The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread TEN

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
The FreeRepublic Saddle Club thread! - Thread NINE

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]

Morning Hair! Already hot here, and we're supposed to have strong t-storms today.

[BladeRider]

Fascinating.... I just wondered! I'd like to see that sometime :~)

Good Morning!!!!

Mine don't kick it up often because they are out all the time. I do see them occassionally on a cool, foggy morning but we have not had many of those lately! 80 degrees this morning at 7:00

[Beaker]

Goodness, the legs of that girl in the picture are so long that she doesn't even need that extra stirrup! I'm jealous! :-)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Cindy is working towards trail riding...there are no platforms out on trails:) I think, that where she's at the terrain is very flat and finding things to stand on on her trails might be a challenge...I'm not sure about that tho.

Becky

[CindyDawg]

I didn't order it. I don't have any problem mounting in my comfort zones. I find something , whether it be a mounting box, fence, back of truck...whatever. I had plans to be out in the middle of nowhere soon but it fell thru. The guy broke his leg. I wanted something fast, just in case. It's not an issue anymore. I'm going to continue to work really hard the next couple of weeks getting my foot up though because I'm going riding on the beach next. Not much there besides sand dunes. Have you ever done that?

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

That picture is just horrible as and advertisement for that thing.

The only way that thing might be of help, is if you had someone holding down the stirrup on the off side, and someone to hold the horse till the rider was on and set, which looks like could be going on in the picture. That might work. But it leaves you very dependent on others, but on trailrides, you usually have others around.

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

At trail rides at least, if you don't have anything else, you've got the horse trailer. The wheel fender works in a pinch, or better yet, carry a box with you.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Oh, sorry your ride fell thru. For a trail rider, your best bet is to do just what you plan, just keep practicing, and learning to improvise with the terrain as a mounting aid:)

Becky

[CindyDawg]

Well you can't take a box or trailer with you out on a ride. I wasn't so much thinking about the first mount but the following ones.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Not when you are out on trail...

IMO, a rider has to be able to get on their horse by themselves from the ground to trail ride. Usually you can get off when you find something that will help get you back on, but if an emergency happens and you have to get off then get back on from the ground...

Now I'm not saying don't go till you can do that, but it should be a goal trail riders work towards. That was one of the things I did not like about that English Saddle, I could not get back up without help, IMO, that leaves you vulnerable.

Becky

[CindyDawg]

Me too but probably not as sorry as the guy bummed up, I guess. Kind of funny actually. I'm glad my only concern is getting on. I used to worry about just staying on:')

[CindyDawg]

I agree. I don't think with my weight, it would be best for my horses to always mount from the ground and if I can find something to stand on it would be better. I just feel that this is a necessary part of my training because I may need to be able to do this at some point.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I always use something if it's available, always, and it's not necessairly for the comfort of the horse:), but for my legs.

Western/Trail saddles are easier to get on without pulling them around. More there holding them in place. I never did master the English Saddle, and that worried me. I was always nervous about having to get off. I'd have never been able to pick up all those tools the other day if I had still be in the English:).

Oh, and I'm not knocking English Saddles, it was a problem with me not the saddle:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

True, getting back on after a rest stop some place is a bigger challenge, particularly if it's pretty flat and not much to stand on.

I'm spoiled with tree stumps every fifteen feet. :~D

So what can I say that's helpful to someone in that part of the country? I guess just work on it. It takes strength and flexibility and coordination and the best way to work on it is to practice it. On trail rides, find some advantage that puts you up as high as you can get and ask for help holding the horse, or the stirrup on the other side, or even a leg up.

The gadget though, is making the situation unsafe... Standing there with weight on both feet when the saddle starts coming around, you can't just step out of it if your weight's on it and it's moving. It looks like a wreck, a slow motion one, but a wreck nonetheless. I wouldn't do it unless someone is holding the stirrup, hard, on the other side.

[HairOfTheDog]

English saddles often have the stirrups shorter so it's even higher is part of it. I had trouble at the one stop where we were on the road crossing, and putting Bay downhill and standing on the crown of the road wasn't quite enough advantage for me.... I just had to find something else.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

I agree, using that thing without help, would be a wreck waiting to happen.

I'm spoiled with rocks being everywhere around here:)

Becky

[HairOfTheDog]

Once you're up, don't get down lightly unless there's a good place to get back on. As a functional matter, most rides when ecurbh and I go on the 8 miler, we don't dismount till we're back at the trailer. You can take a break and let them stand a minute and not necessarily have to dismount. If you're choosing to stop for lunch or something, then be choosey about where you do it... be on the lookout for a good mounting block. :~)

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Well, I lengthened the stirrups as much as I could and still ride comfortably. But, alas, like everyone else here, Being overweight, and slow, short, and not to flexible, and having a fairly tall horse, mounting is a challenge.

Becky

[CindyDawg]

Well at the beach it won't matter. Wet is wet:;)

[HairOfTheDog]

Well at the ocean, you can lead them out till you can float on :~)