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!

[tuffydoodle]

Did you go to my homepage and click on the "windows media" box next to the video name?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Sounds like she'd make a good CTR horse:)

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Yep. It's probably just my computer. Sometimes it plays videos sometimes it doesn't. I haven't figured out what the trick is. Mack probably knows, but he's never here when one gets posted:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Shirley's down with plantar fascitis in one foot and didn't feel up to riding on Saturday.

Do you know that's what I've been battling with for a year?

We spent a fortune, nearly $500, on the special shoe inserts and their method for correcting it sold by NeoVita - Foot Comfort Center. It was a lot of money, but it really does work. I tried the cheaper inserts available on the web, and they didn't work at all. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there's one near you. If he gets tired of it, and it keeps hurting, I'd recommend trying to find a place with good, fitted othopedics. It's made a tremendous difference for me, I was really frustrated by it last summer.

[FrogInABlender]

Cool Video! It let me see the first one, but when I tried to view the 2nd one I got the big "Access Denied" thing from our server here at work. Darn computer Nazis!

[HairOfTheDog]

Sounds like she'd make a good CTR horse:)

She really would... A lot better than Bay... he's a dancer.

[HairOfTheDog]

If a horse I want to pass is acting up tho, I stay back till the riders tells me it's OK to go on by. There are so many things in a passing situation that need to be considered.

Indeed. None of the horses like it, the ones being passed, or the passers. And usually the riders goose them or jerk them right during the pass too, trying to prevent them from taking a pass at each other. So they react to that too.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

trying to prevent them from taking a pass at each other. So they react to that too.

That's exactly why I like just getting over and stopping. I worry about a horse kicking at another as they go by. It they are stopped and facing the trail, their butts are out of firing range:), also if they are stopped, IMO, you've got better control if they start to freak seeing other horses going by. Luckily,, so far, knock on wood, Harley couldn't care less about horses going by him:) Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Bay sounds like he would be good at the pacing part of it. Since he walks out so nice, he'd probably not have to trot at all, which would keep him from getting tired. That's a plus.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

...Do you know that's what I've been battling with for a year?...

I was kind of afraid that it was. I sure hope he doesn't have the problems with it that you have. His doctor gave him some anti-inflamatory drugs and told him that if it didn't get better that he may need to see an orthopedic doctor and get a cortisone shot in the bottom of his foot. Ouch! Hopefully it won't come to that. I would have thought that a visit to a podiatrist would have been what he needed, but then I don't know that much about them or how widely accepted they are by the rest of the medical community.

[HairOfTheDog]

Bay gets a little competitive... he went a lot faster after this pass, to keep up with those gaiteds. I let him trot a good bit, but I pulled him back, didn't want him to blow his wad that far out just because he was feeling good.

I tell you, these days, when he's feeling good, I'm on cloud nine. It reaffirms for me that I'm right when I get that sneaking feeling when something isn't right.

He had two good things going for him this time out... The right amount of meds for his feet, and also, I have gone back to riding with the cinch relatively loose so he doesn't get rubbed. That's what slowed him down last time I think. It wasn't too bad a rub, but I think those hurt a lot. He's got weak old skin, the poor guy.

I know it sounds dangerous to ride with the cinch loose, but he's got a really good wither and I just ride like I don't depend on the saddle to stay centered. I should have had the breastcollar on, it slipped back some going up hill and I had to move it forward at the rest stop.

[FrogInABlender]

We always pull off the trail to let others pass too. Mostly because our trails just aren't wide enough. You just never know what another horse is going to do. But I wouldn't pull off in a mudhole just so somebody with ants in their pants could pass either.

It looks like your buddy from the IT ride has posted a rather pointed comment on the NATRC4 board this morning. It'll be interesting to see what the reponse to THAT will be. ;o)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I'm glad you've got him on the right path:)

Cinch rubs can be a pain. Harley got a small one the first day, but that was my fault, I forgot to pull his legs up after I cinched him and get all the skin pulled out. The second day, I stretched him and the rub was no where near the cinch. It had already healed up last week when I started riding again. That was me not thinking the first day, worrying about other stuff....hate it when I do that.

Becky

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Really, I haven't even been over there in a while.

Becky

[FrogInABlender]

When I set up my profile over there, I checked the box that makes all replies to the board come to me as an e-mail too, so that's how I knew. He just now posted it. He was defending your honor too. ;o)

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, if he can't find good orthopedics, have him get some new, good shoes with good arch support, wear those all the time, don't go barefoot in the house for awhile (this was a big problem for me, I hate wearing shoes all day) and wrap his arch pretty tight at night. There's a stretchy wrap I bought that works good, but even an ace would help. The problem is that tendon contracts at night, or whenever you rest too long, and by morning, it's been sitting with the toe pointed... and suddenly stretching it to stand up in the morning is excrutiating. Wrapping it so it stays stretched all night helps. Somthing like these: FootSmart® Arch Brace :: Foot/Arch Supports :: FootSmart

And speaking of the orthopedic inserts...

Just looking at them, these look pretty good, better than the ones we got before the Neovita ones. IsoArch™ 3/4 Foot Supports, Pair :: Foot/Arch Inserts :: FootSmart

[HairOfTheDog]

I pull Bay's legs, but he seems to get rubs anyway lately, if the cinch is tight.

I better go check out the NATRC board :~)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I just did:)

This could get fun again:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I skimmed thru the posts that came in since my last post, way last week.

Looks like they do try to keep quiet about the horses that died at rides. I'm not going to get into that discussion, I don't know enough about what happened, but I know there have been several since I started competing. I never thought about that maybe being something they didn't want let out:). I think it should be, I get tired of worrying about horses you know shouldn't be there...I figured if someone new coming in KNEW it does take some conditioning it would be better.

I also don't buy the posts that say once you have a horse conditioned for this sport, it doesn't take much conditioning after that. I tried that one year with Belle. i had people tell me i was over conditioning, so I backed off and has problems with her coming in sore. When I went back to riding more, she quit being sore.

Becky