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]

Hey thanks:)

Becky

[Beaker]

Oh bugger Hair, I'm so sorry about the kitten.

[tuffydoodle]

Be careful this weekend and have a great time!

Mosquitoes are bad here, too. No ticks, though. Since we moved to this area about 5 years ago, I've never seen a tick. *knock on wood*

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks ladies... ~sigh~ It's a sad thing. The other pets were a great comfort. To both of us. Amazing how fast we bond with these critters.

Good morning everyone, and Good luck packin today.

Becky..... DON'T FORGET THE CAMERA :~D

[FrogInABlender]

I took some baby pics yesterday afternoon. They are almost one month old. It's kinda hard to get any because I can't keep 'em away from me long enough for the camera to focus. Most of 'em come out looking like this...

That's Delight's Blue Knight on the left and Ironwork's Whirlwind on the right, also known as Goose and Whirl. They're as silly a pair as there ever was and are really fun to watch. Whirl is still bigger, but Goose is catching up fast. Whirl's gray is really coming in and Goose's blue is beginning come in just enough to be visible if you ruffle his hair and look for it. He'll be true blue by the end of the summer.

[Beaker]

Great pics! So many babies. I love this time of year :-)

[HairOfTheDog]

They are adorable! How fun to have two at the same time :~D And your horses, with all your shades of blue and grey, match almost as well as mine do.

[FrogInABlender]

They're learning how to graze and it's really funny to see the contortions they have to go through to reach the ground...

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh... yeah it is.... "Who thought up these legs bein' this tall?"

[CindyDawg]

I love this time of year too. They are adorable. I have trouble getting face shots of Sarah Lee also. She keeps coming forward.

[CindyDawg]

Yea! My truck is ready. Now I can move my trailor.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Beautiful babies:) They sure grow fast don't they.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

OKAY:)

I'm taking a lunch break. I don't know if I mentioned that I'm roughing it this weekend, I'm not taking the RV. Too much for one person. So I thought I'd show you some pictures of my trailer packed for a weekend ride.

The blue thing is one of those fold out chairs. I'll sleep on it in the back of the trailer. The big white barrel is Harley's water, the hay is under the folding chair. The feed in front of the barrel. My ice chest will go right in front where it's easy to get out, and then go in the back.

Yesterday when Celia and I was getting ready to ride, the headstall I had changed my bit too (it was on a one ear headstall, but they are not allowed, too easy to rub it off), landed up not fitting Harley. The strap had broke (don't know when), and it wouldn't lenghten out enough. So Celia pulled one out for me to borrow, that had a bit on it, and rather then change it out I just decided to use it. What a blessing:). Harley never worked better, he was so "soft" flexed at the polls with just a touch, and it's not a "hard" bit at all. I'm going to use it this weekend then find one like it when I get back. It's a dog bone snaffle with short shanks.

Since I went to that seminar thing, I can see why this thing works better for him then just a regular snaffle, more tongue room, but works on the polls a little more then the kimberwicke did, which is what I needed. After riding yesterday for several hours, I was amazed at the difference in how he worked.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Where you going?

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Looks like you've got everything! I didn't realize you were bringing your own water. Is that to make sure he'll drink enough (I had a stallion that wouldn't drink strange water at horse shows) or because it's not available? Does the barrel for Harley water have a tap at the bottom of it?

That's a good looking bit.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Water is available, but from where I will set up camp it's a loooonnnnnngg haul. Easier to just take my own. Harley is a good drinker, he's always drank "other" water.

I had to run this morning a buy this barrel. I use to have one, but thought I'd never have to use it again so I cut it in half to use as a trough. I wish I had the old one tho. When you first buy them they smell funny because they are used for pop surype. My old one had lost that smell. I don't know if it changes the taste. Belle always drank good too, hope Harley does.

I have a hose that I siffon it out with. It's not hard. Once you get it going I just hook the end up higher then the barrel, then just let it down and the water flows again.

I really like this bit:). Now that I'm a bit more knowledgeable about bits I realize it's actually a softer bit then a regular snaffle, before I thought with that piece in it it would be harder. Harley doesn't need much, but it's got enough bite to it that I can keep him from just taking off trail to get a bite. That was the trouble I was having with the kimberwicke:). It was funny how we'd be going along and he'd just veer off, and I didn't have much to stop him. Now just a touch and he doesn't do that. he even stopped trying, because I guess he figured it was there:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

It looks like a good bit, enough leverage, but not a severe mouthpiece at all. If not for that one looking a little rough, you could see if Celia would part with it... but I think it's a common enough bit you ought to be able to find one to go with your new bridle :~D

We have a plastic barrel for emergency water that we put a tap on that was made for fitting in one of the cap holes. We can either hook it to a hose (as long as we keep the hose end lower than the tank) or just put a bucket under it. have to lay it sideways though...

I figured if we took it camping we could lay it and block it in the back of the truck and get enough gravity to run the hose from it. I can see that siphoning would be easy enough at least while it's relatively full.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, and I forgot to tell you something funny.

We "practiced" with the sponge on a string again yesterday. LOL....it was a riot. Both Harley and Stormy freaked at the purple sponge floating on top of the water:). Especially when it was in front of them and you pulled the string towards them:). Stormy even left the creek one time.

It's something I'm going to have to work on. This weekend if I get a chance to sponge him off on trail, I'll just get off:).

I'd have kept working yesterday, but he was jumping and spinning around so much in the water, and with the rocks on the bottom, is all I could think of was him hanging a shoe on something a jerking it off again. Later when his feet are in better shape I'll practice more. Wasn't worth the risk now.

I had just let go of the string when he started wigging out, and Celia leaned down and picked it up. She wasn't expecting Stormy's reaction:).

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I tried that with my old barrel, but we could never get the spout sealed well enough that water didn't drip out. And I also can get more water in it standing up. I worried about running out in some places where water isn't available, so I like haveing every drop I can take, especially given how hot it's going to be this weekend. I've never run out tho, so 55 gal. seems enough for a weekend.

As long as the hose reaches out of the trailer door, I can siphon it dry.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Heh... yes, not worth the risk now.

Bay would react the same way. He's funny about me reaching out for things like that. I remember being caught off guard once when I decided to get on him bareback to go look for his fly mask. He'd pulled it off somewhere out there and I thought it'd be fun to ride him to look for it. I grabbed a long broom handle to 'hook' it with. To make matters more interesting, I think he was just in a halter, and I tied the lead rope around for reins.

Well, I saw it, walked him up to it, and when I lean over to pick it up with the stick, he spun around and near dumped me. I got to where I could rub the stick all over him, that was no problem, but every time I'd hook the fly mask and try to raise it up high so it'd slide down, he'd blow and spin and carry on, with me bareback with a lead rope. It took me a LOT longer to get the fly mask than if I'd just went lookin'. ;~D

Last time we went to the creek in the forest he was weird too... he was blowing at the poofs of sediment he'd kick up when he took a step. I wanted to stop and stand him in the water, but he was looking between his front feet and blowing, and I decided to just get him out of there. ecurbh didn't want to linger in the creek long anyway, after his near bath on the trip before.