathered that it was one of the safer choices. But that was just pure luck on my part. Bermuda is just the easiest kind of hay to get around here.

[FrogInABlender]

Oh, and that mummified possum was weird (and kinda gross) too. I wonder what happened to him and how he got up under your house.