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Posted on 06/19/2006 8:46:45 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
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!
ROTFLMAO!!! Well what do you expect, he's got no privates! ;o)
LOL!!! Nooooo, surely not! ;o)
I'm sure it was something quite serious, whatever the threat was... The girl was sooo serious, and so dreadfully embarrassed that her llama was being so bad (I think all 11 year old girls are pretty much in a constant state of complete embarrassment). I think it was either something about the butcher man, or something like "If we were at home and there weren't all these people watching, I'd be kicking your butt right now".
Oh, so sorry you were ill.
I just got in from riding. It wasn't bad at all, heat wise. We did alot of hill climbing today. I think he needs that more then flat work. He gets really slow going up.
Becky
I guess I must've had too much fun on the ride because on my way home I had a flat on the trailer, and of course I don't have a spare. I had to drive a ways before I could find a place to pull off, so this is what confronted me when I got out to investigate...
Luckily I was able to get Lee on the cell phone and got him to bring the other trailer for Grace. When he got there, he took the rim off and chained the springs and hanger up so that the hub wouldn't hang down too low and drag so I could limp it on home on 3 wheels. It looked funny but it worked out pretty well...
While I was waiting, this nice guy who lived just down the road and had seen me pull off came up and offered to let me park under the shade trees in his yard until Lee got there. I sure appreciated it because it was 99 degrees and we would have roasted out in the sun in the field I pulled into. The people were real nice and offered us food and water and tried to get me to come in the house to enjoy the A/C but I didn't want to leave Grace out there all by herself. There was a decent breeze so the shade was pretty comfortable so I just got Grace out of the trailer and tied her and sat down under a tree next to her and we both took a nap. The people's little girls had to come out and visit us too. It was kinda funny because the youngest one was 3 and she couldn't QUITE figure out why I was there, so I showed her the tire and told her that it was broke and wouldn't go any more and she seemed to accept that. The oldest one was 6 or 7 and you could tell she really loved horses. She had to give Grace hugs and kisses. I was really proud of the way Grace acted around them. She'd lower her head and just stand there real still and let them pet her. If I'd had Bob with me, he'd've been fidgeting and pawing the whole time, like your typical little boy.
BladeRider had her own misfortunes on the way home too, but she'll have to tell you about that.
Oh dear! I think that tire is done! You went home with it just chained up like that huh!? I'm always amazed at folk that can jury-rig solutions when needed! Good job.
Now... get yourself a new tire ~and~ a spare!
The ride that's coming up, is it a ride with a lot of climbing? How will it compare to the terrain in the last ride?
This ride is the same one I went to last fall. IF they use the same trails it won't be that hard of a ride, about like the last one I went to. BUT, this place has a lot more trails available. It could be a tough ride. In past years I always thought it was about 2nd toughest ride in the region. I don't know why they used the trails they did last year, why they made it so easy....
It does have a lot of long climbs, so Harley needs to pick it up a bit. It could be he's just a bit out of shape from his long vacation while my arm healed, or ( and this is what I suspect), he's gotten a bit lazy:). But, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. But which ever it is, he's going to be doing a lot of climbing between now and then. I don't have long climbs, but I've got enough to buff him up:), mentally or physically, whichever it is that needs to be buffed.
Becky
Oh my, what an adventure:) I hate tires....
Becky
Fair enough :~) Either way you'll get him in shape.
Speaking of 'is it mental or physical' - riding out with that walking mule did work towards breaking Bay's cycle of leaving slow out of camp. :~) She left at a brisk pace and he did just fine with it. I think he's just trying to get in my head when he does that.
The woman had heard through the grapevine that we'd 'complained' to Bob about the pace, even our farrier, who was there had heard about it... though we were mostly just joking with complaints, it was good to push us to trot the whole way, it showed us that we can. So I tried to keep the lady from apologizing :~)
LOL....poor Bay, you're on to him:)
I think I would make him mostly trot now, going away from camp, and then keep him at a walk on the way back when he's trying to speed up:)
Becky
I think you're right about moving right along out of camp, at least whenever he's trying to poke along. Maybe he'll figure out that if he gives me his good brisk walk he won't have to trot :~)
He used to be like that out of camp anyway, dancing and on the muscle the first few miles, and though some don't like that, I did. That's when I could get the great collection out of him that let me think I was on a great dressage horse. He could Piaffe and Passage with the best of them.
This new behavior is just a laziness that is coming with age, and he's figured out he can get my pity and won't have to work, he pulls the same thing when he limps on the lunge and then turns around and runs when I turn him loose... at least that's the theory I'm running with. I won't slow him down too much now when he wants to move, even on the way home... I know he feels good then and it doesn't bother me a bit.
Well, here is my story, sorry it is so long. It takes a good horse to bring a person back from the depths of dispare. I left Raild To Trails ride at 1:00, got down the Interstate a few miles to Athens, AL and the truck started to overheat so pulled into a gas stateion to let it cool and call my husband who was at work in B'Ham. He said to add some water to the overflow and don't run the AC and see how that works. Well I sat there for about 20 minutes then started again. Got just a few miles further and when crossing the Tennessee RIver bridge my "Check Gauges" light came on and I was over heating again. The next exit was a mile or so away in Priceville. Got the end of the ramp and I had steam and wouldn't you know it I did not make the light so I cut the engine off until the light changed. Pulled off and stopped under the overpass and sat there for 30, not a soul stopped to see if I needed anything. Got enough water in the radiator to go another 500 feet to the gas station. Let it cool down for 45 minutes and tried to put water in it and it al poured out the bottom of the radiator. It was 99 degrees in the hot sun. Poor Blade was getting all up tight. I had to take him out of the trailer and stand beside the gas station building in the shade, he kept whinnying for his buddies and they never answered. He could not stand still. Gary was stuck in stand still traffic south of Cullman. I was hot, tired and after a tough week anyway I just sat down and cried. God Bless Blade, he put his nose on my face and half closed his eyes like he was trying to calm me. Looking up into his big old eyes I pulled myself together and took him back over to the trailer to get him some more water. At that time a man drove up, said he had horses to and asked if I needed any help. I told him I did not know, my husband was stuck in traffic, my horse was beginning to loose it and I already had. He looked at the truck and found that the radiator was cracked. He offered to take me and Blade home. I did not know this man from Adam, he could have been some serial killer or rapist for all I knew but at that point I did not care and did not have may other options. He said he had to go home and get his other truck and would be back. He got back 10 minutes later with his wife thank God! So we un hitched the trailer from our truck and hooked it to his, loaded Blade back up and headed to the house which was an hour away. I told Gary to just head home. He was in a pissy mood cause he was supposed to go get fitted for his Tux for his son's wedding and couldn't and now had to buy a new radiator for the truck. He arrived home about 10 minutes after I did, we had just un hitched the trailer and put Blade in the pasture. The people left and we called around for a radiator. Advance auto was the only one that had it in stock so we went and got it that evening. Lee (my daughters boyfriend) and two of his buddies came over Sunday morning and we went to Priceville to put the new radiator in and guess what? It was not the right one! Went into the Advance in Decatur 15 miles away and they did not have the right one in stock so we got our money back and went to Autozone. They did not have one either so we went to O'Rielly's and they had one and even matched the original price we paid which was $20 cheaper. Took the radiator back to Priceville and put it in. Poured water in it and it all came out on the ground. One of the freeze plugs had blown. So back into Decatur to get a freeze plug while Lee and his buddies tried to get the old freeze plug out. We got back with the new freeze plug and they were still trying to get the old one out, it was rusted in there so we had to go BACK into Decatur and get a chisel and some sand paper at Ace Hardware. Finally 2 hours later (took only 20 minutes to drop the new radiator) they got that old freeze plug out and put the new one in but could only get it in half way so they pounded on that for a while and it finally went it. 6 hours later we were sitting in Wendy's having lunch then headed home.
Oh dear...
Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers... I bet you were pretty glad to accept such an offer. I'd stop and help someone stranded with horses too. It just quadruples the stress to be broken down with them in tow. I remember once, long ago when I was in high school, we broke down along the freeway on the way to a show, and with no good options, we rode them home, five miles, along the freeway greenway, in full show gear because that's what we had with us to wear!
Yeah, I dropped the rim off at the local gas station/mechanic shop/tire store on the way home and he's supposed to have it mounted for me by this afternoon. The other tire on that side is bald too so I'll have it replaced too. I reckon that the axles are out of alignment or something on that trailer because it really eats up tires on the passenger side. One of these days I'm going to get a new one, but I really need a new truck first.
The trouble with getting a spare is the fact that the hubs on that trailer do not have a standard bolt pattern. I've tried 15" rims from Ford, Chevy and Dodge and nothing fits. One good thing that came out of the encounter with the guy who let me park in his yard was that he identified the hubs on the trailer as being International Harvester (don't ask me how!) He even pegged the trailer as being an early 70's model (it's a '75). So now all I've gotta do is go to the junk yard and get a 15" IH rim and I should be set.
That thought crossed my mind trust me! But a windy, hilly two lane hwy with 18 wheelers flying up and down it was not my idea of a safe ride, plus I was about 50 miles away. I would probably still be riding!
When we had that old WW 2H bumper pull we did not ahve a spare and found out we had to order one from WW for that same reason.
I noticed the other tire after my post, and was going to suggest new tires all the way around! Just don't want to see you ladies get stranded far from home like that.
We were lucky on our breakdown that we hadn't gotten far. That and we were young and naive enough to think riding along the freeway wasn't all that dangerous. :~)
And places that sell horse trailers don't have the right rims either? Maybe it's something special to trailer axles?
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